I recently purchased a heart rate monitor for use in excercise, and I love it. Instead of telling myself "eh, I'm probably biking hard enough", I can have a measurable goal of keeping my heart rate over 150. Leaving my HRM on after a workout, I realized I can actively control my heart rate and therefore my metabolism.

I propose a diet and/or productivity improvement product that measures your heart rate throughout the day. There will be settings for all types of activites, and a computerized schedule of predicted activities. Once baseline heartrates are established for all activities, you simply increase the heart rate required. If you fall below your target, your watch beeps annoyingly at you.

The end result is that you will keep yourself more active throughout the day, not just while working out. If you slow down at work, a beep reminds you to mentally try to increase your heart rate - or perform a more active office task.

Of course, this system can be also used to limit hours of sendentary activity. You can allow yourself, say, 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of work, 1 hour of commute time, and 2 hours of relaxation with a heart rate under 70. All other times, you must be over 70 or the beep comes back.

Writing this out, it does sound like an inhumane punishment right out of science fiction. But then again, so would most gym equipment if taken out of context. As long as you're doing this to yourself, and as long as the result is a more active life, this could work.
-- Worldgineer, Aug 14 2006

I don't understand why you'd want to increase your heart rate for various non-exercise activities - having a fast heart rate for any activities other than exercise is unhealthy and from my experience produces anxiety, fidgeting, and tension.

You could use this device for the opposite effect - trying to get as low a heart rate as possible. This would indicate your aerobic health. Athletes often brag about how low their resting pulse is (in the 40 bpm range).
-- xaviergisz, Aug 14 2006


what [x] said
-- pertinax, Aug 14 2006


[x], I was considering this mostly for weight loss. A low resting heart rate is indeed a sign of good health, but it also means you have a lower metabolism (I believe this is one reason it becomes harder to lose weight once you've lost some). But yes, I've imagined this for the other direction as well - but for behavior modification. This could help people relax easier, and perhaps help keep easily excitable children (perhaps with ADD) control themselves.
-- Worldgineer, Aug 14 2006


I usually just buy a latte :)

All day monitoring is probably useful for all kinds of reasons (i.e. detecting palpitations)

As we continue to emphasize preemption in care, I could imagine a bracelet that would capture data much like a 24hr EKG would, and let you analyze it on your PC or upload it to your doctor.
-- theircompetitor, Aug 14 2006


These things are more than a little Baked - search on Holter monitor (which are now much smaller and more discreet than when I last used one). But those require electrode pads on your chest, which may not be what you had in mind.
-- DrCurry, Aug 14 2006


Yep, that's what I called a 24hr EKG. I think you need something less intrusive, but I'm sure it's coming.
-- theircompetitor, Aug 14 2006


To reduce stress, when your heartrate climbs too high it can blare "relax! relax!" at you until you do.
-- pigtails_and_ponies, Aug 14 2006


Ha!
-- Worldgineer, Aug 14 2006



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