I can’t barely remember what life was like before I had my Garmin vîvoactice watch. Ok, that’s a complete and total lie but I will say that I’m really getting used to it, and I mostly love my upgraded digital life of movement and constant notification.
This all started innocently enough. After two years of not being able to track my swim, bike and run all with one device, I started looking at alternative Garmin watches that had all the functionality I needed wanted. Unfortunately, the vîvoactive is also a fitness tracker and I really didn’t need that, nor did I want to pay for it. However, I loved all the other bells and whistles the watch had to offer – text, phone, social media alerts, weather, music, etc. – so I started doing some research. I wasn’t completely sold on it until the demons fine people of Amazon sent me a message altering me it was now $50 off. At $200 I just had to buy it. #WhatABargain
Here is a glimpse of my life before and after my little wrist alert and tracking system came into it:
ACTIVITY TRACKER
Before: I woke-up at 5am, got coffee and sat on my ass working until 7am. Ran, swam or biked 100 or so miles, and then returned to the sitting position. I was so against activity trackers I wrote a post about how I needed a fitLESS tracker. I was all pompous and arrogant about how much movement I did and I thought a device telling me to move all the time would just make me anxious and irritated.
After: I realized how much I sit. At first I paid no attention to the annoying “move!” alerts from my wrist. But then, my competitive nature got the best of me and I caved. This weird thing happened. On the days I ran the most I was much less sore the following day when I obeyed my watch and moved more.
I’m still binge watching OITNB but now I walk around while I’m watching. It all counts.
Notice I killed my “goal” (I think I need to set new ones) the watch still bothered me all day to MOVE!
Fun fact: Garmin doesn’t care that you ran 16 miles three hours ago and achieved your step goal twice over. It will still tell you to move and I respect that. #IWillObey
SLEEP TRACKER
Before: I thought there was nothing more ridiculous then tracking your sleep. I’ve never had an issue going to bed and my kids make sure I usually don’t get to sleep through the night, but I’m pretty religious about going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. What is there to track?
After: The Garmin vîvoactive is not a small watch for someone my size. I decided very quickly there was no way in hell I was sleeping with this thing on. Two days later I went to bed with it on. Now, I’m not sure (and I’m too lazy to look it up), what the geniuses at Garmin base “light” and “heavy” sleep on, but now I do know that I fall into a deep sleep very quickly and then mostly sleep light the rest of the night. I confess this is an app I use the least and most nights I still take the watch off, but it’s very interesting to see the data.
Fun fact: Vaughn broke out in a mystery rash, as kids do, and as a result was put on a steroid. The second night he was on it, he woke up at 4am loudly singing Chistmas carols and wanting food “Now! Mommy!” This is from that night:
GPS
Before: Before my runs, I would do a warm-up while waiting for my Garmin 220 to catch a signal. Sometimes it would decide to just not link up with space until 2-3 miles into a run. I have the Garmin 500 for cycling and nothing but my mind and fingers to count laps with in the pool. After my workouts I would need to upload all the data by separately plugging in each Garmin device to my laptop, and going thorough a three step process to get said data into Garmin Connect and Training Peaks. Training Peaks is the application I use with my coach so I was doing this on a daily basis. It was a colossal pain in my ass.
After: The GPS connects so quickly that I don’t even hit the button until after my warm-up. Then, once I get back home and close enough to my phone, it automatically synchs to Garmin Connect and Training Peaks and gives me tons of data like my time, distance, pace, calories burned and a map of my route. It’s magical.
FUN FACT: You can also use the GPS for golf, walking, indoor cycling and treadmill walking and running. You need a foot pod for the treadmill and a few other items for indoor cycling and I can’t wait until my husband buys me those things. #ThatWillNeverHappen #HeHatesTheWatch
ALL THE ALERTS
Before: I get a lot of alerts on my phone – Facebook, twitter, Instagram – it’s all part of being addicted to on social media.
After: I now get all the alerts on my wrist. Want to shower but you’re waiting for a text? Hop on in and you will get it! Waiting at the bus stop and want to know who is retweeting your stuff? Just a glance will tell you. Writing a very important blog post and someone is calling your phone? Decline it from your wrist without getting up.
Yesterday, after my iPhone software upgrade, it told me “12 minutes to home, traffic is normal” when I started up my car from the grocery store. Unless the cows get loose there’s no traffic, but thanks Garmin!
Other alerts include weather, calendar and music controls. The only bummer? You can only read your messages and can’t respond. Wait a minute, that’s not a bummer at all! “Oh yes I did get your text but this is a Garmin, not an Apple watch, and I can’t respond.” SO sorry (not sorry!).
