Making An Overglove For The Mark of Fitness MF-180

If you are an outdoor exerciser, there will likely be a time when cold makes it difficult to maintain a good reading with the MF-180. At times like this, a glove that fits over the MF-180 yet allows the display to show through can permit you to keep gaining the benefits of the monitor. Initial plans were to have a glove available by now, but that project has been delayed. Fortunately, making an overglove is a fairly easy process. I'll show you how.

Tools needed are: Oversize Gloves (cheap work gloves work fine), scissors, a marker (not shown), and some type of waterproof glue (to keep edges from fraying, if necessary).

Put on the monitor, and pull the glove carefully over it.

Find the outline of the body of the monitor.

Using the marker, mark the outline of the monitor. Note that care here will result in a cleaner and better positioned hole in the glove.

Carefully cut the glove. Do this with both the glove and monitor off your hand to avoid possible injury to you or damage to the monitor. Those of you with large hands may find it helpful to cut the glove from its edge to the monitor hole in order to make putting on and removing the glove easier. If you do this, you'll want to plan to make a closure with Velcro or something similar.

Apply glue to the edges, if appropriate, to prevent fraying. If you use a leather glove, this step is unnecessary, but note that dye from the leather may stain your hand or the monitor if you get sweaty. Those of you with a sewing background may choose to sew tape on the edges instead to create a more finished edge. Be sure to allow the glue to dry thoroughly before using or you may damage the monitor. To prevent the risk of gluing the glove closed, it's wise to place a spacer, or a material that the glue will not adhere to (waxed paper?) into the glove.

The finished overglove will keep your hand warmer and should permit MF-180 use in temperatures noticeably cooler than than you could use it before.

Right Handed Use

We've had inquiries from several people regarding use of the MF-180 on the right hand. I've put it on my right hand and had it read successfully, but when we spoke to our parent company, they said that they were unable to confirm that this was acceptable as no clinical trials had been done to prove its accuracy in this situation. (That doesn't mean there's a problem, just that sufficient testing has not been done to ensure accuracy.) They did tell us that if it is to be used in this fashion, it must be used on the pinkie (smallest finger) to avoid introducing errors due to friction against the sensor wire.

I have not exercised with the monitor on my right hand. If any of you have done this, please post a comment using the link below.

Voodoo?

Sometimes when I first show an MF-180 Exercise Monitor to someone, it feels like I am doing voodoo or some black art in order to make the monitor work. In fact, the process is quite simple.

Normally, the first thing I check is positioning of the sensor. It must be flat against the pad of the index finger. It must not be twisted around to the side of the finger nor be crooked and thus floating above the finger.

The next thing to check is that the hand has good circulation. Usually thus can be discerned by touching the fingers and checking if they're cold. Because the monitor relies on good circulation in the skin, cold (and what qualifies as cold varies person to person and with how they're dressed) can cause blood flow to the skin to shut down. The easiest way to restore circulation to the skin is to increase your activity. If you're about to begin to sweat, you've certainly got enough circulation to have the monitor work. Indoors, a few jumping jacks or a short vigorous walk (just 20-30 seconds) is probably enough. Outdoors, the needs vary by temperature, clothing and wind.

Once these situations are corrected, then the other thing I try to be sure of is that the user waits until the secondary display has changed to % of HRmax before they begin exercise. Failure to do this means that the error correction has not turned on prior to starting and this can result in erroneous readings.

A final note: if you have very large hands or you've put the wrist strap on before the finger wrap, it's possible to cause false readings if the connection between the instrument portion of the glove and the finger wrap pull with each stride (or other action). To correct this, a) wrap the finger first and b) don't snug the wrist strap very tightly (just snug enough to prevent detectible movement of the monitor). Those of you with very large hands may need to either adapt slightly how you wear the glove or get an oversized glove (I'm unsure when they will be available).

Building An Aerobic Base

This information is general information, neither Wayne Baker nor Mark of Fitness, Inc. is responsible for your actions. It is important that you see or speak to your doctor to confirm that the exercise you plan to do is neither a danger to you, nor inappropriate for your condition.

With our car-centered culture, one of the first things that most of us lose when we become adults (or perhaps even teens) is our basic aerobic conditioning. Do you remember when you spent each afternoon playing outside with your friends? Wouldn't it be nice if you could one again play a game [baseball, football, softball, Frisbee (tm of Wham-O, I think), or something similar] or ride a bike without paying a heavy price the next day in sore muscles and other injuries minor injuries?

