The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Polar.
I have a mantra in life. It’s “work smarter, not harder.” This may sound strange to some, but know it’s not about putting down hard work. It’s about not doing unnecessary hard work when there’s a smarter way to handle the situation. If you’re hitting a brick wall over and over again maybe it’s time to stop throwing yourself at the brick wall and start thinking of a way to circumvent it.
Knowing this is my motto and that I am on a serious journey to fitness, you may be surprised to know I haven’t been working smarter when it comes to my workouts. I’ve never tracked my workouts, measured my activity throughout the day, or monitored how many calories I burned. Achieving physical fitness is my brick wall and I’ve been throwing myself at it head first wondering why I’m not achieving the results I want to.
Until now. As part of my campaign with FitFluential I received a Polar Loop and Polar H7 heart rate sensor. The Polar Loop is activity tracker that tracks everything from your steps to your calories to your sleep right from your wrist. The Polar H7 is a heart rate sensor that you wear around your chest that tracks your heart rate and calories burned during a workout. For the first time I was able to measure my fitness efforts and it was like a lightbulb went off. Why the heck didn’t I start doing this sooner?
Fitness trackers have a long way to go to be stylish but the Polar Loop is one of the prettier ones I’ve seen. You cut the band so it fits your wrist exactly. This is terrifying while you’re doing it but awesome afterwards because you have a customized bracelet that fits perfectly. The battery on mine typically lasts about two days before needing to be recharged. It charges fully in about ten minutes which is awesome since I don’t like to take it off for too long. It’s waterproof and measures sleep so I love getting to analyze as many numbers as possible.
I took it and the H7 heart rate sensor for a run on Saturday. They’re both so comfortable I forget when I’m wearing them. Not only did I meet my steps goal on the run but I burned 558 calories in 42 minutes.
Sunday was a Zumba day. 1 hour and 694 calories later my Polar Loop lit up GOAL! and I did a little happy dance.
Monday I did a 45 minute spin class and was surprised to find that while I burned 449 calories I only got in 5,700 steps. I’m wondering if that is due to the Polar Loop not registering spins as steps or me needing to take a few less spin classes and run a few more times during the week. I’m taking a barre class tomorrow and am curious to see the numbers from that class.
The Polar Flow app is pretty cool. The Polar Loop and H7 both sync to your phone through bluetooth which makes tracking a breeze. Not only does it show your heart rate throughout a workout (the drastic dip was when I ran out of water and had to run out of the room to go refill my bottle- losing signal momentarily) but it shows your movement throughout an entire day. Even on a day when I got tons of movement in I still had two inactivity alerts, meaning I was sedentary for over an hour at a time. Getting notifications like that inspire me to park my car farther away from entrances, get up and walk around more at work, and make sure to take stretch breaks from my epic couch sessions. Polar has shown me that it’s not just the big workout sessions that matter, but all the little decisions I make throughout my day. I’ve got a lot of room for improvement but for the first time I’m working smarter with my fitness, not harder.
Questions of the Day: Do you use a fitness tracker? Do you feel its helped you make smarter decisions regarding fitness?
I love the comparison!! I just got mine out, so far I love it… I had no idea it could do so much until I read your post!!
It is such a great fitness tracker. I love it.
I use a Polar heart rate monitor, but I have been toying with the idea of getting the Loop!
I love it! It’s really user friendly and unobtrusive.
You have a Polar Loop toooo! I am seeing so much good stuff on them, and I know it would help me with my training! Looks like you really enjoyed it, and I am sure it will continue to help you as you understand it more and enjoy it!
I use a Garmin to track my runs, but mine has been playing up a lot recently. I have an 18 mile progression run today that I hope to cut my pace from 7:30 per mile for mile 1 to hopefully around 6:00 for the last few miles. These are some of my favorite workouts, and I love being able to track back through it afterwards!
Thanks for sharing Erin, so jealous!
It’s a great device! I’m really enjoying mine.
I have a regular Polar HRM and love it. Working in “my zone” has actually made me slow down and not go so hard core, which has led to weight loss. I love your review on the Polar Loop.
Thanks Maureen! Yes I definitely need to get better about targeting specific zones when I workout.
love the app that goes along with it. i’ve been wanting a heart rate monitor forever!
I love it! I’m getting so much more information about my workouts than I ever have before.
I love that Polar made a fitness tracker. My biggest complaint about the Fitbit was that there was no way to track your heart rate and now POlar has solved that for me! Hopefully I can get my hands on one of these soon!
I 100% recommend it. Polar makes great products.
The Loop looks awesome, love all the stuff it tracks. I LOVE my Polar HRM watch!
Polar makes awesome products!
Great review! I have a fitbit but I wish it dis more like the Polar. I am definitely looking into getting one!
I really recommend it! It’s a great product!
This is fantastic! I saw this during the latest Fitfluential twitter chat and had never heard of it before. I’m happy to have read your review, looks like something I want to look into more myself!
I really recommend it! It’s a great fitness tracker.
Thanks for writing this, I’ve been looking at getting one of these tools. I’m still not sure which one I want but this definitely helps! Keep up the good work!
Thanks Monica! I really recommend the Polar Loop. I’ve had great experiences.