Hello! Fitness tracker recommendations?

K

Kikokat

New Member
Hello! I'm happy to have found this forum. I won't get into my whole story right now, but I've been off work for over a year with this debilitating illness, and mental illness, and finally receive diagnosis a few weeks ago.

apologies if this has been discussed before but I'm hoping to find recommendations on a fitness tracker that has a heart rate monitor with alarm, timer, and adjustable heartrate targets. I have a Fitbit charge 2 from my healthier days but it does not include these important features. I've been searching but apparently the alarm feature is uncommon. I live in Canada.

What are you using?
 
I'm using a garmin vivoactive 3 - if you time it right these can be bought from amazon warehouse for around £100.

It has HR, a stopwatch, activity timers that can be set to either manual start or automatic, and the HR zones can be configured in garmin connect - it's app. I believe they can also be set on the watch but I'be not been able to do that yet, there was no need once I figured out it was easier in the app.

It's useful, but not really as a preventative measure, at least not in my case.

The HR alarm works, it has an upper or a lower bound, which is unusual in these things, and can be set to vibrate when a HR zone is entered.

This is not as useful as you would think, in my case it resulted in it constantly going off, as standing and moving pushes me above my 'anaerobic threshold' most of the time. This got annoying so I turned it off ;)

It is 'useful' in being able to tell when it's a bad idea to do things tho, a combination of the HR behaviour and the 'stress' reading (a rejigged HRV thingie) provides some idea of what's going on, even when I'm too mucked up to read my body properly.

This subject had been discussed before, I believe in this sub forum.

ETA - https://www.s4me.info/threads/using-heart-rate-monitoring-to-help-with-pacing.196/

Other devices are available, some may be better, the new crop apparently has another senor on it which may provide useful info - I don't know as I haven't got one with that sensor lol
 
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I have a Polar A370 that I’m very happy with, though I believe the Garmin equivalents have an easier alarm setup.

On the Polar I have to set up an exercise program for the relevant pulse zones every time I want to use the alarm function (to avoid going above a certain HR). It’s not hard and not a big issue, but it would be easier if I could simply activate the alarm without setting up a program in the app.
 
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Android HR monitor with alarm
Forgive me if this has already been asked/answered, but can anyone recommend a wrist heart rate monitor with an alarm one can set if one's HR goes above a certain number? Thanks.
 
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junkcrap50 said:
I'm considering the Garmin Vivosmart 4. It can meaure pulse oximetry and sleep phase, which is pretty cool. It can also do HRV or its own version of it.
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I was looking at this, too, but it didn't look like it had an alarm like what @Wonko described with the Vivoactive 3, which is more than I want to spend at this point until I know whether HR monitoring will even help me. I don't know, for example, whether I am someone whose heart rate increases to indicate I'm going into anaerobic mode. Yesterday, in a quick-and-dirty test with my terrific biologist mom-in-law, I took my pulse as we first sat down to look at ME pacing articles and I took my pulse--around 73. After we'd been talking for a bit, I could feel I'd done too much--felt winded, tight chest, headache, etc--and yet when I took my pulse it was just 75.

Does anyone know if this might just be a one-off, unreliable test of whether HR is a good way for me to learn what level of activity is right for me and too much for me (my main reason for considering getting an HR monitor)? Or does this suggest monitoring HR might be irrelevant for me? I guess I need to get more data points. Just not sure if, when I think I'm measuring resting rate, I'm not already in PEM. I feel like I've been in some level of PEM for at least the past 11 months.
 
SunnyK said:
Merged
Android HR monitor with alarm
Forgive me if this has already been asked/answered, but can anyone recommend a wrist heart rate monitor with an alarm one can set if one's HR goes above a certain number? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Thanks for putting this in the correct thread, monitors!
 
