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Related Articles • Heart Rate Monitors

Elsewhere on the Web • Physi-Cal

Features

• No chest strap.
• Measure your heart rate by placing two fingers on the two MioSensors on the front of the watch.
• The heart rate monitor also displays the percentage of your maximum heart rate, which helps you keep your workout in your desired zone.
• Watch with date and day.
• Chronometer - with the chronometer running, the Mio tracks how many calories you are burning during the activity
• Running tally of calories consumed and burned, with a signal when you exceed your goals.
• Track your progress with an online diary.
• The Mio Sense booklet has calorie listings for home prepared foods and fast foods to help you track your calories.
• Backlight
• Suggested retail price $129.95 US

Using the Mio

When you first get the Mio, you set it for your age and weight and your caloric goal.  The set-up guide helps you through.  You also should measure your resting heart rate before getting out of bed the next morning and enter that into the Mio.  This data allows the Mio to calculate your calories expended and your percentage of maximum heart rate.

To measure your heart rate, you simply place two fingers on the two sensor buttons and wait for it to take the reading and beep.

To measure calories burned during activity such as walking, start the chronometer and take your heart rate at intervals when you believe the rate may have changed.   At the end of your session, press the stop button and see the total.  You may then subtract that from your daily caloric goal by pressing another button for a couple of seconds.

As you eat and drink throughout the day, you can enter the number of calories to the total in your Mio.  The watch tells you when you have exceeded your daily goal.

You may also chart your food, exercise, and emotions on the Physi-Cal web site in your own personal diary.

Next >> Wendy Tries the Mio

Photos copyright 2001 Wendy Bumgardner, licensed to About.com