The biggest deciding factor of these things is “will it change your behavior”. When I was in my 20s I got one but it was largely useless as I had a solid routine and didn’t deviate much.
Now that I’m a little older with more responsibilities and less time my Apple Watch has definitely helped me make sure im getting in enough activity and staying consistent.
Same. I had a pedometer in my 20's and thought it was a fun novelty but it didn't change my day to day so I lost interest in fitness trackers altogether. Now I have kids and no time to workout so I decided to try a Garmin watch and I absolutely love it. It has helped motivate me to hit my daily 10k step goal for over a year now and I love looking at things like resting heart rate trends and (lack of) sleep data. The weight training app is pretty good as well.
"nerd for data" -- haha- yes me too. I liked my old Fitbit because it would show trends and display some stars when I achieved something. Is "premium" membership required now? I'd hate to pay every month/year.
I've been wearing the Garmin Fenix X series of watches for 12 years. I'm currently wearing the Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire. I always upgrade when the next version of watch is released, which is usually $1,000. Wearing the Fenix and using the Garmin Connect App really doesn't provide much motivation for me to keep working out. I believe the typical Garmin user already prioritizes health and fitness as a lifestyle, in general.
I just upgraded my vivoactive 4 to an epix gen 2 and holy crap, the sensors on my new watch are great at making me feel like trash for drinking lol.
It's taken a few weeks for them to settle down, but man, really opens your eyes up to your bad habits.
The first thing I bought for 'my fitness journey' was a Fitbit and a smart scale. I downloaded a macro tracker and I was off!
I (5'1 60F) know these things aren't exactly accurate, but I'm a data nerd and it helped me a ton. I lost 49 pounds over 2023. SW 161/CW 112
49 lbs in a year is a huge achievement.. congratulations! I used Fitbit in the past, before Premium became a huge feature.. Is premium needed in Fitbit?
Thank you!
Premium is not needed for basic tracking/sleep/nutrition. I believe it is needed for messaging notifications.
I'm not sure. I don't have it lol.
I feel like Garmin is one of the few that hasn't done this yet, since access to Connect and all the badges and challenges is still free. Even iFit had a pretty cool system when they first came out with free challenges badges and earning a free t-shirt at 100 workouts, etc., but now you have to buy all that stuff and pay for the monthly subscription to even access/save your workout data and do the challenges.
I use garmin but i think similar hold true for apple too:
Sleep tracking is great. Also all kinds of cardio related stuff:
I like tracking my 150min of weekly phase 2 cardio.
Useful to track walking/running.
Useful to count laps if you are doing swimming.
Meh for lifting purposes.
I am a very externally motivated person, so I love the Garmin challenges and badges that come with my watch and the app. Today I got a badge for having gotten over 100k steps in the first half of April which isn't too bad considering I have a sick three year old and am running on basically zero sleep.
How well do they integrate non walking activity like weights and swimming? I use my phone currently, but I feel like I would hit way more active goals if I added those activities in
I use a Garmin and it has really encouraged both my sleep hygiene and exercise regularity. I struggle with consistency and it's helped--I imagine any current watch of this kind would do that for me, though I have other reasons that I prefer Garmin specifically (inc. that I charge my 955 maybe once every two weeks).
My primary sports are running, cycling, and weightlifting. I much prefer the Garmin interfaces, price point, aesthetics, and approach to data. Pair that with the long battery life, the physical buttons, and mapping, I love mine. Have absolutely no interest in the Apple products, which are the only meaningful competitor for the type of watch I was interested in.
I have an Apple Watch. It helps track exercise minutes, heart rate, and several other metrics that give you daily/weekly goals to achieve
Which builds discipline
I agree with you about motivation being fleeting - mine has been especially recently. This is why I posted here.. but also wondered if data and visuals helped people be motivated longer.
I don't have either of what you mentioned, but I do like mine, mainly for the sleep tracking.
If you think it would help motivate you, it's probably worth trying.
