After 10 days and 5,000 miles in a truck with my grandparents, you shouldn’t be surprised that I’m feeling antsy for some fitness. The problem: I’m also a workaholic and super bad at committing to working out. So, I decided to take action on a few things that my procrastinating mind says are stopping me from being much healthier in my day to day. Number one: my Garmin vivosmart.
The fitness wearables market is ridiculously hot at the moment and only getting more so. I’ve gone through several of the FitBit Flex in my day — 5, to be honest. Apparently, there was a quality control issue with the chargers for a few years. Eventually, I snagged a Garmin vivosmart and genuinely loved it. But, as pixels in the screen faded, so did my love for the device. Eventually, I tossed it into a drawer, never to be seen again.
Or, so I thought, until I found it.
While cleaning, organizing and selling off 90% of my stuff a month or so ago, I happened on to the little band again. At some point, a friend that mentioned my particular band had a defect worthy of full replacement. So, naturally, I had to try for that.
The band went back to Garmin product support. In it’s place, I received a shiny new Garmin vivosmart HR in midnight blue. All signs point to upgrade.
The new band is a bit more bulky than its predecessor (typically products evolve the other direction, but who am I to tell you how to design shit). However, the screen is nice, smooth and very easy to read. It even has a narrow, vertical orientation so I don’t have to look like a fool trying to read a sideways watch. When syncing with my phone, I can see current temps, daily highs and lows, weekly forecasts and read texts all alongside my daily steps, distance and stairs. Plus, it tracks heart rate. Through. Your. Wrist.
Now that last one is a huge deal if you’re new to fitness wearables. Traditionally, devices have required a separate, external monitor that wraps uncomfortably around your chest or some other location to record your heart rate. Garmin vivosmart HR starts picking it up as soon as you put the device on. Is it accurate? Maybe. While it basically thought I died in my sleep last night — my average resting heart rate through the day seems to be pretty spot on for my fitness level.
Covering about 14 miles with it in one weekend, I’d say I’m pretty much loving this thing right off the bat. The display is clear, notifications are handy, vibrating alarm is fantastic and even the Garmin Connect app does a fabulous job of showcasing my data. Sleep charts, distances, steps — it’s all there. The only bit I have’t figured out are the “intensity minutes” — I’ve earned a ton but no idea how or why. Still. It’s awesome.
Like with most things, I’ll have to enjoy a little time with this one before I can decide if it’s the right fitness accessory for me. But, just out of the box, things looks promising. And at a price tag I definitely can’t fight with.
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While I really do love my Garmin vivofit HR, the post above contains affiliate links from which I may earn a commission. Learn more about affiliate links on MARKETMOX.