SunnyK said:
Yesterday, in a quick-and-dirty test with my terrific biologist mom-in-law, I took my pulse as we first sat down to look at ME pacing articles and I took my pulse--around 73. After we'd been talking for a bit, I could feel I'd done too much--felt winded, tight chest, headache, etc--and yet when I took my pulse it was just 75.
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For me, my pulse rate goes up quickly when I do any physical activity like walking, having a shower, doing stuff in the kitchen - just being upright and on my feet for more than about 2 to 5 minutes - and I think it's helped me a lot being able to instantly check my pulse rate on my fitbit every minute or so, so I can see when I need to stop and lie down or at least sit well supported with my legs horizontal along the sofa. My fitbit doesn't have an alarm, but I quickly got in the habit of checking it while up and active, and trying to stop within a minute when it goes above about 100.

I think that knowledge, along with using the step monitoring to get my daily step count generally below 1000 as recorded on the fitbit (not really a step count as it counts arm movements too). That has helped me reduce the frequency and severity of episodes of PEM.

However, as you have observed, things like seated conversation, and even concentration while horizontal can also be exhausting, add to general malaise symptoms and contribute to PEM without necessarily raising my heart rate in the same way as physical activity does.

Taking my pulse with a finger on wrist takes time, and if I'm or lying sitting quietly while doing it, by the time I get sorted with my watch with second hand and finding my pulse, and then counting it, my heart rate will have dropped significantly anyway, so it's not a good test.

If you want instant pulse readings without spending much, a finger pulse oximeter can be helpful. You could keep one in your pocket while doing an activity and check your pulse rate with it every now and then just to get an indication of whether you are subject to rapid and high pulse rises when physically active. I have also found having it means I can check every now and then whether my fitbit is giving me an accurate reading, which it usually does, but not always.
 
Trish said:
For me, my pulse rate goes up quickly when I do any physical activity like walking, having a shower, doing stuff in the kitchen - just being upright and on my feet for more than about 2 to 5 minutes - and I think it's helped me a lot being able to instantly check my pulse rate on my fitbit every minute or so, so I can see when I need to stop and lie down or at least sit well supported with my legs horizontal along the sofa. My fitbit doesn't have an alarm, but I quickly got in the habit of checking it while up and active, and trying to stop within a minute when it goes above about 100.

I think that knowledge, along with using the step monitoring to get my daily step count generally below 1000 as recorded on the fitbit (not really a step count as it counts arm movements too). That has helped me reduce the frequency and severity of episodes of PEM.

However, as you have observed, things like seated conversation, and even concentration while horizontal can also be exhausting, add to general malaise symptoms and contribute to PEM without necessarily raising my heart rate in the same way as physical activity does.

Taking my pulse with a finger on wrist takes time, and if I'm or lying sitting quietly while doing it, by the time I get sorted with my watch with second hand and finding my pulse, and then counting it, my heart rate will have dropped significantly anyway, so it's not a good test.

If you want instant pulse readings without spending much, a finger pulse oximeter can be helpful. You could keep one in your pocket while doing an activity and check your pulse rate with it every now and then just to get an indication of whether you are subject to rapid and high pulse rises when physically active. I have also found having it means I can check every now and then whether my fitbit is giving me an accurate reading, which it usually does, but not always.
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This is super helpful, Trish--both your description of how you're able to use a Fitbit w/o alarm to monitor your HR and adapt your activity level, and also your observance that some things that aggravate symptoms (like seated mental activity) may not increase HR, and this doesn't mean that HR monitoring isn't relevant at all.

I'm taking a week or so of just taking my pulse when I'm most at rest (before getting out of bed in the a.m.) to get an idea of what my average resting HR is. As I understand it, it's best to keep one's HR within 15 beats/mn of one's average resting rate--is that correct?
 
My husband, a computer whiz who has always been very concerned about the surveillance state (and data collection by private entities), is really worried about my having a wearable device that would be sending data to someone besides myself. I'm guessing if I use a device that doesn't require a linked app, I'm OK?
 