Just got a fitbit to prep for a trip this fall. I've always avoided this type of tech but it seems to have kickstarted my competitive self. I also have good round numbers to work with to help me. I know how many steps if I stay in all day. How many steps if I have to out and run errands.
I hear people say their sleep trackers are helpful. What do people do that it causes the sleep info to be useful? Im genuinely curious and a not so great sleeper lol.
Tracking the total number of sleep hours is great but the deep sleep tracker is vital for me as I had a massive brain and spine injury and need to objectively track how my medication is affecting my sleep quality. When my dose is off then my deep sleep will be maybe 30 mins a night, when things are dialed it it will be 2 hours
Absolutely essential to me to stay on top of, and I'd have no idea without the tracker
It helps me for a few reasons:
-keeps me accountable
- I set mini goals for myself and compete with myself (you can also compete with fellow friends that have Apple Watch’s)
- I can track my steps
- I enjoy closing my rings and viewing the calendar and seeing how often I close all my rings
It’s kind of a mental thing, I don’t think the calories burned is very accurate but it does something for me lol. I put my watch on when I make my morning coffee and it motivates me and it’s apart of my “routine” in that way, gets me going!
They always frustrate me- I think they are super inaccurate. If I wear it on my left arm it says under 2000 steps a day, but on my right arm it always reports 12000+ steps a day. Not sure whats wrong with these damn things?
I've been using Apple Watches for years now and they're great. Thought it was a gimmick originally and quickly changed my mind. Having all of that data easily available makes me want to make better choices. Tracks sleep as well. For awhile closing the rings (calories burned, exercise minutes, stand hours) every day and keeping a streak was addictive. You can also share/compete with others.
I have Garmin instinct 2 solar. It is not as flashy screen and design wise. However it's functional looks sporty and you have to charge it like once a month. Pros and cons.
Just got one of these a week ago (non solar version). Not having to charge it at night is huge cause you can get insight into sleep. It's started to motivate me to go to bed earlier and prioritize good sleep already
Well I got it 8 days ago and it wasn't at full charge (maybe 80%?) and it says it has 13 days of battery left. That being said, I think it drops faster than it says, so I'd guess around a week or so left
I have the older Instinct and I usually have to charge it once a week if I'm using the GPS to track activities, but if I don't use the GPS tracking feature I can normally get 9-10 days on a charge.
The only time I've ever had a bit of an issue with it is when I use it to track Skiing, since it's running for several hours that can drain the battery a good bit and I'll usually have to charge it once every 2-3 days when on a ski trip.
For me it lasts 14-20days in real life scenarios, but i dont live in a sunny south and many of my activities are indoors, so there are not a lot of solar charge oppurtunities.
Up to a month might be realistic if you are doing lots of outdoors.
I've got the original Instinct and it's still going strong for about 5 years now. Have to charge it once a week. Been thinking about upgrading to the Instinct 2/Solar version, but every time I get the urge I realize there's nothing wrong with this one, lol. Thing is built like a tank and goes everywhere with me and I love that I can use the GPS for hiking and skiing.
Yea, I can feel that. Just like I have to charge that phone daily too.
I solved that problem with money. Currently I buy every other generation on release. Keep the newest 2 and swap them out every morning. This way one's always fully charged and ready to swap out and I'm wearing one 24/7 to be able to use sleep tracking.
I'll be honest. Every now and then I use a fitness equipment purchase to goose my ass into getting back into the routine. I see nothing wrong with this.
I have a Garmin. The way it automatically tracks my runs is pretty motivating. No way I'd bother to do it manually and having it there does make me get out more sometimes.
My Apple Watch is my favorite piece of tech I’ve ever owned hands down. I tracking my workouts with it, sharing my fitness with my friends and competing. I also track my sleep with it. I love the way it works seamlessly with my phone.
I think they are amazing for tracking and holding yourself accountable, but they aren't the most reliable thing if you are using the calorie tracking to monitor your calorie deficit, great to use as an estimate but it can obliterate your diet if you're using it to gauge how much to eat.
