Mio Drive Petite Women''s Heart Rate Monitor Watch

First ever Hear Rate Monitor and I love it. I use it everyday when I workout to keep track of calories burned and can keep track of my progress. It''s amazing to see how many calories you actually burn when working out, compared to the false reading on Treadmills and other machines. It''s also great to see how your body feels in the different heart rate zones so you know how to read your body and don''t fatigue yourself or push yourself too far that you injure yourself.

I recommend this if you''re looking for an easy to use heart rate monitor that doesn''t require you to look at a manual every time you want to change something on there.

For Christmas in 2008 I bought my Mom a MIO. She was advised by the doctor to exercise more. Since my father passed away she wasn''t getting out for too much exercise. Last week my Mom was on a cruise and she was walking around the deck in the early morning. She felt light headed so she sat down and took her heart rate on her MIO. Her heart rate had jumped way up way more than when she usually walks. She went straight to the medical clinic and the doctor took her in right away and confirmed she was having a heart attack! I know my Mom. She is a tough old gal. If she hadn''t seen her heart rate go up like that, she would have waited a bit for head to clear and kept on walking. She might not be here today. Thank you MIO. I''m not the type that writes product reviews but I really had to share this story.

Buy Mio Drive Petite Women''s Heart Rate Monitor Watch Now

EDIT!!!

So i decided to edit my review because after about 1.5 months of use (maybe even less) the battery DIED! So i thought maybe it had been sitting in there for a while so i''ll buy another battery, popped it in, a month later it died AGAIN!!! popped in the second one it died again!!! DON''T buy this watch unless you plan on spending more money on the batteries in a year than the entire watch. And these were Energizer batteries, so it''s not like it was some Z brand. I''m really glad i got a good deal on this because now it''s just sitting in a box never to be used again, i''m SO pissed!

And about functionality, it can''t take you''re heart rate if you''re in motion, you have to literally stand still and let it go for a couple of seconds (sometimes even more.) These MIO people should really redesign this thing because you have to press super hard to try and take your heart rate.

Bah, this thing isn''t worth the headache and the stupidity i feel for buying it. As it got older it wouldn''t even take my heart rate anymore no matter what i did, it only took if i wasn''t exercising!

If you want a good heart rate monitor to tell you how many calories you''re burning get one of those ones that wrap around your chest, it''s probably a lot more accurate and actually WORKS! (i wouldn''t know i''m just assuming, after using this watch i''ll probably never plunk down the money to buy any heart rate monitor)

I could have lived with the functionality fails but since it can''t even last 2 months on a new battery, forget it! But i''ll keep my original review in tact for those people who are interested.

I''d give it 1 star but it DID work really at first, haha

---Original Review---

I just started getting into fitness about a year ago, and i decided to get one of these to make sure that i was exercising efficiently and to see how many calories i was burning during my exercises. My exercise routine consists of cardio (i do Turbo Jam, like a dance, kickboxing aerobics) and some weight lifting (30 Day Shred and the weight lifting form Turbo Jam)

I really quite like this watch, it''s cute and it gets the job done and is easy to use. I really like the fact that it counts down to 3500 kcal (1 pound) and shows a little progress bar (really cool) and congratulates you when you reached the goal. I also like how it gives you the percentage of effort you''re putting out based on your heart rate, which is really helpful to see it as a number. Once you start using this feature you become more aware at what the levels feel like, so if you want to be exercising at 92% you know what it feels like so you can either bring your intensity up or down.

The only flaw that i really see is that sometimes it may not be able to take your hate rate immediately, however if you stand somewhat still it can take it in 2-4 seconds, that''s if you do it right. And only being still for like 3 seconds won''t really affect your heart rate drastically. My advice to help it read faster is to make sure your wrist is somewhat wet before you start exercising, like wet your finger and then rub it on your wrist, as you start to sweat more it becomes easier and faster to take your heart rate. Also make sure that your finger pads are somewhat wet as well, all i do is lick my fingers before i take my heart rate, it seems to work.

My other tip would be to test this out before you start your workout to make sure you can get the hang of the best way to use it. Like how wet your wrist or finger have to be, or your finger position, or how still you''re standing, or if your wrist is above your heart, etc. If you go to the Mio website under the FAQ section there are some REALLY helpful tips (i REALLY recommend this), also make sure you read the manual (i''m usually not a manual reader but it was helpful)

I will admit that sometimes it''s frustrating trying to get the reading because of all things that you have to make sure you''re doing (or not doing) when you''re taking the reading. And sometimes it takes a while to take the reading or doesn''t take it at all, but this has only happened a couple of times when i was first figuring out how to use it. (EDIT: As it gets older it basically doesn''t take the reading at all, you have to NOT be exercising for it to take your heart rate)

About the design, it has a really cute design, i love the red and black, and i wasn''t sure about getting the petite because i have really big hands but i usually wear it on the 3rd or 4th strap notch and it definitely can get a lot bigger. I would probably recommend this version for most woman because the design is a lot more feminine and smaller than the regular unisex one, however a man can use it too, even though it says it''s more for women, when you punch in your info when you first get it, it does ask you your sex, so anyone can use it.

All in all, i''m very happy with this watch and would recommend that you get it if you want to make sure you''re exercising efficiently.

NOT!!!

Read Best Reviews of Mio Drive Petite Women''s Heart Rate Monitor Watch Here

I would most definitely NOT recommend this heart rate watch. My husband got it for me for Christmas and after only one workout I decided I absolutely hate it. It took my heart rate properly for about the first 5 times I pushed it but then as my workout went on it quit giving me a reading at all. Since then, every time I try to use it again it won''t give me a reading, period. I thought at first it was just something I was doing wrong but after trying everything (tightening the watch, wetting my fingers, wetting the watch face, slowing down my workout while taking a reading, etc.) it still sucks. It is the most frustrating thing! Don''t waste your money on this POS! It DOESN''T WORK.

Want Mio Drive Petite Women''s Heart Rate Monitor Watch Discount?

I bought this because I didn''t want to deal with a chest strap. I wanted to be able to check that I was exercising hard enough to be within my cardiovascular zone. This watch fits the bill. I have to work up a bit of a sweat before the watch is able to read my heart rate. And I have to stop running to take a reading, but I can keep walking while doing so, I don''t need to stand still. About once out of 20 times, the reading is way too low. I just have to take another reading and it''ll be correct.