Polar Loop Review + giveaway time!
Hi friends! Hope you’re enjoying the long weekend <3 We’re driving back to Tucson after a fun and crazy weekend of house hunting and Disneyland. I’ll be back with my normal(ish) posting in the morning!
In the meantime, how ’bout a giveaway??
(Bella, wishing the loop came in her size, even though 19 hours of the day are spent lounging in between sprinting)
[The remainder of this post is sponsored by Polar through a compensated campaign with Fitfluential. As always, all opinions are my own. I’m always happy to share the word about new fitness products, especially when they include a fun giveaway opportunity. Click through for the details and your chance to enter!]
Quite a while ago, I was contacted about reviewing a Polar Loop. I was really stoked because it was something I’d been wanting to try, and even more exciting because it included a giveaway opportunity. In the meantime, I had already ordered another fitness tracker that was on the way. For the purposes of this post, I’m not able to do a side by side comparison, but hopefully my feedback will help you make the best decision for your lifestyle. There are pros and cons to the various types out there; it’s really about determining the best model for your needs.
I didn’t really become intrigued with fitness trackers until I started teaching at the resort. A TON of guests would walk into class with their respective gadgets, and as a techie curious person (not capable, just curious haha) I was definitely interested in the various types. When I stopped teaching at the resort, I was looking for ways to gauge my activity since I spent a lot more time seated throughout the day. I quickly noticed that it can be extremely challenging to get in the daily recommended 10,000 steps, especially when you don’t live in a walking-friendly city. (This is even when you’re chasing around a very active toddler!) Fitness trackers are a nice reminder to add some bursts of activity throughout the day, and can also provide some insightful data about habits and patterns.
One thing that excited me the most about the Polar Loop is that it’s compatible with Polar heart rate straps. I’d been a heart rate monitor fans for many years -especially while I was pregnant- and I knew I’d love the ability to sync the tracker during my workouts. My other fitness tracker counted “steps” via arm movements, so even when I was working out (especially with yoga, spinning and strength training) I knew my previous tracker was inaccurate. I’d be waving my arm around on the spin bike to get in my steps for the day 😉 The Loop seems to be more accurate, especially for workouts.
The first thing that alarmed me about the Loop was the size.
Thankfully, the Pilot was able to snip and reattach it. After that, it fit like a charm. I plugged it into my computer to charge and downloaded the app on my computer and phone.
Some things I noticed after a week or so of wearing:
Cons:
-No alarm! If this had an alarm of some type, it would be my perfect fitness tracker.
-The size. Even after fitting the band to my wrist, it’s still pretty thick. The simple band isn’t too much of an eyesore, but I’d love a daintier band.
-Basic sleep data. I wish it provided more info on my sleep patterns throughout the night. It gives me the duration but that’s pretty much it.
Pros:
-Longer battery life. I was pleasantly surprised with how long the Loop lasted without needing to be charged.
-Display. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, but I LOVE being able to see steps, calories, time and activity right there on the wristband. For this reason, I didn’t drain the battery by synching it to my phone throughout the day.
-Heart rate monitor! I feel like this tracker is one of the most accurate versions if you’re going to be wearing it for everyday + workouts. It tells you your workout duration, time in the fat burning zone and fitness zone, and is extremely easy to use. It’s like the best of both worlds for heart rate monitors and fitness trackers. Also, because it’s a Polar brand, many cardio machines will sync and display your heart rate on the screen. Since it had been a while (since I was preg!) from the last time I’d used a HRM, I found that I was totally slacking on some of my workouts and could up the intensity. (cough, watching Downton Abbey on the spin bike, cough)
All in all, I’m really happy with the Loop. I’ll be wearing it from now on, especially on the days I work out.
Want to win one?
Here’s how to enter:
You have until Tuesday night (midnight EST) to enter! I’ll announce the lucky winner Wednesday, 2/19 in the am post.
xoxo
Gina
This post was sponsored by Polar Loop through a compensated campaign with Fitfluential. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting this blog and the companies that help support our family <3
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I take extra trips around the hospital to get my steps in!
I do walking lunges around the office.
I work a desk job. I need the extra motivation to get up and moving!!
Awesome giveaway! I need this to get moving more!!!
I find that some days I am running around my classroom teaching and other’s I end up seated for most of the day. I would love this kind of reminder to get up off my butt and do some exercise (even if it’s only running to the photocopier 😉
This would be great to help me get moving more.