It's that kind of base conditioning that we should all be after in our daily life. Why? Well, the ability to play a game is really not very significant, but in the event (God forbid) of another terrorist attack on a skyscraper, this conditioning may mean the difference between life and death for you and those around you. If the elevator were inoperable, would you be able to get out of your building quickly, without needing to stop to catch your breath? Or would you be in the stairwell wheezing and gasping for air and obstructing the exit of others?

Now, while that scenario is (hopefully) never going to occur, I think we must all assume that it might. On the other hand, if a bio-terror attack were launched and to prevent escape from the affected area, simultaneous attacks were made on the highways out of the cities involved, would you be able to get yourself out? The smaller roads out of the city would be jammed with cars, and emergency vehicles would be rushing in on them. Could you ride a bicycle far enough to perhaps ensure safety? Or would you have the stamina to build the plastic sheeting and duct tape room that might improve your odds?

But in real life, wouldn't it be nice if you could play baseball at your church picnic or block party without worrying about having a heart attack? Or just partake in the silly fun of the 3-legged race? Or could walk comfortably from the edge of the mall parking lot this holiday season? Or could raise money for charity by walking in their annual walk-a-thon? There simple goals are much more likely, yet I'm sure many of us would be unable to do them, or if we could, we'd know the price in discomfort the next day would be higher than we'd want to pay.

This is why we all need to pay attention to our basic fitness. In order to do this, we should optimally exercise at least 4 days a week for a half-hour or more (recommendations vary as to how much exercise is necessary for basic health, but these 2 hours a week are close to what's often recommended).

But, I can't spare two hours a week. Let me ask you this: Do you ever drive less than a half-mile to a store to run an errand? Those of you who live in older communities probably answered "Yes" to that question. When you do that, do you ever have to spend time looking for a parking space? If we assume that you can walk at 3 mph, then getting to that store will take you 10 minutes. If we consider perhaps 2 minutes to find parking, then very quickly, that 10-minute walk only costs us perhaps a 2-3 minute premium over driving, and that's about the equivalent of hitting a traffic light badly. The message, you can probably find the time to exercise if you care to find it.

I think most of us would exercise if we saw it as fun. Looking back to playing outside as a kid, you didn't see that as exercise, even though it was. If you can make exercise fun, then you'll do it. Why not visit with a neighbor by taking a walk with them? It's a great way to make the time pass quickly and comfortably, while getting that exercise you need. I often see people at the parks I exercise at with cell phones securely attached to their ears. While I have mixed feelings about this, it provides them with a way to exercise AND keep in touch with friends. As a result (and provided they pay attention to their surroundings, and don't compromise their safety), its a good way to multi-task. Personally, I think there's something nice about seeing the plants green up in the spring, or bud and blossom, that I wonder if they miss. But, if that's what gets them to exercise, then OK.

The author, Wayne Baker, is a USATF level 1 coach and is generally knowledgeable about conditioning.

Some Basic Concepts of Exercise

This information is general information, neither Wayne Baker nor Mark of Fitness, Inc. is responsible for your actions. It is important that you see or speak to your doctor to confirm that the exercise you plan to do is neither a danger to you, nor inappropriate for your condition.

First, let me say that I dislike the title I gave this article...Why? Well, I wanted to use the term training instead of exercise, but was afraid that it would be interpreted as sport specific training, rather than the broad definition that I intended, that would mean training your body to be better able to do the things you like or want to do...like live longer, be able to climb stairs without being out of breath, or even run or walk a marathon.

The most basic thing you must remember is "stress and recover." This means that after a workout (which should stress your muscles, bones and connective tissues), you must allow your body to recover. Or, if you look at the stress as causing an injury, you must allow time to heal. When you are young, 48 hours is usually enough (thus the common wisdom of alternating hard and easy days), but as you age, that time increases and should likely be 72 hours or more (turning the cycle to hard, easy, easy). In turn, this means that as most people age, they can't handle more than two hard workouts a week. I tend to recommend walking as the primary aerobic exercise for most people. So, in order to have a hard workout, this can be achieved by either going fast or going long. On your easy days, they should be both short and slow. I know some very fast walkers, guys who racewalk at about 8 mph (7:30 miles), and for them, an easy day might be nine-minute miles, if you find 15 minute miles challenging, then 18 or 20 minute miles might represent an easy workout for you.

