Garmin Fitness Tracking, Henry Approved

Spring weather has finally hit where I live. These past few days have been extremely nice outside which made for a prime weekend to do a lot of things.

After researching a bunch of "Smart Watches", I decided it was time to buy one. When you're not super rich... but not super poor... research is important to make sure you get the most out of your budget.

Say hello to my new Garmin Vívoactive 5! I was super excited when it arrived on Wednesday. I used to have a Fitbit tracker years ago...but all it did was count steps. This lady can do WAY more than that. So, let's discuss some features and what lead me to this brand and style.

Henry's Favorite Tech Gadget

In an interview for BodyBuilding.com, where Henry was repping MuscleTech, he was asked what his favorite fitness tech gadget was. He states:

Probably my watch, my Polar watch. I get a lot out of that. I couldn't do... I could do my workouts with out it, but it would be a bit more of a hassle. It can track, as a guesstimate how many calories I burn, but super useful for my running. - Henry Cavill Find the Interview Here.

At that time, Henry was using a watch made by Polar. This was in 2022. He was seen wearing the device all over his Instagram! Clearly he liked the watch as he was wearing it as part of his daily life and not just while training. Even touring Warhammer HQ!

However, the next time a Smart Watch was seen on his wrist (via Instagram) was not too long after these other posts in 2022. It seems he swapped out his Polar for a Garmin between February of 2022 and November of 2022... and still rocking it as of the Argylle premier this year.

It is speculated that it is a Garmin Forerunner 955 Solar by various sources.

Finding the Right One for Me

Well... I figured if Garmin was good enough for Henry to switch to from a watch (Polar) that he said was his favorite... it must be good right?! So, I researched Fitbit, Samsung, Polar, and Garmin. I ended up with the Garmin Vívoactive 5 due to several reasons. The reviews of the other brands weren't as solid. Next, it had the features I was looking for. It was around what I was looking to spend. And finally...if Henry likes Garmin... I'm on it! After 4 full days with it, I'm liking it a lot.

I really hate wearing things on my wrist, especially if they're loose like a bracelet. Second, I dislike the silicone bands that usually come with these types of things as they get sweaty. So I opted to buy an extra band that is elastic. That solved my problems for the most part.

The watch integrates with a Garmin app on my phone so I can check my information in detail, but it also displays smaller versions of these on the watch face. This watch tracks heartrate, sleep habits, intensity minutes, stress levels, Heart Rate Variability, steps, GPS location, and more. It has built in fitness programs you can follow, or set it to track the workout you're doing based on type (walking, running, biking, etc). It gives reminders to get up and move. It can also get your text messages and notifications!

I've always thought I do less movement during the weekend, and technically I was right. If you look at my steps taken for Thursday and Friday, I hit the 7.5k goal for both work days. Which makes sense. However, I didn't meet the step goal for Saturday and Sunday... but something else is different here.

Saturday and Sunday are where I got almost all 262 intensity minutes. Why? Because I was doing hours of yard work! This included mowing, weeding all of our flower beds/landscaping, and weeding/tilling my garden boxes to get the ready for the season. While I walked less, I spent approximately 5 hours working out with yardwork! Yes I did some yoga earlier in the week... and I also did a resistance band session (which these were before I got the watch). Knowing that I can hit heartrate levels for intensity while doing something I like is great news to me!

Can You Count Gardening/Yardwork as a "Workout"?

Clearly the data from my watch supports that! It is also supported by a lot of health sites.

The benefits of gardening go far beyond connecting to nature and creating a beautiful yard. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), gardening qualifies as exercise. In fact, getting out in the yard for just 30-45 minutes can burn up to 300 calories. -Henry Ford Health

So... if the Cavill Challenge means to do fitness YOUR WAY... clearly gardening and yardwork can be part of a healthy fitness routine! I mean, think about it- there is crouching, using arms for digging and pulling tough weeds, bending over, and more. Mowing can actually be good cardio if you're using a push mower and live on an incline! Added benefit? You're outside and enjoying the beautiful weather. Also, getting my daughter involved in the garden which is fun for her and good quality time spent.

I'm excited to keep using my watch to track my data for the next week and share with you.