Healthy Heart Rate: Polar M61 Heart Rate Monitor Watch Review

I've used a Polar A1 basic heart monitor for several months, found it useful for losing weight and gaining fitness, but found myself wishing for something a bit better. Now that I also have the much fancier Polar M61, I'm seeing anew the virtues of simplicity (not to mention low cost.)

Compared to the A1, the M61 usefully adds a stopwatch and regular watch (with either visible along with the current heart rate), and a backlight. It also beeps at you if your heart rate goes above or below a specified target zone. I find all those added features very useful.

Sadly, it is also a far more complex watch to set up and operate than the A1, with many features that no longer seem as important as I once thought. Even so, it still lacks features I'd expected it to include, such as recording the highest and lowest heart rate reached during a session, and a way to record the drop in heart rate during the first minute after ending an exercise session.

I now know I'd have been about as happy with the Polar FS2 model, for half the price, but would still prefer the M61 over all other Polar heart monitors.

P.S. A great guide to effective use of a heart monitor is "Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond" by Chris Cowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D.

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Product Description:
Work out at the right intensity and hit your fitness goals with the Polar M61 Heart Rate Monitor, ideal for the serious exerciser looking to lose weight or reach the next level of fitness. You can use the M61 monitor to conveniently view your heart rate while walking, swimming, biking, cross-country skiing, or any other exercise without disturbing your exercise rhythm. The wristwatch-like monitor features a large display that includes 12/24-hour time of day, alarm, and stopwatch. The transmitter includes the Wearlink Coded function, which eliminates interference from other heart rate monitors. The transmitter's electrodes, which pick up the heart signals, are integrated right into the strap for added flexibility and comfort.
The OwnCal feature shows your energy expenditure during one exercise session as well as your accumulated kilocalories during several exercise sessions. It also allows you to set daily and weekly exercise goals in terms of calorie expenditure. The OwnZone feature helps determine an individual exercise zone, guiding you through an appropriate warm-up routine and automatically determining a safe and effective exercise heart rate zone. OwnZones presets include Basic, Advanced, Light, Moderate, Hard, and Weight. The OwnIndex feature will determine your fitness level, track your improvements, and provide motivation.
The M61's visual and audible alarms alert you when you reach your target heart rate zone. The Time in Target Zone feature calculates the amount of total exercise time spent in your personal target zone. You can use this feature together with the Total Exercise Time to determine the effectiveness of your exercise program. The Fitness Bullets feature shows a bullet on the monitor's display for every 15 minutes spent exercising/training in your target heart rate zone.
Key Details:

What's in the Box?
M61 heart rate monitor watch unit, wireless transmitter, elastic strap, battery (built-in CR2032 lithium cell), printed instructions
Manufacturer's Warranty
2-year limited warranty
Note:
Polar heart rate monitors are precision instruments; consumers are not advised to change their own battery. Polar recommends that all service be done by an authorized Polar Service Center which will include a warranty for 90 days on repairs and 6 months for batteries.
About Polar
The first EKG accurate wireless heart rate monitor was invented by Polar back in 1977 as a training tool for the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team. The concept of "intensity training" by heart rate swept the athletic world in the eighties. By the 1990s, individuals were looking to heart rate monitors not only for performance training needs, but also for achieving everyday fitness goals. Today, the same concept of heart rate training is being used by world-class athletes as well as everyday people trying to lose weight. Polar is the leading brand among consumers, coaches, and personal trainers worldwide and the company is committed to not only producing the best products, but also being the leading educator on the benefits of heart rate based exercise.

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