I’ve been on 5:2 and HIT for around 6 weeks. I disliked exercising in the local gym (ghastly ‘music’, saturated with TV screens, other punters scarily fit, cost, time to get there) so got a really good exercise bike for home use (researched the web, tried one or two, visited local distributor, waited until a nearby s/hand one came up for sale – there were plenty available). Mine’s a JTX Cyclo 6 – very solid build, weighs a ton, heavy flywheel, quiet, though almost useless monitor.

For HIT, a heart rate monitor is obviously useful. Again, read the reviews, tried 3 or 4 wrist-type gadgets – all hopeless results for heart rate – (via Amaz** easy returns), until I settled for a chest-type band. I didn’t like the idea of a chest strap, but actually it’s no hassle. There are a few models out there, I went for a Polar H10, again, via user reviews. So far (after a week), it’s extremely accurate, and the software (displayed on an iPhone) is excellent. You can set it for a large variety of exercise (running, biking indoor or outdoor, walking, badminton, jogging, hiking, rowing etc.). Readouts include speed/distance/duration/cals/map (when tied to your iGadget’s GPS).

Hope that doesn’t sound too much like an ad for Polar, but I’d be interested in other people’s experience with HRT monitors.