Heart Rate Monitors USA

We all know the exercise has a lot of benefits for our bodies. Besides helping to control weight and build a great physique, exercise also plays a big part in our overall level of cardiovascular health. This month, we’re sharing tips and tools to help you take better care of your heart. When it comes to exercise, we know that aerobic activities like running, cycling, and swimming can make a huge difference in keeping heart healthy. Here’s a closer look at what we mean:

• 7 Heart Healthy Habits (from Active.com)
• Understanding Heart Rates and Exercise (from Active.com)
• How does Exercise Affect Your Heart? (from Active.com)

Running can be a great outdoor activity to practice during American Heart Month – as long as you do so safely. Running in cold weather can be a bit tricky, but with some help from Heart Rate Monitors USA, we know it’ll be a breeze. Here’s what you can do to ensure that your run is safe and effective. Who knows? Maybe one run and you’ll be hooked as an athlete for life!

Winter Running Safety Tips

• Be sure to stay hydrated. Dehydration can happen easily in any weather and in any environment. If you’re going out for a long run, be sure to pack along a hydration backpack or a CamelBak water bottle. You’ll want to make sure that you drink before, during, and after your run. Remember – cold air can have a drying effect, which can mean faster dehydration.
• Dress in moisture wicking layers. Moisture wicking fabric can be critically important to helping you maintain a good body temperature. Too much moisture or non-breathable fabrics can mean overheating or chilling, which can A good rule to follow is to start with a base layer of a thin, synthetic fabric that wicks away moiture, like nylon or Gore-Tex. Fabrics like these are breathable but still protect you from the wind and cold. Avoid cotton, as it holds moisture. Then, add a layer of polar fleece or other clothing for insulation.
• Protect hands and feet by wearing gloves or mittens, as well as polar fleece or wool socks with a moisture-wicking liner. Disposable heat packets in your mittens can also help you keep toasty.
  Pay attention to temperature, wind chill, and weather conditions. If it’s too uncomfortable or looks to be unsafe, then don’t go out. This is your best line of defense when it comes to reducing the risk of injury while running during the winter.
• Cover your head and stay warm by wearing a hat.  In really cold weather, you’ll also want to wear a face mask or a scarf over your mouth to protect your face.
• Make time for a warm up and lots of stretching. Running without doing a warm up or stretching can mean a much, much higher risk of injury. Take a few minutes to do a light jog to get warmed up and then spend some time stretching all of your major muscle groups before you begin your run.
• Monitor your body and pay attention to its signals. If you feel uncomfortable, stop running. Also, take extra time to watch for frostbite in your extremities.
• Protect yourself from the sun’s rays (all year round!) by wearing sunscreen, SPF lip balm, and of course, a good pair of running sunglasses. At Heart Rate Monitors USA, we recommend a pair of Serengeti Sunglasses or Bolle Sunglasses to protect your eyes while running.

Timex Ironman Global Trainer GPS Watch

Consumer Reports has spoken, and the magazine known for its expert product reviews proclaims some of our favorite pedometers and GPS watches as the best. What made the list? Well, we’re proud to say that five of our favorite products made the cut.

Consumer Reports’ top three  pedometers had a few things in common: ease of use, affordability, and accurate step counting. The top picks were  the Omron HJ112, Yamax CW-701 Digiwalker and the new Mio Trace. All of these pedometers are solid picks for anyone who enjoys walking, wants to start walking, or is conscious of how many steps taken in a day. These are also great picks for 5K walks and walkathons!

In addition to pedometers, Consumer Reports also named two of the top GPS watches, both of which we have ready in our selection – the Timex Global Trainer and the best-selling Garmin Forerunner 210. The Garmin Forerunner 210 GPS watch includes a $50 mail-in rebate and comes feature packed for easy monitoring of distance, heart rate, and other important fitness metrics. As for the Timex Ironman Global Trainer, this GPS watch with heart rate monitoring offers all the power you need to train for your next triathlon. The Timex Ironman Global Trainer GPS watch includes industry-leading GPS technology and monitoring for pace, speed, distance, heart rate and more in real-time on a customizable screen.

Get these Consumer Reports top picks today at HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com and stay on top of your training in 2012.

Did you know that an estimated 82.6 million americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease? It’s true.

About one in three of us has cardiovascular disease and during the month of February, it’s our hope to bring attention to American Heart Health Month. Now is the perfect time to start educating yourself on the risks of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease. 