I am a proponent of exercising every day. (Yes, I do miss one occasionally.) But, you must follow "stress and recover." Why do I advocate daily exercise? The key reason is that exercising on days that you are recovering helps bring blood, and the oxygen it carries, into your muscles. This blood helps your muscles to recover by feeding them.

Should your easy day exercise differ from your hard day exercise? There's a case to be made each way, and the answer differs depending on your goals. For most people, different exercise brings more benefits than the same exercise. Different exercises work different muscles, and developing different muscles helps avoid muscular imbalances. (Many of us have seen young guys who, in the belief that "Chicks dig guys with big chests," develop their chests and perhaps their abs, but pay no attention to their legs or back. The disproportionate muscles pull their shoulders forward and may cause back pain. Their posture suffers and they end up looking bad.) So, doing different exercise tends to make you function better in life in general and also, by allowing more thorough recovery, reduces the risk of injury. The exception to this is when you are training for participation in a competitive sport. When training for competition, sport specificity trumps the other benefits.

My next article will take a look at building aerobic capacity and why that's important.

The author, Wayne Baker, is a USATF level 1 coach and is generally knowledgeable about conditioning.

What Is The Mark of Fitness MF-180 Exercise Monitor?

It’s a revolutionary new way of controlling your exercise intensity to avoid fatigue, improve the quality of your workouts, and get control of your exercise program.

Designed for people wanting to exercise to control weight and/or get into better condition, the MF-180 is easy-to-use, easy-to-understand, and fun. It’s not complicated to use, and no math is required! Most importantly, it gets rid of the inconvenient, and for many, uncomfortable chest belt.

The MF-180 features:
- simultaneous display of heart rate and % of maximum heart rate
- calories burned during exercise
- stopwatch with simultaneous display of heart rate
- automatic calculation of % of maximum heart rate
(after entry of a profile – age, weight and sex)
- out-of-zone alarm

You’ll find it to be helpful and convenient as you exercise.

Determining Your Heart Rate Zone

(This information is provided as a general guide, but can not be regarded as safe without checking with your doctor about whether exercise at a given level is safe or appropriate for you. Anytime you are exercising and feel faint, weak, or otherwise “wrong,” stop exercising immediately and contact your doctor. Use of this monitor has no impact on whether it is safe for you to exercise, nor does it directly impact your conditioning. What this monitor does it to provide you with feedback that can help you to succeed in a well designed exercise program. Mark of Fitness, Inc. can not be held responsible if through any cause, including misuse, failure to check with your doctor and/or trainer, or malfunction, you cause yourself injury or death. Please use judgment and follow your doctor’s or trainer’s recommendations to help you exercise safely.)

Heart Rate Monitors, when used properly, can help you to get a safe, effective workout and avoid the fatigue so often experienced early in an exercise program. The key is to select an appropriate training zone for your body’s current condition. One of the really neat things about using heart rate as a training tool is that it is self-adjusting. (Huh? What does he mean by that?) Simply put, as you get into shape, your heart and other muscles strengthen and it takes more work to get to a given heart rate.

OK, so what should I use as my training zone? Well, for basic conditioning (as opposed to athletic training), the zone most often referred to as the cardio zone is the one you’ll want to use, it’s normally described as 70%-80% of maximum heart rate, and (the most popular estimate of) maximum heart rate (HRmax) can be calculated by taking 220 and subtracting your age. Before you go to the effort of doing this math, please note that one of the nicest features of Mark of Fitness’ MF-180 Exercise Monitor is its automatic calculation of % of HRmax after your profile has been entered. This means you can use the monitor WITHOUT doing any math! You can just exercise until you get to the desired level and by looking at the display, know what % of HRmax you’re working at.

If you haven’t exercised in several years, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart problems, you should give some thought to lowering your training zone to 65%-75% of HRmax. This reduces (but does not eliminate) the risk of problems like stroke, heart attack, ischemic attack, etc.

What should you expect when you follow these guidelines? Most likely, your first reaction will be one of disbelief, “You mean I can exercise THIS easily and benefit from it?” This is normal. Most of us have heard someone say about exercise, “No pain, no gain,” this is one case where you don’t need to hurt to benefit. To really benefit a lot, you need to know a little more about exercise and eating, please visit (link) and (link) to find out more.

Choosing Your Exercise

(All information on this website is intended as general guidance, and prior to engaging in any activity, you should check with your doctor or coach. DO NOT go against their guidance, you may put your health in jeopardy. Wayne Baker and Mark of Fitness, Inc. are not responsible for any action you take.)