SunnyK said:
I'm taking a week or so of just taking my pulse when I'm most at rest (before getting out of bed in the a.m.) to get an idea of what my average resting HR is. As I understand it, it's best to keep one's HR within 15 beats/mn of one's average resting rate--is that correct?
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Sounds like a good idea to get an idea of baseline. You could also try it while sitting watching TV or other sedentary activities to get an idea of your sedentary range of rates.

My resting rate is around 70 bpm. If I had to stay within 15, ie not over 85, I'd never get out of bed. We need to be realistic and find out by experience what works for us. Similarly if I use the calculation 0.6x(220 - age in years) or use the multiplier 0.5 as some recommend for ME/CFS, that comes to 88 or 73 for me because I'm ancient, so that is completely unrealistic for me.

For example, having a shower with hairwash, even doing everything slowly and sitting down as much as possible takes my heart rate up to 120. I try to compensate for this by not showering often and by spending the rest of the day resting quietly in bed. Odd things raise my heart rate and are exhausting like dressing and undressing, so I now spend most days in my nightie and just add a cardigan and sometimes pull a skirt on over the top.

And getting meals raises my heart rate a lot, so we have to mostly use ready meals, and if I'm doing a bit from scratch like preparing fresh veg, I do it in stages with rests in between.

The heart rate monitoring has helped me learn which activities raise my heart rate quickly and which are manageable for longer, and also how much it varies from day to day depending whether I'm well rested or have done too much already that day. It's stopped me from the old habit of getting out of bed with a list of 6 things to do, and pushing through the whole list without a break.

My symptoms were already telling me to stop earlier, but the pulse monitoring sort of gives me permission to stop sooner by helping to over-ride my natural inclination to get on and get things done.

SunnyK said:
I'm guessing if I use a device that doesn't require a linked app, I'm OK?
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I think that's up to you. I don't care at all that my activity and pulse data is going to Fitbit. Even if they sell it, I can't see how it can be used against me personally.
 
SunnyK said:
I was looking at this, too, but it didn't look like it had an alarm like what @Wonko described with the Vivoactive 3, which is more than I want to spend at this point until I know whether HR monitoring will even help me. I don't know, for example, whether I am someone whose heart rate increases to indicate I'm going into anaerobic mode.
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Have you tried a phone app for heart rate measuring, just while you work out if you want to buy a dedicated monitor?
 
Hutan said:
Have you tried a phone app for heart rate measuring, just while you work out if you want to buy a dedicated monitor?
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I didn't know there were phone apps for HR measuring without a wearable device. How does that work? And do I need to worry about third party getting my data? Like Trish, I'm not so concerned about this, but my husband is, and I do know that in the US insurance companies will use any sign of illness to increase coverage costs, or even deny coverage if we go back to pre-Obamacare days.
 
There are apps, you put your finger over the camera. I think they work by measuring the change in colour of your finger due to the oxygenation of the blood.

The security issue is something that would need to be checked out, although I don't know that the app would necessarily know who you are if you give a false name.

The apps allow you to track things, and you can categorise results, such as 'resting' 'jogging'. If you didn't put labels on your readings, it seems to me any insurance company would have a very hard time working out whether that spike in heart rate was the result of you doing some healthy exercise or the result of ME/CFS weirdness while lying on the sofa.
 
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Trish said:
Sounds like a good idea to get an idea of baseline. You could also try it while sitting watching TV or other sedentary activities to get an idea of your sedentary range of rates.

My resting rate is around 70 bpm. If I had to stay within 15, ie not over 85, I'd never get out of bed. We need to be realistic and find out by experience what works for us. Similarly if I use the calculation 0.6x(220 - age in years) or use the multiplier 0.5 as some recommend for ME/CFS, that comes to 88 or 73 for me because I'm ancient, so that is completely unrealistic for me.