At Heart Rate Monitors USA, we’re doing our part to encourage healthy hearts through offering a wide selection of heart rate monitors for heart rate training, blood pressure machines for at-home monitoring, and other fitness tools to help you get in shape and boost cardiovascular system health.

Not sure where to begin? Here are some things that you can do today to participate in American Heart Health Month while taking care of your own heart: 

• Talk to your doctor. When it comes to getting more information about heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, your healthcare professional will be the best source. Talk to your doctor about your concerns and ask for literature or references to consult to learn more. 
• Speaking of healthcare professionals, make February a month to get checked out for heart issues. Get readings for your blood pressure, triglycerides, weight, cholesterol, and other important metrics for determining heart health. Work with your doctor to come up with a plan to keep your ticker running at its best!
• Start eating healthier. If you kicked off 2012 eating right and exercising, February is usually the time when those resolutions get harder to keep. Make it a point to pay attention to your diet. Cut back on fats, salts, and sugars – all of which can impact heart health. 
• Monitor your blood pressure at home with a blood pressure machine or wrist blood pressure monitor. Last year, we wrote several posts about the importance of blood pressure monitoring and we’re not alone. In fact, Dr. Oz himself recommends that at home monitoring is one of your best lines of defense when it comes to cardiovascular issues. 
• Get moving. A healthy heart takes exercise, so do yourself a favor and start walking, running, jogging, dancing, riding a bike, swimming, stretching, and playing your way to a healthier cardiovascular system. 

How do you keep your heart healthy? 

There’s always something amazing about the start of a new year. With 2012 comes a clean slate and a chance to really put some effort into getting healthy and – hopefully – staying that way for a long time. If you’re thinking about a healthier lifestyle as part of  your New Year’s resolution, we’d love to help out. Here are 25 ways for you to get healthier in 2012. The best part about our list? These things are all easy and accessible for just about everyone!

25 Ways to Get Healthy in 2012

1. Drink a glass of water before every meal. You’ll eat less and stay hydrated.
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
3. Park further away from the door at work, at the grocery store, etc.
4. Make your yearly checkups.
5. Start off each day by stretching for 10 minutes.
6. Choose grilled or baked foods over fried.
7. Eating out? Cut your portion in half and take the other half home with you for another meal.
8. Meditate, even if it’s just for a few minutes a day.
9. Breathe deeply.
10. Laugh more.
11. Concerned about your diet? Take a multivitamin.
12. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
13. Not a fan of traditional exercise? Find an activity you enjoy – you can find plenty of ways to burn calories!
14. Cut back on the fats, sugars, and salt.
15. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
16. Keep a reusable water bottle (filled, of course) with you at all times to ensure you get enough water.
17. Be conscious of your posture.
18. Take breaks from working. Stretch or walk for a minute or two every hour if you can.
19. Walk or bike to work instead of driving.
20. Working out? Be sure to replenish your body with electrolytes and nutrients with PowerBars, electrolyte drinks, etc.
21. Don’t skip meals.
22. Make time to do the things in life you enjoy most.
23. Get a massage.
24. Take a fitness class, dance class, or consult with a personal trainer.
25. Have more fun!

Garmin FR70

Did you know that the Garmin FR70 is one of the most powerful and user-friendly, non-GPS fitness watches out there? As an update to the FR60, this Garmin watch features a new design as well as plenty of features to make any athlete happy. If you’re looking to kick start your New Year’s resolution with a brand new heart rate monitor, then why not take a closer look at the Garmin FR70? Here’s the scoop on this customer favorite:

The FR70, as we mentioned, is an update of the FR60. The new model now includes a tear-resistant band with encapsulated buttons, as well as options for both men and women’s styles. Just choose your preference on color/style and bam! You’re ready to go. Okay, not quite. You have to do a bit of setup – but that’s where things really get interesting.

Unlike other higher end GPS models, the Garmin FR70 is versatile and powerful without being overwhelming. Within the easy setup process, you’ll get acquainted with the features. Here are some of the things the Garmin FR70 can do:

• You can update the watch with firmware wirelessly for free – so you can stay up to date with Garmin’s new features and improvements without the hassle of a corded upgrade.
• You can wirelessly upload your workout to the Garmin Connect network.
• It’s water resistant up to 50 meters, making it
• You get 5 different customizable screens with up to three fields per screen. To put it simply: you see what you want to see and can choose from over 20 fields to display. Talk about options!
• Want to get running speed and distance? Just add on a foot pod.
• Want cycling stats? You can also add on a bike speed/cadence sensor to get speed, distance, and cadence on your bike.

