Bike Diva

For the past three years my workout activities have concentrated on riding a bike.  At the beginning of the year I got the bug to attempt a 1/2 marathon, so I added running into my workout routine. I have an awesome Garmin Edge 305 cycle computer, which I use when out on all my bike rides. Although the Garmin Edge includes a heart rate monitor, it is a bit large and clunky, so I wouldn't want to use it while running. EKHO Heart Rate Monitors I had the opportunity recently to try out two EKHO heart rate monitors. The two models tested were the EKHO WM-108 and the EKHO WM-128. WM stands for weight management, the WM-128 heart rate monitor can help you keep track of how many calories you are burning throughout the day. According to the EKHO website, the WM-128 is; "Unique only to EKHO Heart Rate Monitors, we have designed this simple Heart Rate Monitor to allow you to enter in how many calories you want to burn during the day and as you work, walk, exercise; you can see how many calories you have left to meet your goal." Both of the EKHO monitors are water resistant, the size of a large watch, and can comfortably be worn on your wrist while working out. [caption id="attachment_770" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="EKHO WM-128"][/caption]

Features of the WM-128 Monitor I found both EKHO heart rate monitors easy to setup using the enclosed instruction manual. It took me only a few minutes to setup each monitor, with my personal vital statistics, before taking them out for a run. Both heart rate monitors also come with a mounting bracket which can be used to add the monitor to the handle bars of a bike. I found it very easy to attach the EKHO WM-128 to my Trek Madone 6.5 road bike so I could use it for one of my Tuesday morning bike rides. Heart Rate Transmitter Both of the EKHO heart rate monitors include a chest strap, which transmits your heart rate to the monitor. Like other heart rate monitors I've used, I always have a problem with the monitor not picking up my heart rate when I first put the strap on. That's because my skin is dry, since I haven't started to sweat. The simple solution, I've found, is to carry a travel size package of wipes with me. I use one of the wipes to wet down the back of the transmitter strap, before attaching it around my chest, just below my sports bra. The wipes can also be used at the end of your bike rides and runs to help you clean off all the sweat and dirt you'll be covered with, before you have a chance to go home to clean up. At the Gym Both EKHO heart rate monitors will interface with heart rate interactive equipment at home and in the gym. The next time I go to a spinning class at the gym, I am going to take one of the EKHO monitors with me to see how it works along with the spinning bike. I will be reviewing the EKHO Bee-Fit Pedometer in a future blog post. Availability Check the EKHO website for information on where their products can be purchased at a location near you. As of December 9th, 2008, there is a message on the website saying the WM-128 heart rate monitor is back ordered and will be back in stock in February, 2009. EKHO heart rate monitors must be a popular item for Christmas gift giving! The economical EKHO WM-108 heart rate monitor has a suggested retail price of $64.95, while the deluxe EKHO WM-128 heart rate monitor has a suggested retail price of $149.95. If you are looking to buy a heart rate monitor, and researching the possibilities, be sure to include either the EKHO WM-108 or the EKHO WM-128 monitors on your list of options.