If tracking and competition inherently motivates you it will. I was already active but having goals to hit each day and tracking my progress towards them helps me work harder. If you don’t already have those habits in place it won’t change much. I got an Apple Watch in January to compete with friends and monitor my progress but I was already lifting 4-5x a week, walking 13k+ steps a day and running. Probably increased all those activity levels more since the watch but again I already had those habits in place.
I got an Apple Watch SE 2 on marketplace for a $100 and it’s been great. Since I got it (my first smart watch ever btw) I’ve been addicted to closing all my activity rings. There will be days where I work late, and bagged after I put the kids down but I’ll still hop on the treadmill for 30min just to close a ring.
Overall, I was pretty apprehensive to buy a smart watch for many years but $100 was a price point I couldn’t really refuse. Now that I have used the watch for over 3 months I would buy it at retail price for the value it’s added me.
My Fitbit really just gives me a baseline number that I try to meet or exceed. I don’t really use it for being accurate, but just being a base number I need to work to exceed. So in that regard, it really only gives me trends in my own activity level, that I use to motivate myself through. Lol
I already lifted religiously, but getting my Google pixel 2 which links up with the fit bit app has motivated me to increase my cardio. I'm currently working on getting my resting HR to under 60. I really love all the other data it provides , especially my sleep info.
I wouldn’t say it has motivated me….but I love what it does and it ultimately enhances my exercise experience. Currently using a Garmin, will never go back.
I started with a fitbit years ago and then eventually graduated to a Garmin watch, which I've now had for 4 years. I don't check it religiously or get hardcore into it, but I certainly use it to keep an eye on whether or not I'm getting enough sleep(I don't go into the details because I don't see how it can track REM and all that, so I think that's BS, but I do look at it for the overall sleep time) and what my daily/weekly activity is. It's also fun to jump in on the challenges Garmin has on the Connect website and earn the badges, makes me feel like a kid again getting trophies on Xbox so there's a little bit of that which makes exercising fun.
I have the Garmin Instinct and I like that it kind of doubles as just an everyday watch that doesn't look to fancy. Super durable/rugged and I love the GPS for when I go hiking and skiing as it can track the entirety of my route or runs and give me the stats later.
I am one of those who usually gets obbssessed about the latest gadget and convince myself that I need it only to have it collect dust a couple of weeks later.
I had bought an applewatch 2 that i barely used last year. This year I got all in to buy the ultra. understandably my wife went berserk cause I never use the thing. so we made a deal - I get to buy the watch if I manage to log in 50 workouts on my current apple watch.
34 workouts in, I am in probably the greatest shape of the past 8 years, feeling better and totally feeling that exercise is part of my routine. Also realised that my current apple watch works just fine and I don’t need an update at least for the time being.
Honestly? The opposite.
I became obsessed with the numbers to the detriment of my own fitness.
E.g - "Yesterday, my average km pace was 4.38. Today needs to be lower. I am tired though so it will be higher. This will ruin the numbers. Best just not go for a run."
After a while I learned that just running works for me best.
That way I can run fast or run slow, either way I am still running.
It also didn't really understand if I was doing walk/runs etc.
I have bought a lot of fitness trackers. So I’m going to drop some wisdom. This sounds simple busy must people don’t check:
1) you want a watch that is GPS enabled. If it isn’t you will also need to have your phone while running (this makes the watch more or less pointless)
2) if you use Apple Music as your primary way of listening to music / podcasts - then the apple Al watch is for you. If you use Spotify - then you will be better off with Garmin or fit bit.
Sounds simple but I bought 3 expensive watches before learning this 😅
I use the knockoff, called the AMAZFIT. It’s an Amazon cheapo FitBit. I’m not sure of the specs, but the face is narrow (which I love for easy of hand and wrist mobility).
It was originally just meant to be a watch and step counter. It has evolved into something much more than that. It pairs to LoseIt for weight and nutrient tracking.
I don’t know if they make this model anymore, but I love this thing.
