As a wellness-focused community, the holiday season is always an exciting time for us at Rejuve.AI. It’s the time when everyone is setting new health goals, and with the support of a 40k+ strong community, we all move toward achieving them together.
Lately, amidst all the planning, some of our members have been asking: “Do you have recommendations for wearables?”
The answer is absolutely yes! Look no further than one of the first partners in our growing ecosystem, Garmin.
We didn’t just team up with Garmin for potential collaborations featuring their devices and our cutting-edge AI models. We partnered because Garmin offers some of the most reliable, feature-packed wearables on the market. With their high standards for quality and performance, we can confidently recommend them to our community.
This holiday season, we’re spotlighting Garmin smartwatches — products we genuinely believe in. In this blog post, we’ll explain why Garmin stands out and recommend watches for different categories to suit your lifestyle. Plus, there’s a surprise waiting for you at the end of the post — a little holiday gift from Rejuve.AI!
But before we dive into all the details, we have to answer a crucial question first:
Can Garmin Smartwatches Really Help Improve Your Health?
It’s a fair question, especially if you already lead a healthy lifestyle without relying on wearable tech. But there are two ways to look at this.
The first is theoretical. Tracking anything in life is key to managing and improving it, and your health is no exception. Devices like Garmin smartwatches help you measure key metrics, compare them to averages for your age group, and set realistic goals.
The second answer is rooted in hard data. Garmin’s technology isn’t just well-designed; it’s extensively studied. With hundreds of clinical studies and trials to its name, Garmin’s impact on health is well-documented. One study involving children with heart conditions found that 88% of participants met the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 60 minutes of daily physical activity by using Garmin devices.
And it’s not just physical health. Mental health also benefits. In a study measuring symptoms of major depressive disorder, participants wearing Garmin watches reported a 37% improvement in their scores, a significant leap compared to those who didn’t use the devices.
So yes, Garmin’s smartwatches can certainly help improve your health — both physically and mentally.
Core Garmin Health Features
Now that we’ve established that Garmin smartwatches can help enhance your health, let’s dive into the unique features that make this possible:
Heart Rate Monitoring
At the heart of a Garmin smartwatch’s health tracking is an optical sensor, which provides continuous heart rate data. This information drives many of Garmin’s insights, especially in exercise. For example, Garmin devices allow you to track heart rate zones, each representing a percentage of your maximum heart rate and serving a specific purpose. Zone 2, often associated with steady cardio, is widely recognized for improving endurance and burning fat efficiently.
Stress Tracking
Stress tracking on Garmin devices measures beat-to-beat changes in heart rate. These readings are translated into a stress score between 0 and 100, providing real-time feedback on how your autonomic nervous system is responding to daily life. Whether you’re in fight-or-flight mode or feeling calm, this feature helps you understand when to take a breather.
Body Battery™ Energy Monitoring
Garmin’s Body Battery metric calculates your energy levels throughout the day, giving you a clear picture of when you’re at your peak and when you need rest. By syncing with your activities, the Body Battery helps you see how specific events or workouts impact your energy reserves and offers insights for balancing exertion and recovery.
Respiration Rate and Breathwork
Respiration rate can be a key indicator of fitness, with lower rates at rest often reflecting better physical conditioning. Garmin goes beyond tracking this metric by offering guided breathwork exercises to optimize your respiratory health.
Sleep Tracking
Garmin’s advanced sleep tracking monitors when you fall asleep, wake up, and how much time you spend in each sleep stage. This feature provides detailed insights into your sleep quality, empowering you to build better habits and aim for consistent, restorative ZZZs.
VO2 Max Measurement
VO2 max measures how efficiently your body uses oxygen during intense exercise. Garmin devices estimate this crucial fitness marker during runs or brisk walks, giving you an understanding of your aerobic capacity and how it evolves with training.
Fitness Age
Fitness Age estimates how your physical fitness stacks up against your chronological age. Based on factors like VO2 max, this Garmin-exclusive metric offers suggestions to improve your score, motivating you to stay younger in terms of fitness.
Intensity Minutes
Garmin tracks your time spent on moderate and vigorous activities, translating them into “Intensity Minutes.” This feature helps you work toward fitness goals by highlighting how much time you’ve invested in high-impact exercises.
