Wearing Glasses?

[Tort-Speed]

I apologize right off, as seem to recall this has been brought up before. And dunno which section to post in - two bads. However, have been told to keep an eye (literally) on my heartrate during future keiko for a while. And will
wear some gadget that'll tell me what it is so if I get over-eager, the thing will tell me. Problem is, without specs, can't see up close, especially digital numbers.
Glasses mean sweat, and vapor gets on the lenses, right? Contacts recommended? Thanks for advice.

[stealth_monkey]

If you just need to not exceed a certain heart rate, most good monitors have an alarm setting

[rfoxmich]

If you just need to not exceed a certain heart rate, most good monitors have an alarm setting

... which are damned hard to hear during a vigorous keiko.

[Neil Gendzwill]

If you can tolerate contacts, they are absolutely the best way to go. Alternately you could have somebody else monitor but I'm not sure what the transmit range on those HRMs are, probably very short to conserve batteries.

[enkorat]

Do you have an Android phone? I've been using a bluetooth heart rate monitor that pairs with my phone for about a year, though the max range between the sensor and the phone is roughly 25 meters or so (standard bluetooth range). Works in our regular practice space but doesn't work with a larger space.

[IaidoFrog]

I wear glasses for day-to-day activity, but switch to contacts for practice. So far this has gone well for me.

As far as heart-rate monitors go I've picked up a nifty timex watch / heart-rate watch, but have yet to figure out how to successfully use it during class. I'd be interested if you can post a follow-up if/when you find a solutions.

You probably already did this, but I'd discuss the situation with your instructor(s). As a non-optimal solution you might be able to take semi-frequent breaks to stop and check your monitor. This way if your HR is getting high you can slow down a bit till it lowers. I imagine the "over-eager" issue will be the hardest to overcome...at least based upon my own weakness of will which has gotten me re-injured for not slowing down when I should.

[turboyoshi]

If contacts aren't feasible, you can also try rain-x or some similar anti-fog material on your glasses.

[Tort-Speed]

Thanks sooooo much to everybody! The gadget will come in to the shop tomorrow and then I can check if I can see the nbrs. and if the thing has an alarm. Gendzwill Sensei, have long thought about contacts but imagined wearing them would hasten eyes getting bad. I heard hard contacts may slip out with active users. Any advice on type?
Usually I only use glasses at night, for reading, or for some serious train sleuthing when lost (happens here for a lazy sod like me who only speaks, after a fashion, the language) at big stations. Enkorat, hope your reason for the monitor isn't a serious one? turboyishi, anti-fog may be a way to go, as an alternative to contacts - must the lenses/frame be especially small to fit inside the men-ganet? Special bands advised to keep them on, too, I guess.
Doc actually said Stop Kendo, but he's never done it. I figure kiriotoshi and avoiding kirikaeshi and anaerobic training will let me continue. My teacher who knows my situation, commented, you won't have to do kirikaishi at next Dan test, anyway. Hmmm.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I've never heard of contacts making your vision worse. There is some small chance of infection but if you are careful you will be fine. Nobody wears hard contacts anymore unless there is some medical reason. Your optometrist can recommend a brand/type to try. Usually you will try a sample pair yo ensure they fit and are comfortable. If not they order another sample pair.

Search for glasses here lots of other threads.

[enkorat]

No it wasn't serious, it started out as a weight loss and training tool but I have been using it for about a year now (and a years worth of data pretty much) to gauge my body's responses to different parts of kendo practice, to better design practices and to keep practices consistent across different days.

Its ended up being a geeky science project I'm doing on the side, on myself.

Are you trying to avoid certain BPMs?

[Tort-Speed]

Don't know what BPMs are..."bloody poor 'men's" ?
What I meant by making one's eyes worse is not necessarily contacts but all eye-aids: if we use them to improve our vision, and
on a constant basis, is it possible the eyes weaken sooner - rather than if we tried to see with what vision we still have?

[Lloromannic]

...no.

[Obukan_dude]

As a glasses-wearer who turned to contacts, I would really reccomend contacts for kendo, especially for what you are needing to do.

[turboyoshi]

Nobody wears hard contacts anymore unless there is some medical reason.

It depends on a couple factors. My eyesight is so bad, there are only 2 companies that make soft lenses strong enough to correct my vision and they cost $400. Rigid contacts cost a lot less but are also much less comfortable.

BPM=beats per minute, I'd guess.

[enkorat]

Oh sorry, yea beats per minute (BPM). Forgot about it not being a universally recognized abbreviation.