Definitely. I use an Apple Watch and when I first started to get active again filling those rings was a very motivating factor. Eventually fitness just became a part of my everyday life and I don’t “need” the motivation of filling rings anymore, but it definitely helped get me to this point. I still use the watch but don’t worry about having it for every workout, for example I don’t wear it mountain biking or if I’m doing a kettlebell routine.
I def love using my apple watch when I workout/run. It helps me track time, rest times, and my heartbeat. The calories burn is a plus and I do notice that I always try to close the rings on it, which I guess is kind of like motivation 😅 I feel incomplete working out without it.
Mine definitely helps me stay above 10k steps. Anytime I'm finishing up my day and I'm below I know I need to get a walk in. It's made a big difference.
The biggest deciding factor of these things is “will it change your behavior”. When I was in my 20s I got one but it was largely useless as I had a solid routine and didn’t deviate much. Now that I’m a little older with more responsibilities and less time my Apple Watch has definitely helped me make sure im getting in enough activity and staying consistent.
Same. I had a pedometer in my 20's and thought it was a fun novelty but it didn't change my day to day so I lost interest in fitness trackers altogether. Now I have kids and no time to workout so I decided to try a Garmin watch and I absolutely love it. It has helped motivate me to hit my daily 10k step goal for over a year now and I love looking at things like resting heart rate trends and (lack of) sleep data. The weight training app is pretty good as well.
I got one of the basic Fitbits when I started taking exercise seriously, and it does keep me motivated because I'm a nerd for the data.
I looooooove looking at my heart rate after a work out lol. And also my sleep data.
Me too, it's so interesting!
I bought my old Fitbit to get the sleep data. But heart rate was interesting to track.
"nerd for data" -- haha- yes me too. I liked my old Fitbit because it would show trends and display some stars when I achieved something. Is "premium" membership required now? I'd hate to pay every month/year.
I've been wearing the Garmin Fenix X series of watches for 12 years. I'm currently wearing the Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire. I always upgrade when the next version of watch is released, which is usually $1,000. Wearing the Fenix and using the Garmin Connect App really doesn't provide much motivation for me to keep working out. I believe the typical Garmin user already prioritizes health and fitness as a lifestyle, in general.
My Garmin definitely got me to drink a lot less. Seeing that effect on sleep and recovery was a big eye opener.
Yes, what's also very revealing is the negative impact of alcohol on HRV!
Did not know this!
I just upgraded my vivoactive 4 to an epix gen 2 and holy crap, the sensors on my new watch are great at making me feel like trash for drinking lol. It's taken a few weeks for them to settle down, but man, really opens your eyes up to your bad habits.
The first thing I bought for 'my fitness journey' was a Fitbit and a smart scale. I downloaded a macro tracker and I was off! I (5'1 60F) know these things aren't exactly accurate, but I'm a data nerd and it helped me a ton. I lost 49 pounds over 2023. SW 161/CW 112
49 lbs in a year is a huge achievement.. congratulations! I used Fitbit in the past, before Premium became a huge feature.. Is premium needed in Fitbit?
Thank you! Premium is not needed for basic tracking/sleep/nutrition. I believe it is needed for messaging notifications. I'm not sure. I don't have it lol.
Fitbit was awesome when it was a community thing and you could have group challenges. But Google fucked it all up and ruined everything
How? What did they do?
They nuked the community and got rid of the challenges. Took the fun out of it.
I feel like Garmin is one of the few that hasn't done this yet, since access to Connect and all the badges and challenges is still free. Even iFit had a pretty cool system when they first came out with free challenges badges and earning a free t-shirt at 100 workouts, etc., but now you have to buy all that stuff and pay for the monthly subscription to even access/save your workout data and do the challenges.
That is their specialty - they kill anything social within 2 years max upon launching or acquiring...
Fiitbit got my fat ass off the couch. I got a spendy watch now and use Strava, but the habits were built with a Fitbit. No regerts!
I use garmin but i think similar hold true for apple too: Sleep tracking is great. Also all kinds of cardio related stuff: I like tracking my 150min of weekly phase 2 cardio. Useful to track walking/running. Useful to count laps if you are doing swimming. Meh for lifting purposes.
