Inspiration to move with the Polar A360
This post is sponsored by Fitfluential on behalf of Polar.
Heading into the New Year, my fitness goals are pretty straightforward. I’ll write a post about it, but I’d love to increase my strength and cardio endurance, run another half marathon, and build some lean muscle.
My number one priority is moving on a consistent basis again, and with the Polar A360, it’s been a great nudge to get back into it.
Since I took off the necessary 6 weeks postpartum to recover from birth, at first, I thought it would be like a fitness vacation to recharge and hit it again with gusto when I was cleared to resume activity. I was like, “Oh, this is nice, I’m going to feel so refreshed when I can return to the fitness game. “ After the first week, I felt completely normal and my attitude changed. I was itching to move again. I feel so much better when I get in a sweat session, and it’s a fresh breath of “me time” amidst the many actions involved in keeping two small children alive, happy, fed and entertained. When the midwife cleared me to work out again, of course I was excited, and then I was like, “How am I going to have time to work out?” It can be a little tricky when you feel like you don’t take a breath until you collapse into bed.
Needless to say, I was pretty thrilled when Polar sent me one of their new A360s to test out. Not only would it provide some motivation to safely resume my activities, but also a way to monitor my heart rate throughout workout sessions.
Here are some of the things I’ve noticed:
Even though I feel like I’m on the move all day, since we’re still not quite out and about as much, my step count has gone way down.
I was excited for the insightful data from this monitor… except the sleep part. I didn’t need to know how much sleep I’m (not) getting. Haha.
When you wear a fitness tracker, you’ll get a lot of questions! I always love to ask about how people like their fitness trackers, so I’ve been happy to share the love and how much I’ve been enjoying the A360.
Pros:
Motivation to move. Just knowing that you’re trying to reach a 10k step goal is extra encouragement to take small actions throughout the day to accomplish it, like parking farther away, taking the steps whenever possible, or extending the dance party time with your preschooler. For the record, if you find that you’re low on steps, just do some Zumba songs. (YouTube has a ton.) BOOM. It’s an easy and fun way to get some extra movement!
I love the giant touch screen. I haven’t tried anything like this, and you can easily scroll to view your day, heart rate, the time, and what you’d need to do to reach your 10k goal.
The app is extremely user-friendly. You can access it on your computer or phone, and quickly sync to see how you’re doing. I’ve found that since the tracker itself provides a lot of information, I don’t usually need to check into the app much throughout the day. It’s a nice way to view patterns over the span of a month or week.
The A360 also tracks your heart rate. This is particularly awesome for classes or activities that don’t register as high step counts, but are still great workouts, like BODYPUMP and Spin.
It’s also waterproof and you can get notifications, like incoming calls, messages and your calendar. I love that they added some smartphone features!
Cons:
The only con I’ve noticed is that the band and screen are very large on my freakishly small wrists. Even so, it’s very comfortable to wear and use.
Is there a daily goal you try to hit? For me, I always try to make sure I get enough water, and some type of protein and produce in every meal and snack. When I’m wearing a fitness tracker, I like to try and crush my 10k step goal.
Leave a comment below, and I’ll surprise a lucky reader with an A360 of their own. 😉
xoxo
Gina
This is a sponsored post, but the giveaway is being sponsored by yours truly. Thank you so much for supporting this blog and the companies who help to support our family.
This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Polar.
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Water is always my daily goal! I struggle to reach the amount I should be drinking!
I have been exhausted the last several weeks of my pregnancy (1st trimester) so my step count is so much lower than I’d like. I consistently hit my 10,000 goal for 8 months straight. The one goal I can keep right now is to drink lots and lots of water throughout the day.
I try to hit 10000 steps but now that I have a desk job its really hard!
I’m in the 3rd trimester of my first pregnancy, so right now my goal is to continue to get 10,000 steps in, eat a variety of foods and do my kegels and squats.
My goal is get enough water in every day. I can always tell a difference when I haven’t been drinking enough!
My husband and I have a competition going for who can get the most steps/active minutes each day. The loser has to do dishes, take the dog out etc. But I’ve noticed that a lot of my workouts don’t “count” so it would be awesome to have the heart rate function to get a more accurate assessment of my activity. Thanks for the giveaway!
