Training for Baby: Calorie counting monitors

By Kathy Hanrahan

Posted: February 1, 2011

After seeing a few people at the gym with heart/calories monitors, I started to wonder if maybe I needed a special device to tell me how many calories I am burning.

Sometimes I feel like a truck ran me over – that’s usually about 20 minutes into my kickboxing class – but I keep going and I assume that means I am burning even more calories.

Is the amount of sweat on my brow directly equal to how many calories I am burning? I mean, I was a puddle after my strength-building class this week.

I am a little concerned though. If I get a monitor that tracks the amount of calories I’m burning and it doesn’t show that I burned as much as I thought I had, will I be discouraged?

Probably, but knowing how hard I am working will help me gauge when I need to step up my workout more or chill out for a bit.

I did a little research on the devices this week and they aren’t all created equal. Some have optional personal trainer programs online and others just track your heart rate. I don’t want a watch that tells me to run faster. That’s what Trainer Anthony does.

I am more interested in the amount of calories burned and my heart rate.

Has anyone tried one of these monitors before?

I wish I had a monitor that told me how many calories I was taking in each day. It could have an alarm that said “Put down the fork, Kathy!”

Kathy is a web producer, entertainment expert and concert photographer for WRAL.com. She has written a manuscript about her life as an entertainment reporter and pop culture. Learn more about Kathy on her website. On Wednesdays here on Go Ask Mom, she's chronicling her efforts to lose weight before she and her husband start a family.

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Gadgets just cost money...You should be able to tell if you are burning calories by how your current clothing is fitting you...:)