Heart Rate Monitors USA Online Retailer Review

As the Green Girl mentioned in her Garmin Premium Heart Rate Monitor Review, she purchased a Premium strap for Mr. Green Garmin from Heart Rate Monitors USA.

I wanted to take a moment to share my positive experience with this online retailer.

As I mentioned in my Yelp review, I have been very pleased with Heart Rate Monitors USA's customer service.

As a cheap Green Girl, I am always on the hunt for a good bargain and I was very excited when I came across the HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com website. They had the lowest Garmin prices I could find online and I was thrilled to be able to get such a great deal on a replacement heart rate monitor.

From my experience, they offer good sales on a regular basis and I love their free two day shipping on all orders over $99.

Since I joined their mailing list, I receive coupons for additional discounts on top of their already low prices on a regular basis. At the moment, they are offering 10% off all Camelbak and Polar products with coupon code DEC2010.

If you are considering purchasing a GPS unit or heart rate monitor, I would recommend Heart Rate Monitors USA without reservation.

Garmin Premium Heart Rate Monitor Review

A few months ago, the Green Girl purchased a Garmin Premium Heart Rate Monitor (Soft Strap) from Heart Rate Monitors USA.

This was a replacement for the heart rate monitor that shipped with Mr. Green Garmin.

I found the original strap to be uncomfortable. Although the plastic was fairly flexible, it still caused chafing and left marks.

While searching online for anti-chafe solutions, I was directed to DC Rainmaker's comparison of the original strap, the Premium strap, and a newer version of the Premium strap in his Garmin Edge 800 In Depth First Look Review blog post.

You can imagine my disappointment when my Premium Heart Rate Monitor arrived and I realized I had received an inferior current model.

I decided I would give it a try and if I had problems with it, I would contact the manufacturer and try to exchange it for the latest and purportedly, greatest.

The Premium model features a snap enclosure on both sides as opposed to the 'twist and secure' on the stock strap.

I had concerns the metal snaps would loosen and become less effective but this has not been the case.

The strap is extremely easy to put on and take off.

Instead of extending the flexible plastic like the stock model, the chest transmitter contacts are built into the soft strap.

The first time I went out for a run with the Premium strap, I tucked it under the bottom band of my sports bra just as I had worn the previous model but the plastic piece was too bulky.

The next time I wore it, I lowered it so it was just below my sports bra and that worked out perfectly. It's so comfortable that I often forget I have it on.

I love my Premium Heart Rate Monitor. I'm also pleased to report I have not had any reading issues.

The Green Girl's Fitness Assessment

On SparkPeople, there was an article about do-it-yourself fitness assessments. I decided this would be a great way for me to measure progress for myself.

This do-it-yourself fitness assessment consists of three tests:

• The Pushup Test (measures muscular strength and endurance)
• The Crunch Test (measures abdominal strength and endurance)
• The 3-Minute Step Test (measures aerobic fitness)

I started off with The Push-up Test. I only do fist pushups now because of a bad right wrist. I did full pushups because I didn't realize the women's sexist chart was only for modified pushups. Unfortunately, my hands hurt too much for me to do an entire minute but I did manage to do 40 full pushups in 40 seconds. I spent the last 20 seconds rubbing my fists.

For The Crunch Test, I was able to do 76 crunches in a minute.
For me, the The 3-Minute Step Test was the hardest assessment because I'm not sure if I calculated my results correctly. I had to use Mr. Green Garmin to monitor my heart rate, my 'regular everyday' watch for the timer, and then a metronome for the cadence.

I'm also not sure how accurate Mr. Green Garmin's heart rate monitor is. According to him, my initial heart rate was 57. After three minutes of stepping on my 12" sofa minus the cushion, my heart rate was 112. After exactly one minute, it was 100 and then after another minute, it was 77.

I'm going to repeat these tests from time to time so I can compare my results.

The Green Girl Has A Green Garmin Forerunner 405!

I am one happy Green Girl! Whoo hoo!

My family got me a green Garmin Forerunner 405 with heart rate monitor (HRM). It arrived today from my favorite online store, ZombieRunner. Did I mention it's green?

I am absolutely giddy with excitement. I cannot wait to take it out for a run tomorrow morning.