Hi everybody, I'm interested in this, but I am so severely ill (maybe 2 or 3 on the Bell Scale) that pretty much everything I do pushes me above the anaerobic threshold, judging by my current pulse-ox monitor (the kind that goes on your thumb and goes through batteries too fast, so I can't wear all it the time). Is it worth spending £100/ $150 on a more expensive kind for continuous monitoring, sync with apps etc.? And if so, is it worth choosing one like the Mio Alpha (
www.wareable.com/sport/mio-alpha-2-review) that will beep if you exceed your threshold? Obviously normally a warning is exactly what you need, but a) in my case it would probably go off all the time and b) the Fitbit Charge HR (
www.wareable.com/fitbit/fitbit-charge-hr-review), which I think only indicates heart rate zones with lights, is, well, just more stylish

plus it has way better battery life for continuous monitoring.
I bought a Mio Alpha 2 a few weeks ago.
It's not a thing of beauty, more chunky than sleek.
However, it does do what I want it to do and you don't have to wear a chest strap.
I have the HR monitoring on all day and switch it over to just a watch when I am in bed. It then only needs charging every two or three days. If I leave it on HR monitoring 24/7 then it needs charging once a day.
You can set it up to beep at you if you go beyond your range but I haven't bothered. What I have done is set it up for 5 HR 'zones' and there is a flashing light on the watch so you can see at a glance which 'zone' you are in by the colour of the flashing light.
Blue - HR 0-70
Dark Blue - HR 71-80
Green - HR 81-90
Yellow - HR 91 -94
Purple - HR 95 -100
Red - HR 101-120
For the calculation of max HR of 220 - age x 60% my max HR comes out at 101 which is why I have set it up as I have.
If I am doing anything it is very easy to glance and see if I am pushing myself too much. As I said on another thread I was very surprised how my HR spiked up to 140 (going upstairs slowly or washing) and how my HR stayed higher on the day after I have overdone it.
I now do things more slowly and sit, lie down or crouch if my HR spikes until it stabilises.
On the minus side the display isn't easy to read in low light, although you can double tap the screen for 5 seconds of backlight. The Mio Alpha 2 is waterproof and the strap is comfortable.
I've managed to sync the Mio with my ipad but it does keep dropping out, it maybe because I have an older ipad. My cheap 'n cheerful android phone is running an old version of the OS so isn't compatable with the app. Considering updating the phone, as from the ipad app I can see how helpful it would be to record my HR over a longer period of time.
The Mio is new tech, and it could be better, but I am happy with it so far. Let me know if you want to know any more.
Some useful reviews of HR monitors here
http://www.heartratemonitor.co.uk/