FUN FACT: Now, when I’m driving, my phone, car and watch all alert me to text messages and phone calls. That is not distracting at all.
[Tweet “What would life be like with an @garminfitness #vivoactive? Find out! #garmin #runbikeswim”]
The watch face is also very easy to read outside or in, and has a backlight for when it gets dark. When in sleep mode, you don’t get any alerts, and there are tons of apps in the Garmin IQ store where you can change the face, and add all kinds of other widgets. The battery life has lasted about three to four days for me, depending on how far I’m running and I’ve had to call Garmin support twice for minor things and they solved each problem quickly and with the best possible manners.
It’s truly a very fun and functional watch. I can’t wait until it can cook for me.
Do you have a fitness tracker or other crazy technological device on your wrist at all times?
Any additional questions about the vîvoactive?
If a watch or device could do one thing for you, what would it be?
That’s really awesome. I have a lot of friends that really love the vivofit. I just upgraded my garmin so I’m quite far away from that but it sounds like it’s really working well for you.
It really is! I can’t wait to see what they come out with next.
Wowza!! This is the fitness watch to end all fitness watches. I can’t believe all the cool things it does?! The fact that it connect to all social media is a complete win in my book. I can’t believe your Garmin takes so long to connect into space I’ve never once had an issue with connecting. It might have something to do with nyc and such.
This looks tons better than the apple sports watch. I for sure have this one on my radar because I didn’t quite want an apple watch but this one…….I might need to make it happen!!
I’m sure it has something to do with city life! And, most of the time, my connection was about 2 minutes but the vivoactive is instant. And you would absolutely LOVE this watch for the social media updates alone. I heard not so great things about the Apple watch’s GPS/running app plus I really wanted the swim and bike options, so I’m in love 🙂
I need this!! It’s sounds awesome. I love the numbers and the text alert sound awesome. I need to ask the lively Amazon people to alert me when it’s on sale again. Haha!
LOL – yes you should! It’s really a perfect watch for blogger/runners 🙂
That sounds amazing. It’s funny, before I got my activity tracker, I didn’t realize how much I sat during the day! I totally thought that I wasn’t like everyone stuck in the office but I totally was. Plus it totally played to my competitive nature too!! Hmmmm, maybe I need an upgrade!
I knew this would happen to me but, as you know, when you spend your day writing you sit a lot – I just thought all my other movement balanced it out. Not so much. Then I thought I could just ignore it.
You would love this watch for all the other alerts like text, Instagram, etc. Although you get SO many insta likes, you would probably have to turn those alerts off! 🙂
Wow!! Here is my number one question? Is it easy to program/set up for a complete non-tech person like me? I just bought the garmin forerunner 220 in the last couple of months, which is basically just for running, but all the alerts at your wrist is seriously making me think about this!! I’m a little overly social media alert obsessed and I’ll just admit that right here. I’ve been eyeing all these sleek new stylish fit bits that people have been wearing and considering those as well….sometimes I do think that when I run about 25 miles a week and do yoga and strength train I shouldn’t need to do any further activity tracking….but now you have me seriously intrigued!!
OMG I can’t believe I forgot to mention how extremely easy it was to set up!!! The watch literally walks you though each step for the basic set-up and all you need to do is use the touch screen to select your answers. However, if you already have a Garmin Connect account like I did, all the data automatically transfers once you are connected over bluetooth. It’s honestly just that simple. The only issue I had (which was why I had to call support) was connecting my email. The problem was simply that my alerts for the particular email I wanted were turned off on my phone settings. So simple.
I honestly cannot recommend this watch enough, especially for the social media obsessed 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions…
I thought about getting the Vivoactive a while back – but I really wanted to get a HRM watch. So I got the Forerunner 225 🙂 I am mostly a runner with a dabble in cycling (for fun). I’m super happy with my 225! Would you like another Garmin friend? Add me! Lindseyyjoee 🙂 Have a great week!
I hear you with the HRM and I was a little disappointed that the vivo didn’t come with it. But, because I really wanted all the social media/email/phone alerts as well as swimming and biking, the good outweighed the not so good.
And YES I would love another Garmin friend as I only have one! Total loser. I will add you 🙂
I have the vivofit and am coveting the active for an upgrade! My Garmin 210 is on it’s last legs I think so this might be in my near future.
