I have to be honest. I’ve hit a fitness slump. Ever since I got back from my trip to LEGOLAND Malaysia, I’ve hit a wall when it comes to my fitness. My workouts have been getting erratic and I’ve let myself go in terms of my diet. In fact, I can feel a paunch growing in my midsection. I try so hard to get myself back on track, but the first steps are always the hardest. I need motivation, something that will encourage me to start going to the gym again and care about what I put in my mouth. I’m considering a smartwatch.
I’ve been looking at smartwatches and one of the brands that caught my eye is Garmin. Late last month, the brand introduced its new line of smartwatches that, get this, don’t look like fitness watches at all. One of the things that stops me from getting it is how they clearly look like a fitness band. I’ll need to wear it the whole day to track my health and I want something that I can wear with my gym clothes and formal attire.
Of course, the main function of the smartwatch is to track your health and Garmin’s line sounds impressive. The Venu and vivoactive 4 has over 40 on-device animated workouts that can guide you during strength training, cardio, yoga, and pilates. Aside from pre-loaded and preset workouts that can be downloaded on Garmin Connect, fitness enthusiasts can even customise their workouts so the watch can track their health. If you’re a runner, Garmin Coach can develop training plans depending on your goals and performance. It’s like having a trainer right on your wrist!
The Venu and vivoactive 4 are also useful when not working out. If you need to focus or destress, both watches have structured breathing exercises to calm you down.
I personally like the vivomove 3 because of its looks. The hybrid smartwatch is designed to look like a traditional timepiece, which won’t look out of place when paired with a suit. To access its suite of features, all you need to do is flick your wrist and it will reveal a hidden smart screen that can track your health and fitness, including your daily steps, floors climbed, intensity minutes, and more.
All the smartwatches in Garmin’s collection share a series of features that’s perfect for those looking to complement their workouts, or even just their wellbeing. The Stress Tracking and Heart Rate features sound awesome because it will even send reminders when it detects that you’re panicking. The Hydration Tracking will let you see how many glasses of water you’re drinking, so you can complete your eight per day.
An intriguing feature for all smartwatches is Body Battery, which monitors your energy levels so you can plan your workouts, rest time, and even sleep.
Garmin’s smartwatches are not just for workouts. It can be used for work, too. Smart Notifications lets you receive calls, messages, social media updates, calendar reminders, and more. If you have an Android device, you can even reply to messages. By the way, you can connect your smartwatch if you’re using an iPhone.
The Venu and vivoactive 4 has additional features, including Respiration Tracking for breathing, Music so you can listen to your songs wirelessly while working out, and Safety and Tracking to ensure you are still okay. When it detects an incident, it will automatically send your location to emergency contacts. Women can also take advantage of the Menstrual Cycle Tracking to monitor their cycle.
Garmin still works while you’re asleep, since it can detail the quality of your sleep. When you wake up, you can check to see if you’re getting the rest you need to start the day fresh.
Battery life is also impressive. The Venu has a battery life of up to five days in smartwatch mode and six hours in GPS + music mode, while the vivoactive 4 can last up to eight days in smartwatch mode and six hours in GPS + music mode. Lastly, the vivomove 3 has a battery life of five days in smartwatch mode and an additional week in watch mode.
The Venu is available in Light Sand with Rose Gold Hardware and Granite Blue with Silver Hardware. The vivoactive 4 comes in Shadow Grey with Silver Hardware, while the vivomove 3 is available in Powder Gray Silver Hardware. All variants are also available in Black with Slate Hardware.
You can also customize your watch face with tons of designs. You can even upload your photo for something really tailored!
Garmin’s smartwatches are available in Garmin stores across the country, Rustan’s, Meridian, Watch Republic, Washington, SM Department Stores (Mall of Asia and Makati), Olympic Village, ROX, TOBY’S, RUNNR. Chris Sports, URBAN, and on Kinetic.com.ph.
This story is in partnership with Garmin. For more information, visit the website or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.