Chest Strap vs Smartwatch Heart Rate: Which Is Better for Training?
A chest strap and a smartwatch can both display heart rate during exercise, but they collect the signal in different ways. An ECG-style chest strap detects electrical activity near the heart. A sma...
Fitness Tracker HRV: What Wrist-Based HRV Can and Cannot Tell You
Heart rate variability, or HRV, has become a common metric on fitness trackers and smartwatches. The number can help you observe how sleep, exercise, stress, alcohol, illness, and recovery affect y...
Letter of Medical Necessity for a Smartwatch: When Is It Required?
A Letter of Medical Necessity, commonly called an LMN, may be required when you want to use FSA or HSA funds for a smartwatch or similar wearable that is ordinarily purchased for general fitness or...
Are Smartwatches FSA or HSA Eligible? What the Rules Usually Require
Can you buy a smartwatch with FSA or HSA funds? The answer depends on why you are buying it, which account you use, what documentation is available, and how your plan administrator applies the rule...
How Does a Smartwatch Calculate Resting Heart Rate?
Your smartwatch may display one resting heart rate number each day, even though your heart rate changes continuously. That number is usually not a random spot reading or the single lowest value rec...
How Many Steps Is a 5K? Walking vs Running Estimates
A 5K always covers the same distance: 5 kilometers, or approximately 3.1 miles. The number of steps required to complete it can vary considerably. A person walking with short steps may record more ...
Cycling to Steps Conversion: Why Wearables Do Not Agree
How many steps is 30 minutes of cycling? Online calculators may give answers ranging from a few thousand steps to more than twice that amount. Your wearable may record almost no steps, while anothe...
Which Heart Rate Zones Are Anaerobic? Zone 4 and Zone 5 Explained
Zone 4 and Zone 5 are commonly called the anaerobic heart-rate zones in a five-zone training model. That description is useful for organizing workouts, but your body does not switch completely from...
How to Find Your Max Heart Rate for Training Zones
Your maximum heart rate affects every training zone calculated as a percentage of HRmax. If the number is underestimated, easy and moderate zones may be set too low. If it is overestimated, workout...