My goal is to exercise 4-5x/week!
My friend signed me up for Warrior Dash for 2016 and I’ve been dealing with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in 2015, so my goal is train for the Warrior Dash and overcome the symptoms of this auto-immune junk!
I have been looking at fitness watches for a while and am trying to decide which one to buy! I want to get in better shape this year!
I am trying to get up a little bit earlier (a neverending battle!), and also to drink enough water during the day at work. I really notice a difference in my energy at the gym if I am not hydrated!!
I’ve always been so intrigued by fitness trackers but haven’t yet invested! It would be great motivation to get up from the desk more often!
my goal is to increase my squat and clean and press weight
This watch would be so great to have! Especially this spring/ summer after I give birth and work on that PBB. =)
P.S. I hate the itchy watches too!
I would love to try this!!!
It’s been so long since I’ve hit the 10,000 step mark 🙁 so this is a renewed goal for 2016.
I’m currently 14 weeks pregnant and have definitely let my workouts go. My goal would be to go for walks at least 4 times per week in 2016.
I would love this to help keep me motivated during the winter!
I was addicted to my jawbone up24, but then it broke and they sent me two more that broke – the last of which was my final replacement 🙁
So sad as I used it always, but now not sure what to replace with as I don’t want a jawbone that will fall apart in a month or two. Especially needing one as the weather is getting colder.
I would love a tracker like this!
That looks cool! I like that the screen isn’t a big square (looking at your, Fitbit and Apple). I’ve been looking at getting a Garmin Forerunner 15 but maybe I’ll add this to the research list!
I always struggle to drink enough water. Definitely a New Years resolutions! I also try to get out and walk during my lunch. It’s so refreshing and keeps me going through the afternoon 🙂
Right now my daily goal is to drink enough water. When I’m at school and work I always have a water bottle with me but being at home for so many days these past couple of weeks has made me lose that habit a bit.
I would love that polar! I just started Kayla Itsines’ BBG thanks to your post in November and this would be awesome to help me stay on track.
I’m working on increasing my daily water intake! And I always aim for my 10k step goal, but sometimes adjust it based on the day’s activities.
SLEEP! Getting 8 hours takes a lot more effort than it should!
The perfect post I needed to read. I’m looking into getting something like this to help keepe moving. :-). Love your blog. Been reading since Moody.
Hi! I needed to read this post. Great info! Thank you. Love your blog, been reading since Moody.
Sorry for the double post. My phone glitched. I didn’t see the first one post.
I tried to use the tracker on my phone but I don’t have it on me all the time. Even if I’m out running and its on the stroller it doesn’t track that.im so curious about my daily steps. With an almost 4yr old that just dropped naps and a 1yr old that’s in the 2 to 1 nap transition, the sleep info may be better left an unknown 🙂
My goal is to get my 8 hours of sleep every night. I notice such a big difference when I do. 🙂
My job keeps me on feet and my phone tracks my steps but I question the accuracy of it. I’m trying to listen to my body more this year and rest when needed!
I try to make sure I move everyday. On a recovery day at least 5 km walking the dog. Active days the sky’s the limit! I’d love to be able to track it all!
10k steps per day and weight training 3x per week 🙂
I had a jawbone that I loved but unfortunately the quality just wasn’t there and it didn’t last long before falling apart! I’ve heard that the polar is amazing and I love that the heart rate is on your wrist instead of a chest strap!
With the cold temperatures my 10,000 steps per day doesn’t typically happen…somedays I even work from home so my steps really tank since my house isn’t that big. I do get my stairs in though since our only bathroom is upstairs and I drink lots of water! I don’t worry too much about the steps though because I am doing in home workouts….right now we just started Hammer & Chisel and my muscles are telling me that they are getting a workout….2 days in and I feel the change already!
I would love to start running again and training for a 10K or a half marathon. With an almost 6 month old at home, I know with a jogging stroller it will be an easier way to get some workouts in.
With my desk job it’s hard to meet my step goal, but a fitness tracker definitely helps to motivate!
i’d love this, as it has a HR monitor!
I try and get in at least 8 ounce glasses of water !! Gotta stay hydrated!
I definitely need to work on hitting my 10k steps goal