And true story these guys do not care if you ran a half marathon in the morning it will shame you off the couch when you are binge watching Netflix lol. But I love mine – I got mine because I keep reading about the new “active sedentary” category. They train for marathons etc but the rest of the time sit on their asses at the desk or couch. I am now up a lot more and at home walk in circles in my living room while watching TV or run in place. I have mine set to increase the goal based on activity and had an unhealthy obsession with making sure I hit it (it is around 16000 now) and on my rest day would be not really resting. I finally realized the world would not end if I didn’t 😉
OMG YES! The shame of not moving after you moved so much!! That is definitely me…but no more! And, I’m so glad you mentioned the option of increasing your goal based on activity. I absolutely need to do that. But, are you sure the world doesn’t end if I don’t reach my step goal?? LOL.
Wow! This watch sounds really really really cool! The one thing I don’t love about the Apple Watch is that, the interface is like an iPhone so you can’t shower in it (read it is fragile like your iPhone) and it needs to be charged like all.the.time. This watch sounds pretty cool.
I’ve heard not so great things about the Apple watch but, mostly I needed a watch that could run, bike and swim with me. The only thing Apple can do that this can’t (well, I’m sure there are a lot of things) is being able to respond to emails and texts. But, I’m sure that will be the next upgrade! And I constantly amazed at the battery life on this thing. That in itself makes it worth it because I have too many things that need changing around here!
my mind is blown, you have literally blown my mind. i’m sending this to my husband so he can be blown away as well. or tell me duh, something else he said that missed. LOL thank you!!!! this looks awesome. can’t beat the price. i hate tracking devices but all the pros you listed make me think i need this in my life.
I know how you feel about the tracking device thing but I’m here to tell you, the awesomeness of this watch completely outweighs the annoyance of the activity tracker. And, dare I say, I’ve come to like the thing? Truth.
Ha, yeeessss. Your BEFORE remind me a lot of myself. Almost feeling better about yourself because you DON’T have a fitness tracker.
I would LOVE something to track my sleep, however since I’ve stopped drinking so many fluids after 7pm, I’ve been pretty much sleeping straight through the night without waking up. So, I think I’m covered there.
Another considering I have that’s keeping me from getting such a tracker is, if I’m not running…I want to be resting/recovering. I’m not super interested in counting my walking steps. Plus, the optional standing workstation helps a great deal with keeping me from sitting too long.
But, I would still enjoy the geeking out, I think 😉
It’s true, there are still a lot of reasons NOT to get one but, I’m definitely geeking out to all the bells and whistles right now. A huge plus for me is having the cycling and swimming tracking options. And, since getting the watch, I’ve created my own standing workstation in my kitchen 🙂
Thanks Kyle.
Just to find out how I sleep alone would be a very interesting tale, as I am truly not a good sleeper and wonder if I actually do get any deep sleep time at all. So, now you got me a bit curious!
I know! I never thought I would care about the sleep tracking but it’s very interesting. Even though I only wear it to bed a few times a week, it’s been fun to see, especially the nights when the boys wake-up!!
Well crap, now I need to go get one. You convinced me I didn’t need a tracker….oy, I’m so confused! LOL.
LOL!! The tracker is really the least of what I use it for. Mainly I love it for the social media/email/phone alerts and the run/bike/swim capabilities so, don’t rush out to spend the money 🙂
I have the vivosmart and LOVE it. I’ve had mine for a month and there are so many eye-opening patterns I’ve discovered since I’ve gotten it. I need to share about it soon. I love when I’ve done a long run and it keeps telling me to move 🙂 xo
That would be one of my concerns with having an activity tracker…I’d almost prefer to use it to tell me to NOT move, especially after a long run, haha. I’m running enough where I try to either be resting or recovering, basically.
OMG seriously just got home from running 19 miles and it’s telling me to MOVE! Gotta love it.
Looking forward to your review and chatting about our Garmins this weekend in the geekiest way possible 🙂
Today was the last day for my Garmin 405, which really was on its last leg for a while. Because of your post and the fact it is just $50 more than the 220, I am picking my Vivoactive up tomorrow at my local Fleet Feet. Does Garmin sponsor you yet? Love this blog! So glad I found you through anothermotherrunner.com.
Hooray!!! That is awesome and I know you will absolutely love it. No, Garmin doesn’t sponsor me but clearly they should!!
Thank you so much and thanks for continuing to read 🙂
When I started using fitness tracker I too felt like it’s too irritating that a device is keeping you under control. But now I think that to stay fit it’s important to stick to your aim. The device saves the record of your activities and keep alarming you when you stop. I loved your blog, thanks for sharing your views with us.
I couldn’t agree more! Thanks Ken.