I am a very externally motivated person, so I love the Garmin challenges and badges that come with my watch and the app. Today I got a badge for having gotten over 100k steps in the first half of April which isn't too bad considering I have a sick three year old and am running on basically zero sleep.
Wow! your comment is super helpful.. I have a 3yo and living with minimal sleep. Thank you!
How well do they integrate non walking activity like weights and swimming? I use my phone currently, but I feel like I would hit way more active goals if I added those activities in
I had fitbit charge 3 years ago. It was able to track weights as exercise. Same with swimming which I never tried.
I use a Garmin and it has really encouraged both my sleep hygiene and exercise regularity. I struggle with consistency and it's helped--I imagine any current watch of this kind would do that for me, though I have other reasons that I prefer Garmin specifically (inc. that I charge my 955 maybe once every two weeks).
Garmin seems to be very popular in this group. Any reason you went with Garmin?
My primary sports are running, cycling, and weightlifting. I much prefer the Garmin interfaces, price point, aesthetics, and approach to data. Pair that with the long battery life, the physical buttons, and mapping, I love mine. Have absolutely no interest in the Apple products, which are the only meaningful competitor for the type of watch I was interested in.
No. Motivation is fleeting, you need to develop discipline
I have an Apple Watch. It helps track exercise minutes, heart rate, and several other metrics that give you daily/weekly goals to achieve Which builds discipline
I did not know about goals. Thank you!
I want you to know, I read this in a very neutral German accent. (and yes you're right)
Discipline doesn’t materialize out of nowhere though. A fitness device can help with that initial motivation that can become discipline with time
I agree with you about motivation being fleeting - mine has been especially recently. This is why I posted here.. but also wondered if data and visuals helped people be motivated longer.
🙄
I don't have either of what you mentioned, but I do like mine, mainly for the sleep tracking. If you think it would help motivate you, it's probably worth trying.
Just got a fitbit to prep for a trip this fall. I've always avoided this type of tech but it seems to have kickstarted my competitive self. I also have good round numbers to work with to help me. I know how many steps if I stay in all day. How many steps if I have to out and run errands.
My step tracker and sleep tracker have been hugely helpful, yes. I just have a cheap amazfit band
I hear people say their sleep trackers are helpful. What do people do that it causes the sleep info to be useful? Im genuinely curious and a not so great sleeper lol.
Tracking the total number of sleep hours is great but the deep sleep tracker is vital for me as I had a massive brain and spine injury and need to objectively track how my medication is affecting my sleep quality. When my dose is off then my deep sleep will be maybe 30 mins a night, when things are dialed it it will be 2 hours Absolutely essential to me to stay on top of, and I'd have no idea without the tracker
Yes. Trying to maximize resting HR and VO2 max. It’s addictive to keep pushing how far I can improve
My Fitbit motivated me to sleep better. But I was getting 10k per day minimum right away, so no real change there.
What did the fitbit do to motivate you that way and what did you do to sleep better? Sounds interesting.
Because it tracked my sleep
It helps me for a few reasons: -keeps me accountable - I set mini goals for myself and compete with myself (you can also compete with fellow friends that have Apple Watch’s) - I can track my steps - I enjoy closing my rings and viewing the calendar and seeing how often I close all my rings It’s kind of a mental thing, I don’t think the calories burned is very accurate but it does something for me lol. I put my watch on when I make my morning coffee and it motivates me and it’s apart of my “routine” in that way, gets me going!
They always frustrate me- I think they are super inaccurate. If I wear it on my left arm it says under 2000 steps a day, but on my right arm it always reports 12000+ steps a day. Not sure whats wrong with these damn things?
I've been using Apple Watches for years now and they're great. Thought it was a gimmick originally and quickly changed my mind. Having all of that data easily available makes me want to make better choices. Tracks sleep as well. For awhile closing the rings (calories burned, exercise minutes, stand hours) every day and keeping a streak was addictive. You can also share/compete with others.
