With each beat your heart sends out an electrical impulse. Although this electricity amount is very small, it can be picked up with ECG (EKG) electrodes attached to the skin. You’ve probably seen ECG monitors in movies. It’s the medical apparatus which generates squiggly lines which let you know whether your heart rhythm is showing signs of atrial fibrillation or is beating in a normal pattern.
While there is no shortage of heart rate training chest straps, ECG monitors have not been available to amateur fitness enthusiasts until recently. Now there is a healthy range of devices which are capable of dishing up a pulse waveform similar to what you’d get from a professional electrocardiogram.
Its worth noting, most of these wearables will not do a perfect job. But the hope is they may warn some people who do not know they are living with a heart condition. Of course, self-diagnosis should always be avoided, and you should refer to your physician for a medical interpretation of your readings. With that out of the way, here’s our selection.