© 2001 Tufts University, 1096-6781/01/$15.00/0 Nutrition in Clinical Care,Volume 4, Number 6, 2001 342–344

Product Review—Fitness Products

Jennifer E. Layne, MS, CSCS

Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University,Boston, Massachusetts

Activity monitors, pedometers, and heart rate mon-itors are effect tools for promoting physical activityand effective exercise training.

Activity monitors and pedometers, which areusually worn on a belt at the waist, track accelera-tion of body movements in 1 or 2 planes (directions)of movement. Activity monitors estimate calories ex-pended from all daily activity, plus resting energyexpended during sitting, sedentary activities, andsleep. Pedometers are inexpensive tools for estimat-ing distance covered during walking or running.

Heart rate monitors are commonly used to en-sure that an individual is exercising effectively basedon recommended percentages of estimated maxi-mum heart rate (calculated as 220

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age in years).Heart rate monitors generally consist of a chest strapwith electrodes enclosed in a semi-rigid casing. TheAmerican College of Sports Medicine recommendsthat endurance exercise be based on target heartrate ranges for healthy adults and those with spe-cial medical conditions (see American College ofSports Medicine.

Guidelines for Exercise Testing

and Prescription.

Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Will-iams & Wilkins; 2000). Heart rate monitoring is widelyused for improving and maintaining health-related fit-ness and for optimizing athletic performance whileminimizing the risk of over-training and related injury.

ACTIVITY MONITORS

BioTrainer Pro

Total price: $497 (monitor, $199; PC software for

Windows, $199, smart download cable, $99)Website: http://www.imsystems.net/

Description:

Beeper-size, medical-quality motionsensor that clips to a belt and measures physical ac-tivity ranging from minimal movement to intenseactivity.

Features:

Biaxial acceleration sensor storage; bodymovements digitally sampled at 40 per second, ac-cumulated in 15-sec, 30-sec, 1-, 2-, or 5-min. epochsand saved as either absolute “g” units or convertedto calories burned; comprehensive display and anal-ysis software; digital integration of all movementactivity; file management, print, and export to spread-sheets; Windows PC compatible, direct downloadto PC; each unit individually calibrated; 112-day ca-pacity.

Recommended for:

Clinical research applications;structured rehabilitation and training, and other ad-vanced physical monitoring applications involvingobesity, weight loss, health, and fitness.

Not recommended for:

Individuals with general fit-ness goals or exercise novices. These individualsmay benefit from the BioTrainer II (see below).

BioTrainer II

Price:

$59.95

Website:

http://www.imsystems.net/

Description:

The BioTrainer II calorie counter is abeeper-size unit worn at the waist that continuouslymeasures body movement, ranging from generaldaily activity to aerobic workouts.

Features:

Medical-quality motion sensor.

Nutr Clin Care, Nov/Dec 2001–Vol 4, No. 6

Product Review

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343

Handheld Vivonic Fitness Planner

Price: $199.00 (includes software)See below for further details.

CD ROM with Vivonic PC Software

Price: $39.99Website: http://www.vivonic.com/

Description:

The Vivonic Fitness Planner Softwarehelps a user identify fitness goals and create a cus-tomized exercise and nutrition plan through a se-ries of detailed questions on topics such as personalpreferences, schedule, regular activities, current ex-ercise regimen, and medical issues. The plan can bedownloaded to the Handheld Vivonic Fitness Plan-ner or any hand-held Palm OS device and used totrack diet and exercise performance via an elec-tronic journal. Reports are provided to help usersmake adjustments to meet their individual goals.

Features:

Dimension are 3.5”

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2.5”

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1”; weighs2.2 oz; built-in electronic pedometer, stylus; pre-loaded with Vivonic PC Software; includes PC serialcable connector. CD-ROM with Vivonic PC Softwareincludes CD ROM and user manuals. The HandheldPlanner is easy to use and provides a detailed, accu-rate, portable journal. The pedometer function workswell for walking and has a convenient stopwatchfunction. Distance walked and calories burned are au-tomatically updated to the user’s exercise journal.

