Hurrah for the technobra

The Triumph Pulsebeat is the mother of all sports bras. Maybe even the grandmother. It's sensible and not at all sexy, except in a Bridget Jones's big pants kind of way. But it does have a hi-tech secret. Inside the band that sits below your bazookas, there's a space designed to hold a heart rate monitor chest transmitter. So if you're the kind of fitness-loving gal who likes to track her ticker, this is the bra for you. Without it, you're stuck with a transmitter belt and a bra chafing together.

I tested the Pulsebeat with the Polar S610, a heart rate monitor designed for runners. The Polar transmitter fitted snugly in the bra and stayed put through various sports. The S610 worked out of the box, and when hooked up to the PC gave me pretty heart rate graphs to prove that I'd exercised. You can download these to a training calendar that adds up how many calories you've burned each week. As a bra, the Pulsebeat was great with or without the transmitter in place, hot but so comfy that I forgot I was wearing it. Now, if only they could make it sexy...

Triumph Pulsebeat bra £25 from www.triumph-international.co.uk

Polar S610 £200 from www.polar-uk.com

Caramel Quin