OK, so if I’m going to have to exercise, what’s the best exercise? Simply put, the best exercise is the exercise that you will do! For cardiovascular health, your heart rate must be increased, and that increase must be sustained for a period of time, generally 20 minutes or more. If an exercise does not do that, it only benefits your heart and circulatory system slightly.

The “Big 4” aerobic exercises [running (or jogging), walking, bicycling or swimming] are the ones to consider first. Many exercises that are often referred to as exercise (and they are) do not raise the heart rate continuously, so they don’t do much to benefit your cardiovascular system. Among these non-cardio sports are bowling, golf (unless you walk the course), tennis, and many others.

So, what do I recommend? Unless you have joint trouble, consider walking first. Since it only requires a pair of comfortable shoes, it has the lowest starting cost. It’s as close as your front door (and some people chose to walk in place indoors, so going out the door need not even be necessary. Everyone knows how to do it, but learning better technique will pay you dividends.

Though I’m a runner, the next sport I’d suggest, and one of the best for those with joint problems is bicycling. The smooth, rotary motion of cycling avoids the pounding of knees, ankles, feet and lower back that running, and to a lesser degree walking, puts on an athlete. A decent quality bicycle today costs in the $400-500 range, but you can often get a good, used bike for a fraction of that. Be sure that you get a bike that is sized properly for you. Proper cycling clothing will cost a couple of hundred dollars more. Always wear a helmet when cycling, I know many people whose lives have been saved by helmets or who have avoided long hospital stays by wearing them. Most smart cyclists recognize it’s not “if I crash,” it’s “when I crash.” Brain injuries don’t heal; wearing a helmet is your best protection. Unfortunately, because gripping the handlebars may cause problems with sensing and because of the risk of having the sensor wire tangle and possibly cause a crash, Mark of Fitness’ policy is “Do Not Use the MF-180 when bicycling.”

Running is the most intense, and potentially most damaging to your body, of these sports. It pounds the feet, legs and lower back; so if you select this as your primary sport, understand that injury is often part of the picture. While we all ran as children without detrimental effect, as we age and get out of shape, the likelihood of injury rises. Wear good shoes, listen to your body.

Swimming is the one sport I cannot speak about from experience. I describe myself as a slow drowner. While I am comfortable in water, I never learned to breathe well in the water. Swimming does offer a non-impact, non-weight bearing exercise. This makes it excellent for many people with joint problems or those who are so heavy that other exercises are difficult. The MF-180 cannot be used for in-water activities such as swimming.

Are other types of aerobic activity OK? Yes, but note that aerobics classes at a gym are often high-impact classes. Seek out low-impact classes, if they’re offered, don’t hesitate to take classes designed for senior citizens (even if you don’t qualify), they are often much less risky than standard classes, though they may lack the level of intensity you require.

Regardless of which exercise you choose, try to find a workout partner or a local club to help support you. Exercising with others makes you feel responsibility to exercise and adds camaraderie to the process.

MF-180 Success Stories

We’d love to hear your success stories from using the MF-180 Exercise Monitor. Please send them to us by e-mail at: sales@markfit.com
Please use “MF-180 Success Story” as the subject.

You may also send by regular mail to:

Attn: MF-180 Success Stories
Mark of Fitness, Inc.
621 Shrewsbury Ave
Shrewsbury, NJ 07702

If you have pictures you’d like to share with us, we’d love to see them.

By submitting materials, you agree that you understand that a) Mark of Fitness may excerpt or use them in their entirety and b) you are the copyright owner and agree that Mark of Fitness, Inc. and their successors, licensees and assignees may use them without compensation to you. Mark of Fitness will attempt to protect your identity by using a first name and last initial only and listing only your state or country.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you monitor my heart rate without a chest-belt?
Technically, the MF-180 is a plethysmograph, that’s essentially a monitor reading the changes in reflectivity of your skin each time your heart beats. This is a well proven technology that’s often used in medical and exercise laboratories to monitor various bodily functions. The MF-180 uses digital signal processing and error correction technology to ensure accurate readings. Each time you turn on the monitor, it tells you the strength of the signal (a display of L0 [weak signal] to L3 [strong signal] is shown).

I’m having trouble getting a good reading, what should I do?
This monitor looks at changes in skin reflectivity due to blood flow in the skin, as a result, anything that compromises blood flow or transparency of the skin can impact the ability to get a good reading. Double check that the sensor is set flat against the pad of the finger and that the finger wrap is tight enough to turn the oval into a circle. Are your hands cold? Cold hands result in reduced blood flow and can prevent strong signals. The good news is that this will correct itself as you exercise. Putting on an over-glove will also help. Is your skin very dry? Because your skin needs to transmit light well, extreme dryness can be a problem. Skin lotion should eliminate this problem.