For example, having a shower with hairwash, even doing everything slowly and sitting down as much as possible takes my heart rate up to 120.
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Wow, 120?! Even when I was working out hard several years ago (yes, in hindsight a very bad idea, but at the time I thought everything was still due to my JRA, and my doctors all told me how important it was to get exercise and be fit), I had trouble getting my HR up to 120. I think I only got there when riding a stationary bike really fast, while feeling completely out of breath and miserable the whole time. In fact, when I exercised, I thought I wasn't pushing myself hard enough because, even though I was feeling like I was going as hard/fast as possible, my HR never got into the "aerobic" range for my age group (according to the chart in the gym). This morning, my HR before getting out of bed was 68, and when I got up, my head was pounding, I felt breathless, etc.--but my pulse had risen just to 88. And just a few moments ago, after scooping our cat's litter box and then putting away some groceries (all while standing), my pulse was still just 78. Right now I'm sitting, and while my HR is lower, I feel very symptomatic--tight chest, winded, headache, etc.

Is it possible to have ME/CFS and not have HR be a good indicator of what one's limit is for activity? I know you said, Trish, that it might not be for, say, mental activities, but is it possible to have it be unreliable or even irrelevant for physical activity, too? Or is it possible that when one is in PEM (as I know I am, pretty chronically at this point because I always have medical appointments and have trouble slowing down even when I feel bad), one's HR doesn't increase as much relative to symptom increase?

(I'm keeping this post in the forum rather than messaging you individually, Trish, in case this discussion might help others down the road and in case others with experience like you want to weigh in.)
 
Hutan said:
There are apps, you put your finger over the camera. I think they work by measuring the change in colour of your finger due to the oxygenation of the blood.

The security issue is something that would need to be checked out, although I don't know that the app would necessarily know who you are if you give a false name.

The apps allow you to track things, and you can categorise results, such as 'resting' 'jogging'. If you didn't put labels on your readings, it seems to me any insurance company would have a very hard time working out whether that spike in heart rate was the result of you doing some healthy exercise or the result of ME/CFS weirdness while lying on the sofa.
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Thanks, Hutan. I'll look into this.
 
SunnyK said:
I took my pulse as we first sat down to look at ME pacing articles and I took my pulse--around 73. After we'd been talking for a bit, I could feel I'd done too much--felt winded, tight chest, headache, etc--and yet when I took my pulse it was just 75.
Click to expand...

In my experience the tachycardia has a cadence through the day as the resting HR wanders slowly up and down, with superimposed spikes with standing, moving, eating etc. PEM would likely up both the resting and maximum HR. In the moment, I don't think overdoing it cognitively would likely reflect an early change in HR, though may well show as a delayed effect. Others' experience may be different however.

SunnyK said:
Android HR monitor with alarm
Click to expand...

SunnyK said:
My husband, a computer whiz who has always been very concerned about the surveillance state (and data collection by private entities), is really worried about my having a wearable device that would be sending data to someone besides myself. I'm guessing if I use a device that doesn't require a linked app, I'm OK?
Click to expand...

Not unreasonable given what we've learned with Cambridge Analytica, Snowden etc. He might favour Linux or similar open source platforms in general, as they put control in the users' hands. But while Android itself is Linux-based, I would regard the app ecosystem as a bit of a "Wild West".

While certainly not open source in the majority, counter-intuitively you might be better with the Apple platform. Technically it's high quality, although you do pay extra for that; but most importantly Apple takes protection of user data very seriously and it's a point of distinction. See their legal fights with the FBI/DOJ for example. This isn't always to their advantage, eg Siri is technically very behind other voice assistants, partly because Apple keeps user voice data on-device where Google et al have it all on their servers.

They take particular care with personal health and location data. Although it's backed up in iCloud by default, Apple themselves do not have the keys to read it.* Individual apps can of course sync the data you give them access to to their own servers should they wish, but many iOS app makers follow Apple's lead and keep your data on-device and under your control as much as possible.

This difference is part of the cost differential - as many see it you're paying full price to Apple, as opposed to half price to another manufacturer with you and your data making up the residual. Or the oft-spoke Facebook/Twitter line: "if you're not paying for the product, you are the product."

---
* Even if the FBI asks nicely. See the table at https://support.apple.com/en-au/HT202303
 
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