But with these differences, a good heart rate monitors designed for fitness maintenance does not have to be very basic or very high-tech. It has to be functional and very suitable for the particular fitness demand. Here are the things you should know when choosing heart rate monitor for fitness. Basic features: Heart rate monitors most basic feature is its ability to measure the heart rate. Among all the things, you should be mindful that what you need for a belt chest heart monitor is its long service. Hence, select one that will last for several years. A normal best chest heart rate monitor could have battery that could serve for several years and require to be charged. The main problem here is that most manufacturers require you to send back the belt chest to recharge the battery. Another unique feature of a heart rate monitor that surpasses the ability of a private fitness instructor is its capability to count the number of calories burned during the whole exercise plus the capacity to estimate the percentage of the fat burned. Heart rate monitor can also provide you with summary of the last exercise and the previous exercises with its memory storage capacity. The doppler fetal heart rate monitor lets you know and hear the heart beat of the baby inside you while seeing the digital result on an LCD screen. It uses the same ultrasound technique that has been in existence and trusted by doctors for more than 3 decades so it is proven safe and effective. Most doppler fetal heart rate monitors are battery operated, lightweight, and very portable so you can carry it wherever you go. However this might not be very appealing to those who would like to have an access of their heart rate whenever they demand to. The strapless heart rate monitor might not be good for training for it interrupts the continuity. This is because to be able to have a heart rate reading, the user still has to place 2 fingers on the device for seconds. As a result, the heart rate monitoring would be more accurate. People using the heart rate monitor watch can also have an easy access on the status of their heart at any given time they wish to check it. This is far too different from manual reading since it would not require the reader to stop and check for his wrist or his neck to get a reading.