My Finger Sometimes Starts to Go Numb. What should I do?
Try loosening the finger wrap slightly. The oval that's printed on the finger should be approximately a circle when the wrap is tensioned properly. If it is a circle and you are still experiencing numbness, try loosening it a bit more. The finger tension is not a very critical factor, while the sensor must be held snugly in place, making it slightly looser is unlikely to cause erroneous readings. (Note: if during loosening the wrap, you lift the sensor off the skin or move it significantly, there's a chance that the monitor will turn off. If this occurs, you'll need to press the Start/Stop button to restart it.) Never continue to wear the finger wrap if your finger has gone numb, a serious medical problem may occur.

I'm Putting My Monitor Together for the First Time. I Don't Understand How to Attach the Sensor. How do I do that? Take a look at the finger wrap portion of the glove. About a half inch below the white circle, you'll probably see a loose thread. (Don't worry if you don't see it.) Take one of your fingers and press on the back of the material, stretching it. You'll see a small hole open up. Once you've stretched the hole, it will both be easier to find and easier to put the button portion of the sensor through the hole.

I sometimes have trouble pressing the buttons. Do you have any suggestions?
“Pinch the monitor” between your thumb and forefinger, that will keep the monitor from “squishing” around as you try to press a button. See photo.

Do you have a cold weather glove available?
Not right now, but we’re working on it. In the meantime, we suggest you find a pair of oversize gloves and cut a hole in the back for the display to show through. Legendary marathon runner Bill Rodgers used to run in cotton work gloves. You can get similar gloves at the local hardware or home center for a couple of bucks. Once you’ve cut the hole, to keep it from fraying, put glue, nail polish, or something similar around the hole. (Do not have the glove on as you do this, nor have the monitor near the glove. Make sure whatever you’ve used is completely dry before putting the glove on with the monitor as any solvents may damage the monitor.

Heart Rate Monitor Presentation - Raritan Valley Road Runners

Heart Rate Monitor Presentation
Raritan Valley Road Runners
8 Dec 04
Given by: Wayne Baker

What is the basic theory of training?
Stress and recover

How do you judge what is appropriate stress?
How do you judge what is appropriate recovery?
Borg Scale of Perceived Exertion
Heart Rate

Why Monitor Heart Rate?
It can allow you to see how you body is being stressed.
It enforces discipline.
It can indicate overtraining/illness.

How do you benefit?
It allows you to make better use of training time.


Beginning Exercisers -
Often poor judges of exertion level

Competitive Athletes –
Generally most valuable on easy days (hard days are often time based – intervals, repeats)
Competitive athletes are often competitive on their easy days. This means that foolish acts like chasing down another runner on an easy day is often done. The HRM can help control this with out-of-zone alarms.
Tend to want to train hard to achieve results.
Indicator of illness/overtraining


What is maximum heart rate?
Stress test – almost impossible to get one in a medical environment (liability)
Uphill repeats with short rest intervals


The Math:
HRmax = (220-age)
Has been proven to be a mediocre estimate (but for most of the population, who will rarely use it past 80%, the inaccuracy is has less significance).

Karvonen Formula
Must know HRmax and Resting Heart Rate
HRtarget = [(HRmax - HRrest) X (%)] + HRrest

Others

The technologies:
Continuous:
Chest Belt (Polar, others)
Advantages
Wide variety of models/features
Disadvantages
Discomfort (may be psychological, but putting on
can be uncomfortable)
Breast Bounce (women, some men)
Bony athletes often have contact trouble
Interference

Fingertip/Earlobe (Cateye, others)
Advantages
No Chest Belt
Disadvantages
Light interference
Difficult measuring when cold

Finger (Mark of Fitness)
Advantages
No Chest Belt
Has most desired features
Error Correction
Easy-to-wear
Disadvantages
Difficult measuring when cold
Slight Response Delay (fn of error correx)


Non-continuous:
Electrical (Mio, others)
Advantages
No Chest Belt
Easy-to-wear (watch only)
Disadvantages
Needs 2 hands
No out-of-zone
Data like calories are guesses (interpolates)


Optical (Tanita, others)
Advantages
Inexpensive
Disadvantages
Difficult measuring when cold
Must stop exercise to measure