Polar FT40 Heart Rate Monitor Review

Do you know how many calories you burn a day? How many calories you burn during a 6 mile run or a Crossfit workout? Do you know when you are working out in the fat burning zone? I didn't either, until I tested the Polar FT40 heart rate monitor.  

The Polar FT40 has so many great features, but these are a few of my favorite:

The EnergyPointer tells you if the main effort of your training is fitness improvement or fat burning.  The PolarFitness Test measures your aerobic fitness at rest and tells you your progress.  The Smart Calorie feature calculates the number of calories expended during a training session based on your weight, height, age, your individual maximum heart rate {HRmax} and how hard you're training. The HRM also displays calories burned and comes with a comfortable fabric transmitter and coded heart rate transmission to avoid crosstalk {the strap is comfortable and basically unnoticeable while working out}

My exercise regimen the last couple of weeks has consisted of a run with friends, followed by coffee...so I took my Polar HRM for a spin.  {Sidenote: is it appropriate to reach up and remove your HRM strap in public, or should you go to the restroom for that!?} I always assumed that I burned 100 calories/mile of running, but I actually burn more when I am pushing the pace or doing hillwork. I also took my HRM with me to ZUMBA, and was surprised that while I burned less calories, a larger portion of my workout was in the fat burning zone than when I run.  And do you know an afternoon of snowboarding burns 900 calories!?

My two favorite features:

-Ease of operation: The Polar FT40 is extremely user friendly, and is very simple to switch between different screens in order to view different data

-Compatibility with spin bike: I am able to constantly monitor my HR, and adjust my workout accordingly, while in spin class {which is essential as I begin to train for a 70.3 triathlon}

 I have LOVED using my Polar FT40 HRM, and am excited to continue to use it and learn more about all of its features in order to maximize my training.  I highly recommend this easy to use fitness gadget to track and monitor your workouts in order to maximize your efforts.

Dsiclaimer: I received this product to review from FitFluential LLC and POLAR USA; all opinions are my own