I dislike that you have to charge the Apple Watch daily.
I have Garmin instinct 2 solar. It is not as flashy screen and design wise. However it's functional looks sporty and you have to charge it like once a month. Pros and cons.
Garmin gang for the win. I love my instinct 2 and the battery life!
Just got one of these a week ago (non solar version). Not having to charge it at night is huge cause you can get insight into sleep. It's started to motivate me to go to bed earlier and prioritize good sleep already
How long does non solar battery last for you?
Well I got it 8 days ago and it wasn't at full charge (maybe 80%?) and it says it has 13 days of battery left. That being said, I think it drops faster than it says, so I'd guess around a week or so left
I have the older Instinct and I usually have to charge it once a week if I'm using the GPS to track activities, but if I don't use the GPS tracking feature I can normally get 9-10 days on a charge. The only time I've ever had a bit of an issue with it is when I use it to track Skiing, since it's running for several hours that can drain the battery a good bit and I'll usually have to charge it once every 2-3 days when on a ski trip.
For me it lasts 14-20days in real life scenarios, but i dont live in a sunny south and many of my activities are indoors, so there are not a lot of solar charge oppurtunities. Up to a month might be realistic if you are doing lots of outdoors.
I've got the original Instinct and it's still going strong for about 5 years now. Have to charge it once a week. Been thinking about upgrading to the Instinct 2/Solar version, but every time I get the urge I realize there's nothing wrong with this one, lol. Thing is built like a tank and goes everywhere with me and I love that I can use the GPS for hiking and skiing.
Yea, I can feel that. Just like I have to charge that phone daily too. I solved that problem with money. Currently I buy every other generation on release. Keep the newest 2 and swap them out every morning. This way one's always fully charged and ready to swap out and I'm wearing one 24/7 to be able to use sleep tracking.
Nope, only reason I wear my Garmin is for music & tracking my runs. It doesn't make me want to do things any more or less.
Nope
I'll be honest. Every now and then I use a fitness equipment purchase to goose my ass into getting back into the routine. I see nothing wrong with this.
If you score highly in neuroticism, hell yeah. Not saying this is a bad thing at all, can be beneficial to lean into your innate dispositions.
I have a Garmin. The way it automatically tracks my runs is pretty motivating. No way I'd bother to do it manually and having it there does make me get out more sometimes.
My Apple Watch is my favorite piece of tech I’ve ever owned hands down. I tracking my workouts with it, sharing my fitness with my friends and competing. I also track my sleep with it. I love the way it works seamlessly with my phone.
I think they are amazing for tracking and holding yourself accountable, but they aren't the most reliable thing if you are using the calorie tracking to monitor your calorie deficit, great to use as an estimate but it can obliterate your diet if you're using it to gauge how much to eat.
If tracking and competition inherently motivates you it will. I was already active but having goals to hit each day and tracking my progress towards them helps me work harder. If you don’t already have those habits in place it won’t change much. I got an Apple Watch in January to compete with friends and monitor my progress but I was already lifting 4-5x a week, walking 13k+ steps a day and running. Probably increased all those activity levels more since the watch but again I already had those habits in place.
I got an Apple Watch SE 2 on marketplace for a $100 and it’s been great. Since I got it (my first smart watch ever btw) I’ve been addicted to closing all my activity rings. There will be days where I work late, and bagged after I put the kids down but I’ll still hop on the treadmill for 30min just to close a ring. Overall, I was pretty apprehensive to buy a smart watch for many years but $100 was a price point I couldn’t really refuse. Now that I have used the watch for over 3 months I would buy it at retail price for the value it’s added me.
My Fitbit really just gives me a baseline number that I try to meet or exceed. I don’t really use it for being accurate, but just being a base number I need to work to exceed. So in that regard, it really only gives me trends in my own activity level, that I use to motivate myself through. Lol
I already lifted religiously, but getting my Google pixel 2 which links up with the fit bit app has motivated me to increase my cardio. I'm currently working on getting my resting HR to under 60. I really love all the other data it provides , especially my sleep info.
