Upping my fitness game with the Garmin Forerunner

Recently I was invited to test out the Garmin Forerunner 165 watch by the good folk at Very.co.uk. I’ve never been keen on having anything attached to me tracking my every move, but I have been wanting to explore ways of following a more detailed fitness programme for a while now. This seemed like the perfect opportunity, let’s give it a go! I’m still getting to grips with a lot of the information this watch offers. I’m only a week in, but I thought this might be the perfect time to share with any other smartwatch novices, what to expect. Here’s what I’ve learnt after a week of wearing a smart watch.

Heart Rate

The Garmin tracks your heart rate using a built in sensor. This allows the wearer to build an insight into various aspects of health and fitness, including stress levels, sleep quality and general fitness levels. Each day highlights your lowest and highest heart rate reading. I’ve found it reassuring that my average resting heart rate is 46 bpm which is, apparently what to expect in a ‘healthy, young, active adult‘. Generally, the lower the resting heart rate, the fitter the individual. This has made me happy, and keen to stick to my regular exercise routines.

Sleep

Wearing your Garmin watch whilst you sleep provides insights into your sleep patterns by monitoring your sleep stages (light, deep, and REM), duration, and overall sleep quality. At the end of each night’s sleep you received a sleep score built using data from your heart rate, heart rate variability, and body movement. The watch is then able to advise you whether you need a little more sleep or need to consider changing your bedtime. It’s the extra nudge you need to get to bed that little bit earlier.

HRV (Heart Rate Variability)

Your Heart Rate Variability reflects the range in your heart rate, with higher variability generally indicating better recovery and resilience to stress. This is something completely new to me so I’ve been trying to understand the importance of this. Having a balanced HRV indicates that your in a healthy place, whereas an unbalanced HRV suggests stress and need to rest. Only being a week in I’m still getting my head around this. I love the idea of data highlighting when I need to take it easy and try to look after myself. I often ignore those early signs so I’m really hoping this will improve my ability to self care.

Movement

I’ve had a step counter on my phone for a while and make a concerted effort to reach my goal everyday. Something I’ve never been sure of is how much I move at work as I work in a setting where I can’t carry my phone. My Garmin has given me an insight into this allowing me a better understanding of the days I move less at work, allowing greater motivation exercise at other times in the week. As with other aspects of the watch, I know there is so much more to get my head around. I run at least twice a week and I am yet to understand how to record work outs. Once baseline data is complete I’d like to set clear targets. There’s also a tool that allows you to improve on your fitness age too. Bring on a fitter, more informed version of me!

If you’d like to explore the idea of investing in a Garmin yourself, check out Very.co.uk for the lowdown on spec and reviews. And let me know your tips and thoughts if you’re already in the gang!