Yes, gone are the days of my calculator watch, and oh, how I loved it. As a demi-sized Dick Tracy, I could solve complex cosine equations from my wrist and tell time. Perhaps those watches began the smartwatch trend – a slow start. Jump to 2024, I wore the Garmin Fenix 8 – 47mm, AMOLED, for a week. There’s an entire industry dedicated to diet culture and calorie counting strapped to your pulse. While tracking my workout activities & freelance gig lifestyle, I’m happy to say not once did I see my calorie count. In fact, you have to dig into the Garmin app’s features to even come across the word calorie. Instead, what the popular GPS and fitness watch company has done with its sleek new Garmin Fenix 8 Fitness Watch is put the focus back on the individual’s health and active lifestyle. With its accessible design features and wealth of applications, Garmin prioritizes the next generation of wellness culture.
A Smart WATCH
On my way to work recently, I saw a man of an older generation on the train wearing a wristwatch on one arm and a fitness app tracker watch on his other. What I want first in my fitness watch: it should be a watch. In the past, I have bought fitness trackers from other brands and have referred to the device as a really expensive stopwatch. The Fenix 8, with its fresh design and crystal clear AMOLED screen, is, first and foremost, a timepiece. A timepiece for the thrill-seeking adventurer and the weekend gym warriors that is. The 47mm touchscreen offers pinpoint accuracy while being soft on the eyes in design and screen interaction.
Quality of LIfe
There is even a Dark Mode setting for your designated sleep hours. This and the featured dimmable flashlight made me feel like James Bond when trekking around my bedroom at 5AM, trying not to disturb my spouse while getting ready. Garmin also packs into this watch all the basic applications we have come to expect: calendar, messenger, map, weather, stocks, stopwatch, timer, music, alerts, etc. All are a Bluetooth away. What was helpful was how easy it was to connect the watch to my smartphone device to set up and walk through the user manual. Once again, placing focus on the individual’s desires and needs, it was conveniently simple to customize and edit the applications that mattered most to me.
Any questions about what size wristband you’ll need will be answered quickly. The Fenix 8’s silicone adjustable wristband is the one-size-fits-all. It is flashy, stylish, and durable, drawing attention back to your choice of luxury fitness accessory. This is a fitness tracker for those ready to invest in themselves.
A Connecting Thread
All data is good data, but it is only useful when you can compare it to other data. What I found most useful during this experience was the thread of Garmin’s Health Apps. I have never been one to fret over checking my heart rate and blood pressure. However, a history of family heart disease had me curious to see what gets my ticker going. It was no surprise that driving in New York would get my heart to spike. Nor was it a surprise that while climbing seven stories with my backpack, I actually was comfortable in my Cardio Zone 2. An unexpected moment that I have charted occurred when my partner walked into the room, and my resting heart rate went from 64 to 99. This sweet moment of awe is brought to you by the Garmin HR App.
Body Battery
Maybe the most eye-opening experience came from the Sleep Tracker feature available through the Fenix 8 watch. I had already been tested years ago for Sleep Apnea, and now I had a useful means to get an accurate reading over a span of days.
Just about everyone I spoke to during my week wearing Garmin’s Fenix 8, I made a point to tell them about the Body Battery. The Body Battery is an application that measures Sleep/Rest, Variable Heart Rate, and Stress levels during inactivity to determine your energy depletion. I consider myself a relatively fit person. I lift weights and exercise 3-4 times a week. Additionally, I do outdoor cycling and participate in recreational sports. I like to think I have a good sense of when I am exhausted and need to rest. Since Fenix recommends tracking sleep patterns, I made sure to wear the Fenix 8 at night.
Burnout
It’s hard to deny the facts of burnout when you’re staring at the charts in front of you on that pristine AMOLED screen. I could see that the 4 1⁄2 hours of shuteye from the night before weren’t enough to refill my Body Battery. Additionally, the 12-hour day followed by another poor night’s sleep would roll over and over all week. Just because I got some rest doesn’t mean the quality of sleep was good enough to build up my reserves.
I am a pretty able-bodied person, and I never saw my battery get back up to 100. I have never physically felt the hard effects of a bar graph. However, I did when facing the effects of this experiment. Once you have all the data, then you can make an informed decision. This is what interested most everyone inquiring about acquiring one Fenix 8 – tracking how their activities were affecting their health and how their health had been affecting their activities.
Workouts at Your Fingertips
Lastly, it’s impossible to talk about the Garmin Fenix 8 without discussing the wealth of fitness activities and workouts available at your fingertips. Garmin has really gone above and beyond to make these available to you. Surprisingly, without additional subscription fees. Working in the Health and Fitness industry, it was important that I was able to add my own customized workouts. Including tracking my sets/reps, rest time, HR, and weight used. Garmin tracked all of this along with Body Battery and my Training Readiness to even calculate how much time I would need before I could effectively train again. Optimized training isn’t just for athletes anymore; it’s a voice command away on the Garmin Fenix 8.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed the Garmin Fenix 8 fitness watch and believe I have learned a bit more about myself having experienced it. It made me want one for myself. I have regularly opposed spending money on such things in the past. I will miss the AI morning greetings and rundown of what mattered while I rested. The fun challenge alerts to notify me that I hit my steps for the day or doubled my stair goal again. I really got the feeling that Garmin wanted the best for me, whether walking down the street or running, jumping, or climbing trees. All the inspirational life coaching without the meanness of “you haven’t gotten your steps in this hour.”
All images – Adobe Stock
