Polar Outdoor Computers

The Inside Story
By Ray Browning

As adventure athletes and outdoor enthusiasts, we monitor the environment to help us complete an adventure, race faster, or just have a safe outdoor excursion. But monitoring the external environment is only half the story. The other important “environment” to measure is internal-your body.

Professional endurance athletes have been monitoring their body’s performance for the last twenty years. Measuring how their body responds to training and racing gives them critical information that can make the difference in their sport. What do they monitor? They monitor heart rate – it’s the best way to know how your body is doing. This same concept can help make a difference for the adventure athlete or enthusiast in their outdoor endeavors.

Here are some of the key reasons why measuring heart rate in the outdoors is important:

• Pace and Intensity – Heart rate can be used as a pacing tool to ensure that you’re intensity level will allow you to complete your planned activity without running out of energy. Or, use it as a way to prepare yourself endurance wise.
• Energy Expenditure – By measuring heart rate, you can monitor your energy expenditure (calories) ensuring that on longer activities, you are refueling correctly.
• Adaptation – Heart rate responds to internal and external factors, giving you a way to monitor your body (energy, aerobic condition, and indirectly-hydration) and the effects of altitude, weather and temperature. You can make adjustments in your pace or intensity based on how the environment is affecting your body because you can see the effects taking place as they happen.
• Progress – Your heart rate can give you indications of improvements in your fitness level and guide your preparation or training accordingly.
• Safety – Monitoring heart rate can help you avoid pushing yourself too hard, thus reducing the chance of injury.
• Variety – While measuring heart rate may seem very scientific, it’s actually something you will become attached to. If you use the outdoors, along with the gym, as your way to get in shape, you can relate how hard you exercise indoors to the exercises you do outdoors, and create a complete workout If you prepare for your outdoor excursions during the off-season, you can recreate the same intensity on a treadmill as you would during your outdoor activity.

The Polar Outdoor Computers will change the way people approach adventure sports. The blending of internal with external information has been missing for these athletes and enthusiasts. Whether your drawn to the outdoor lifestyle to reduce stress and enjoy nature, or you’re an extreme athlete looking to challenge yourself, you’ll get the complete story.

Ray Browning, Director of Product Development (Fitness & Weight Loss Pro) Seven-time Ironman Triathlon winner TV host for the Outdoor Life Network Author of "Outdoor Sports" booklet Coach: elite and professional endurance athletes Masters in Kinesiology University of California at Los Angeles

The Inside Story
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