This is what I do when I want to wear a dressy watch. It looks more like a fitness devise and less like a watch. I have the vivosmart HR+. It was my first garmin before I upgraded.
I had a Fitbit originally too - it was really good at motivating me. that was maybe in the early 2000’s.
Your Garmin options vary hugely if your only parameter is steps and HR - you can get a vivosmart 5 for about $120 at Amazon that will do that. (I started my Garmin “journey” after the Fitbit with the vivosmart HR+).
Your best Garmin choice depends on other factors- budget, form factor (huge or small, screen type), other functions you want (mini ECG? Integrated flashlight (which I love)? HRV status?).
I recommend going to the Garmin site, clicking on the menu (two lines) at top left, then smartwatches/products/all smartwatches. Then “filter and sort” and “shop by feature”. Try some different clicks and then “sort by price” and see what you like.
My most motivating feature on a Garmin now that I run (slowly) is looking at my overall training load under “training status”. It looks like the Venu 4 has the training status feature, and a daily suggested workout for walking (which isn’t there on higher end models). Looks like it is also currently the cheapest option with integrated ECG (if you get palpitations and want to screen for atrial fibrillation).
I would personally prefer the enduro 3 right now because of the MIP screen (which are being left behind in most models), but that costs more and wouldn’t have the walking workouts for you. It also has a different aesthetic.
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/wearables-smartwatches/?sorter=price-asc¤tPage=1 in
I actually ended up getting a vivosmart to wear on R wrist that’s a little more discreet. On non workout days or when the epix is charging I’ll wear it with my mechanicals.
I’ll be the first to admit it’s not perfect, you do have to sync to the Connect app. But if you do it right, your step tracking, health metrics, and sleep metrics should be OK! I would just not recommend the vivosmart for running without your phone since it lacks its own GPS.
I was a big fan but the more training I do the more I realize that it mostly confirms what I already know. If it says I slept poorly and HRV is low, it's probably because I slept poorly and don't feel up for a big workout. At this point I probably don't need it, but I keep it on my wrist anyways.
The biggest benefit I've found is that it can help alert you when things are going pear shaped. If you're usually at like a 42 HRV, and it starts dipping consistently, then it may be time to change something or you may be getting sick or something like that. I noticed my spO2 was dropping and my breath rate was up and it turned out that I was in the early stages of pneumonia.
Anyways, I use an apple watch and the metrics are fed into coachcat, but I may dabble in athlytic soon. The apple sensors are the best but apple health doesn't really give you actionable info with their home app. Garmin has usually been mediocre for me (735xt and vivosmart bands) while fitbit was actually really good (luxe was a nice compact band).
Moonwatch SS and a Garmin vivosmart daily. The vivosmart is small and discrete. It gives me simple notifications, battery life is multi day, and does basic health tracking. Doesn’t feel like I am dual watching.
Garmin Fenix 6 when I am exercising or doing something manual. Large readable, light to wear and hardy. No risk of damage for the nice watch.
coach_bugs