I’ve always wanted to try a wearable fitness tracker – and this would be a great one to try!
I always park in the back of the parking lot and make a point to walk to the breakroom that’s on the opposite side of the building. Love the sneaky extras!
I sit at a desk all day, but I like to think I counteract that by walking my dog every morning and evening. It would be great to see how much activity I actually get in during a typical day.
I try to walk a little faster up and down stairs to raise my heart rate.
I try to stand and walk as much as I can during my day
I gotta take my two pups out every day, which gets me up and outside in the fresh air (and sometimes rain, snow, sleet, ha ha)
I walk on treadmill when online. My husband built a stand for my laptop on the treadmill
Oh this would be sooo Awesome for me! I live out in the boonies and need some technology to help me figure out time and distance and keep track, how cool!
Walking around the office and packing boxes!
I walk laps around our playground while my students have recess!
I walk a great deal for my job, so being active is nicely integrated into my day. My legs get some daily exercise.. but the rest of my body doesn’t. Because of this, I’ve gotten into the habit of doing some push-ups and core strengthening moves after dinner when I would usually just be sitting on the couch chilling and watching TV.
In addition to running (on the treadmill when it’s too cold outside) and walking the dogs, I also like to get some plank action in during commercials when I’m watching TV. 🙂
I walk to and from campus! Also I joined an intermural basketball team for a change and extra exercise!
I do lunges while talking to my coworkers. They think I’m seriously weird!
I always try to have dance parties with my boys, it’s a major workout ha
I love to walk my dog for some extra activity
I try to walk around as much as I can… and I often have a little “dance party” at night, just me and a youtube vid! My hubs gets a kick out of that one! 🙂
I was doing walking lunges on breaks but I’ve slacked off. Time to get back to doing them.
I like to take the long way into stores, etc.!
I refill my water bottle at the fountain 2 floors down!
I have debating between fitness trackers and like you said I think the heart rate monitor feature is key! Thanks for summing up the pros/cons.
Recently found out we’re expecting….this would be great to keep track of my activity 🙂
I always park far away and try to walk to pick up my son from school
I know that my running could really improve if I had a heart rate monitor to really track myself. This looks awesome! I also am always curious how many steps I take in a mile….
I park farther away, to get a few extra steps and take the stairs.
Really interested in the Loop as I have the H7 HRM and want to incorporate the loop into my routine. I love the idea of all that available data to hone my daily activities.
I make sure to always take the stairs instead of the elevator
I always always ALWAYS take the stairs. And I have to: I’m on the 4th floor of my building (I’m a professor, my building houses academic and administrative offices) and the nearest bathroom is on the 3rd floor. I drink a ton of water, too, so I’m forced to get up and go 🙂
I always add in a lap when walking the pup on my non cardio days. Good for both of us!
I get to the gym every other day and a huge motivator is using my polar hrm. I’m very numbers driven and it gives me other numbers to focus on rather than the one on the scale.
Always take the stairs and so one more lap when at the track.
Always make sure to take the stairs!
My kid loves to play chase and tag. We have to play it for at least 30 minutes. Plus, I always try and go to the gym or get some sort of exercise in during my lunch time at work. Julie smartsavvymama@gmail.com
mostly chasing after my toddler!!
I work out 5-6 days a week and I always try to park far away from store entrances. It would be great to have a fitness tracker! Thanks for the giveaway.
I love my Polar, but I have had it a long time. I think its time for a new one.
At work, I always try to take the stairs, even if I’m sore from a workout. And when I’m in our call center, I try to get up whenever I can to move around. Sitting for 5 hours would just be too much! I am always willing to park further away to get more movement in as well…which can be hard during this cold and snowy winter!
i’ve been trying to take the stairs instead of elevator/ escalator whenever possible!
I work in the urban center of my city and try to get in trips to the bank or post office to get more steps. Sometimes I’ll take the longer route back to earn even more.
When doing errands, I take a lap around the store before getting what I need or I go up and down an extra aisle while shopping depending on time.
I walk to and from work which is 3 miles a day!
When picking up my daughter’s toys, instead of just bending over, I try to do squats. 😉
I’d love to know how hard to push myself. I think this would give the extra incentive.
I try to park a little farther than needed!