CD-ROM recommended for:

Fitness enthusiastsand personal trainers. Self-motivated novices and spo-radic exercisers may benefit from the defined pro-gram and record-keeping capabilities. Glossary and ex-ercise encyclopedia can add variety to any workout.Nutrition database for food diaries is extensive and in-dicates US RDAs where applicable. The Website offersa free 21-day trial download for PC Software and a5-day trial for Palm OS Software.

Handheld Vivonic Fitness Planner recommendedfor:

Individuals who prefer instantaneous recordkeeping to help them to stay motivated with healthyfood and exercise plans.

CD-ROM not recommended for:

Adults with spe-cial medical conditions and exercise-naïve individu-als except those who obtain physician advice and/or professional guidance.

Handheld Vivonic Fitness Planner not recom-mended for:

Runners or self-conscious individualswill not want to use this device for its pedometer

function as it is approximately the size of a waist-worn cellular phone. Also not recommended for in-dividuals who already own Palm OS handheld de-vices.

HEART RATE MONITORS

Acumen Basix ES

plus

Performance Accelerator

Price: $149.00Website: http://www.acumeninc.com/

Description:

Heart rate monitor consisting of a cheststrap that measures heart rate continuously and accu-rately via an electrode and transmits the heart ratewirelessly to a watch.

Features:

ECG-accurate heart rate monitoring withtarget zones, audible and visual alarms, calories, timewith alarm, calendar, night light, stopwatch, totaltime in target zone, heart rate recovery grade, calo-ries, fitness index, interference elimination circuitry,bike mount, 3 color choices.

Recommended for:

Most individuals, both healthyadults and those with stable medical conditions.Easy to program and read watch display while exer-cising to monitor target heart rate range. Competi-tively priced.

Not recommended for:

Individuals taking medica-tions that blunt heart rate response to exercise, suchas beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers. Ex-tremely thin or sensitive individuals may find the elec-trode component of the chest strap to be a bit morerigid than other commercially available brands. Alsonot recommended for individuals who find it cumber-some to put on a chest strap prior to exercising.

HEARTalker Personal Trainer Heart Rate Monitor Featuring Kathy Smith

Price: $79.95 (Featuring Ken, $59.95; featuringDenise, $79.95)Website: http://www.heartalker.com/

Description:

Heart rate monitor consisting of a cheststrap with attached earphones through which the re-corded voice of a fitness personality provides infor-mation during use. Algorithm-based audio feedbackfrom a fitness trainer is intended to simulate indi-vidual coaching and personalized feedback and mo-tivation.

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PRODUCT REVIEW Nutr Clin Care, Nov/Dec 2001–Vol 4, No. 6

Features:

ECG-accurate, continuous heart rate mon-itoring with target-zone calculations, elapsed exer-cise time, 4 workout programs, workout summary,feedback, and motivation.

Recommended for:

Not recommended. At this point,we do not recommend this product. However, its con-cept is interesting and has potential with further devel-opment.

Not recommended for:

Most adults. The algorithmfor audio feedback is not completely synchronizedwith exercise effort. For example, as exercise intensitygradually increased in the early stages of the workout,the recorded voice indicated that the user was “back-ing off,” despite the fact that heart rate was actually in-creasing steadily towards the target range.

MIO

Price: $129.95Website: http://www.gophysical.com

Description:

MIO monitors heart rate with a patentedtechnology that uses a sports-style watch without theuse of a chest strap. MIO is not a continuous heart rate

monitor. Rather, the user can obtain an instantaneousheart rate by placing fingers on 2 sensors located onthe watch face.

Features:

ECG-accurate heart rate; time; chronograph(exercise); lap timer with alarm and chime modes;booklet on health, nutrition, diet, fitness, and exer-cise; calories consumed and burned; 4 color choices.

Recommended for:

Walkers and individuals whotake aerobic dance classes and prefer a more accu-rate way to check their heart rate than manual pulsetaking, individuals with average or better manualdexterity.

Not recommended for:

Runners, bikers, and exer-cisers using any equipment or machine requiringthe use of hands because it may be inconvenient orunsafe to have both hands off the equipment whilechecking heart rate. Also not recommended for in-dividuals who primarily exercise on cardiovasculartraining machines in health clubs, as these machinestypically provide an instantaneous heart rate feature;individuals with arthritis in the hands; or individualstaking medication that blunts heart rate response toexercise such as beta-blockers and calcium channelblockers.