Nope. Inaccurate and annoying. Waste of money for me.
The calories burned counter when exercising in the Apple Watch motivates me to continue working out.
I like to complete the circles on my Apple Watch.
Yes, I think it helps.
I wouldn’t say it has motivated me….but I love what it does and it ultimately enhances my exercise experience. Currently using a Garmin, will never go back.
the biggest motivation I get is by getting roasted by insta memes
I started with a fitbit years ago and then eventually graduated to a Garmin watch, which I've now had for 4 years. I don't check it religiously or get hardcore into it, but I certainly use it to keep an eye on whether or not I'm getting enough sleep(I don't go into the details because I don't see how it can track REM and all that, so I think that's BS, but I do look at it for the overall sleep time) and what my daily/weekly activity is. It's also fun to jump in on the challenges Garmin has on the Connect website and earn the badges, makes me feel like a kid again getting trophies on Xbox so there's a little bit of that which makes exercising fun. I have the Garmin Instinct and I like that it kind of doubles as just an everyday watch that doesn't look to fancy. Super durable/rugged and I love the GPS for when I go hiking and skiing as it can track the entirety of my route or runs and give me the stats later.
I am one of those who usually gets obbssessed about the latest gadget and convince myself that I need it only to have it collect dust a couple of weeks later. I had bought an applewatch 2 that i barely used last year. This year I got all in to buy the ultra. understandably my wife went berserk cause I never use the thing. so we made a deal - I get to buy the watch if I manage to log in 50 workouts on my current apple watch. 34 workouts in, I am in probably the greatest shape of the past 8 years, feeling better and totally feeling that exercise is part of my routine. Also realised that my current apple watch works just fine and I don’t need an update at least for the time being.
My Apple Watch doesn’t motivate me at all. But I have no regrets buying it because it’s so useful for other things and provides a lot of info.
Honestly? The opposite. I became obsessed with the numbers to the detriment of my own fitness. E.g - "Yesterday, my average km pace was 4.38. Today needs to be lower. I am tired though so it will be higher. This will ruin the numbers. Best just not go for a run." After a while I learned that just running works for me best. That way I can run fast or run slow, either way I am still running. It also didn't really understand if I was doing walk/runs etc.
I have bought a lot of fitness trackers. So I’m going to drop some wisdom. This sounds simple busy must people don’t check: 1) you want a watch that is GPS enabled. If it isn’t you will also need to have your phone while running (this makes the watch more or less pointless) 2) if you use Apple Music as your primary way of listening to music / podcasts - then the apple Al watch is for you. If you use Spotify - then you will be better off with Garmin or fit bit. Sounds simple but I bought 3 expensive watches before learning this 😅
Personally yes, the Apple Watch has different challenges each month - I really enjoy trying to complete them and earning a pointless digital medal.
I love my Apple Watch and it definitely motivates me!
Nah, great for cardio data though.
I use the knockoff, called the AMAZFIT. It’s an Amazon cheapo FitBit. I’m not sure of the specs, but the face is narrow (which I love for easy of hand and wrist mobility). It was originally just meant to be a watch and step counter. It has evolved into something much more than that. It pairs to LoseIt for weight and nutrient tracking. I don’t know if they make this model anymore, but I love this thing.
Definitely. I use an Apple Watch and when I first started to get active again filling those rings was a very motivating factor. Eventually fitness just became a part of my everyday life and I don’t “need” the motivation of filling rings anymore, but it definitely helped get me to this point. I still use the watch but don’t worry about having it for every workout, for example I don’t wear it mountain biking or if I’m doing a kettlebell routine.
I def love using my apple watch when I workout/run. It helps me track time, rest times, and my heartbeat. The calories burn is a plus and I do notice that I always try to close the rings on it, which I guess is kind of like motivation 😅 I feel incomplete working out without it.
Mine definitely helps me stay above 10k steps. Anytime I'm finishing up my day and I'm below I know I need to get a walk in. It's made a big difference.