Did we mention that this model of heart rate monitor is also water resistant up to 50 meters, making it ideal for triathlon training when used with a foot pod and bike speed/cadence sensor?  Unlike the Garmin Forerunner 310XT, the FR70 does not have a multisport mode so a triathlon will show as 1 event in the summary and on Garmin Connect (the swim, bike, run and transitions will only be separated as laps). This makes it easier to train because you can see exactly what you did, when you did it, as a whole – not as separate sports.

If you’re ready to see the power of the FR70 GPS watch, check it out now on HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com.

Serengeti Sunglasses

If you’re an avid outdoor athlete or just someone who spends time outdoors quite a bit, then you can appreciate the benefits of a good pair of sunglasses. At Heart Rate Monitors USA, we’re proud to announce that we’ve expanded our outdoor sports selection to include Serengeti sunglasses for both men and women.

Available in a variety of styles, Serengeti sunglasses are known for their attention to detail when it comes to construction and protection for your eyes. They block out harmful UVA and UVB rays, adapt to changing light conditions, and give you a comfortable viewing experience. When you’re running, hiking, biking, or just enjoying your vacation, you couldn’t ask for more from a pair of sunglasses.

See our selection of Serengeti Sunglasses for yourself today in our Outdoor Sports section. We offer polarized options, non-polarized options, and plenty of style to fit your personality as well as your personal preferences. (P.S. These also make for a wonderful holiday gift if you’re still looking to get something special for someone on your list!)

Garmin Forerunner 405

For the past few weeks, we’ve been sharing our gift ideas both here and in our emails. You’ve seen what to get your athlete as well as some of the hottest items to ever grace our warehouse, like the Garmin Forerunner 910XT heart rate monitor.

This holiday season, we want to help you save on your holiday favorites, so we’ve put together a whole list of holiday sale items that you can take advantage of special pricing on. Garmin heart rate monitors in particular have AMAZING pricing going on today, not to mention, sale prices for the rest of the month. If you’re looking to grab a Garmin Forerunner 110 or a Garmin Forerunner 405, today is the day to do it – we’ve got the lowest prices of the season running!  As for the other models, you can check out our Holiday Deals page to get the skinny on what Garmin heart rate monitors are on sale (the Holiday Deals section also has other great finds from Deuter, CamelBak, and Polar too!).

In addition to these amazing prices, we also want to give you a gift. For a limited time, we’re giving away a free Garmin Foot Pod when you order the Garmin Forerunner 310XT, the Garmin Forerunner 210, or the Garmin Forerunner 610.  Just add the Forerunner and the Foot Pod to the cart, use coupon code GIFT, and the cost of the Foot Pod ($45.00) will be deducted automatically from your order total. Your order will get a free overnight shipping upgrade, too!

Treat yourself today with an item from our Holiday Deals selection. Happy Holidays from us to you.

Garmin Forerunner 910XT

Shopping for an athlete can be tough, especially if you’re not entirely familiar with what goes into training for that particular sport. Luckily, you can always head to Google to look up different gift guides and suggestions so that you know your gift is something he or she will actually like!

Well, to make holiday shopping a bit easier on you this year, we’ve put together a handy gift guide for endurance athletes. If you know someone who likes to compete in triathlons or is active in multiple sports, consider some of these suggestions the next time you’re looking for the perfect present:

A Garmin Forerunner Heart Rate Monitor: This is absolutely your best friend when you’re an endurance athlete. Able to give you valuable training data, a Garmin Forerunner heart rate monitor is like having a coach along with you at every step of the competition. Our picks? The Garmin Forerunner 610, The Garmin Forerunner 310XT, and the brand new Garmin Forerunner 910XT. The Forerunner 910XT is the superman of GPS heart rate monitors.

A Hydration Pack: Does your endurance athlete like to go on long runs or bike rides? Be sure that he or she has enough water to keep hydrated with a hydration backpack. Not only are these comfortable water carriers a great way to stow away H20, but they’re also great for packing along those other things you might need along the way, like energy gels. Our recommendation? Go for a lightweight CamelBak hydration pack to suit the sport (in our selection, we have it sorted by activity to make it easier).

Workout Clothing: Tank tops with moisture wicking, base layer running clothing, running gloves, a nice hat to run in, new track pants, bamboo socks…these are all great ideas for a triathlete or endurance athlete. Find out what he or she needs and equip their wardrobe with the essentials. If they’re seriously into their sport, they’ll go through the gear quickly. Besides, when you’re a runner, there’s always room for a new pair of socks or base layers.

What do you plan on buying for your athlete this holiday season?