Calories Burned
Understanding your calorie burn is essential for weight management. Garmin tracks both active calories (burned during exercise) and resting calories (burned throughout the day at rest). With this data, you can better understand your body’s metabolism and adjust your activity level or diet accordingly.
Hydration Tracking
Garmin’s hydration feature calculates daily water needs based on your gender, activity level, and estimated sweat loss. It prompts you to stay on track with your hydration goals and ensure your wellness routine is supported by proper fluid intake.
Which Garmin Smartwatch Is Best for You?
It’s time to figure out which smartwatch best suits your lifestyle. With a wide selection, there’s a Garmin for everyone. Plus, many models are on sale for Black Friday, so now’s a great time to get a deal!
Best for Budget Bros: Forerunner 55 — Starts at $149.99
Not everyone kicks off the new year with a big budget, and Garmin knows it. That’s where the Forerunner 55 shines. Affordable yet feature-packed, it offers all the essential health tools we’ve discussed.
Designed with beginners in mind, it comes with Garmin Coach — an adaptive program providing expert guidance and free training plans tailored to your fitness level and goals. To keep you from overdoing it, the Recovery Advisor tells you exactly how long to rest before pushing yourself again. It’s a perfect choice for starting strong without breaking the bank.
Best for Fitness Pros: fēnix 8 — Starts at $999.99 USD
If you already know your way around fitness and need a watch that can keep up, the fēnix 8 is for you.
Loaded with advanced features, it includes an ECG app for heart rhythm monitoring, pulse oximetry for blood oxygen levels, and nap detection to analyze how rest impacts your health. Women’s health tracking is built in, covering menstrual cycle and pregnancy monitoring.
This powerhouse supports a wide variety of workouts, from climbing and diving to golf.
Animated workout guides show which muscles you’re engaging, while the Endurance Score calculates your capacity for prolonged effort. Beyond fitness, it offers excellent smartwatch features like an AMOLED display, an LED flashlight, built-in speaker and microphone, music storage, and contactless payments. If versatility and top-tier functionality are priorities, this is the one to beat.
Best for Battery Lifers: Instinct 2S Solar — Starts at $299.99
For those who love long adventures, the Instinct 2S Solar is unbeatable. Its solar-charging capability delivers up to an astonishing 51 days of battery life, making it ideal for hiking, camping, or extended travel.
Safety is another standout feature. You can share your live location with contacts manually or automatically during specific activities using the incident detection system. Combine that with Garmin’s full suite of core health tools, and you’ve got a watch designed for endurance in every sense of the word.
Best for Fashion Statements: vívomove Trend — Starts at $299.99
If you believe fitness should meet style, the vívomove Trend is a sleek option that doesn’t compromise on either. Its hybrid design pairs classic analog hands with a hidden AMOLED display for a sophisticated look.
Smart features like smartphone notifications keep you connected, while Garmin offers customization options for bands and colors to match your style. It’s a great pick for those who want their smartwatch to look as good as their outfit.
Best of All Worlds: Forerunner 265S — Starts at $349.99
For a balanced blend of features, the Forerunner 265S hits the sweet spot. It’s budget-friendly, offers up to 15 days of battery life, and includes an AMOLED display for clear visuals.
Health features like heart rate variability tracking and nap detection rival those found in the pricier fēnix 8. Smartwatch essentials — music, notifications, and contactless payments — are all here too. If you’re after a watch that delivers on every front without going overboard, this could be your perfect match.
Ready to Make Garmin Your Next Fitness Partner?
We’ve only scratched the surface of Garmin’s impressive smartwatch lineup. If none of these five options feels like the right fit, Garmin’s quick quiz can help you pinpoint the perfect match for your needs.
To kickstart your fitness goals for the new year, we’ve got something special for our readers: exclusive vouchers for all Garmin products!
These vouchers are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are valid for US and Canadian residents.
Claiming yours is simple. Just email us with the subject line “Garmin Vouchers,” and we’ll send your voucher straight to your inbox.
So, what are you waiting for? Garmin could be the fitness partner you’ve been looking for to crush your health goals!