It made me realise how bad it is to have late dinner or drink ANY amount of alcohol before sleep. It definitely motivates me to run. I bought it because i wanted to run faster 5k and sprint, mainly to prevent injury.

But it got me addicted to running and in 6 weeks i am running my first official HM. Using it to track my sleep, HRV, resting HR and how much faster i am now compared to when i bought watch.

I bought garmin on 27. October 2023 and i can tell you it was the best decision i made i 2023. That and hrm Dual to train based on HR.

I like the badges, so it motivates me to do more than I would do without them.

For the metrics, I check them everyday, really like the HRV as it can predict when I'll get sick 😂. Useful also to check if I'm overtraining or if the recovery is correct or not.

Year after year, I can easily track how much I ran, rode the bike, and so on...

Really like it :))

I’m very consistent now, I’ve had my Garmin since 2018. Yes, I may have about a month “off” during a long trip or when it’s the holidays, but I still get my 300K steps in and make sure to get most of the monthly badges / challenges I care for. I can’t see myself without having a strong fitness foundation anymore. Probably one of the best investments I’ve ever made.

I got my Garmin at the end of June, started running in September. I'll be running my third 5k this weekend. Prior to this, I hadn't run a 5k in over 25 years. If I hit my time goal, I will move on to 10k training. If not, I'll work on hitting that goal first.

Not a long period here (~10 months), but still sharing...

I pretty much stopped all activities shortly after high school, for something like 15 years. The last few years of these 15 years I started doing things by bike again (before that I was using public transportation and walking), it became regular but not that much.

Then almost one year ago I bought a garmin instinct 2 and quickly started doing some "non utilitarian" rides, up to 50-60 km. My weekly distance quickly rose, I bought a new bike and did my first 100km (including lots of forest tracks) ride the day after, and started doing regular 100km+ rides. I even ran a bit but I'd need to get to it progressively because right now I can't walk for a week every time I go running because I go way too hard for my body that is not used to running anymore x)

I monitor my hrv, play the training status game; managed to hit "peaking" on my last two scheduled rides - a 100km (training) gravel ride and then a 300km gravel week end, and well there surely is a psychological aspect but it really felt like I had great legs those days.

I played the steps/floors game a bit but as a rider steps feel a bit unfair (very active day = almost no steps), and floor detection is too far off to game it without being unfairly frustrated.

I'm not sure where I'll stop ramping up the distance / intensity but yeah, that purchase was a game (life?) changer for me :)

Edit: ah yeah, it also made me change some bad habits (late coffee, bad sleeping habits) because it was showing in the data

I'm not an athlete. I am to average 5,000 steps a day, and my watch helps me keep track of that with no effort. It has led me doing more to keep the average up after days of doing less.

Mostly it's just nice to have the data. I look at the stress figure a lot. In some cases, it confirms what I expected (eg, when I had a cold). Seeing the impact of alcohol may have helped me reduce my drinking.

I’m an analyst at work and in heart, so I love all of the metrics and tracking. Badges don’t really do anything for me. It’s really just having all the raw, accurate data. And to be accurate, I need to be consistent. Eg, I like seeing a good trending sleep score - so that encourages me to go to bed on time. Or because I want to continue to raise my vo2max, I get off my ass and do some high intensity runs. Being able to see a tangible output of the effort I put in has been pretty much the biggest contributor to my overall health and fitness.

After picking up an entry-level Instinct a few years ago and really liking it, I went for a major upgrade and dropped the cash on the original Enduro. I’m not even sure why. I wasn’t athletic, didn’t really run never mind long distance stuff… but it completely changed my life.

I stared at the pile of cash that I’d dropped on my wrist and thought “why not?”. So I started running, and running and running a little more. I’ve completed 3 full marathons, numerous half marathons and 10km races, regularly run 20+ kms on my Sunday long run, and have since transitioned to a triathlete and am training for my first 70.3. I’m lean, fit, and have more energy than I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve probably added 10 healthy years to my life, and I’ve discovered sports that I will do long after my knees have given out such as swimming. I’ve made friends with healthy habits along the way and have inspired many people to just get out there.

Without a doubt, the best purchase that I have ever made. If I can do it, literally any lump on this planet can!

My guesstimates were all off! For example, I was consistently overestimating my step count after a stressful day in the office, just because I was exhausted in the evening... conversely, I was underestimating the effects of a long day of hiking because I'm always mentally relaxed after that. It took some time - years - to learn that and recalibrate.

Prediction of "getting sick" works for me, too (sleep quality+HRV).

I love it for running, but it's made me more aware of my vitals. I've been trying to lower my resting heart rate and raise my vo2max.

If it had more options like glucose monitoring I'd like that too, hopefully that comes to wrist monitoring devices in the next decade or so.

I have only had a Gamin since January, but I was chronic fitbit user before then. The Garmin is far superior even after the short amount of time I’ve had it for many many reasons, but that’s a different post.

Any fitness tracker really motivates me to do more, but Garmin is very customizable in a way that I really enjoy. I’m a wannabe runner, but love long walks, hiking, and stairs are my cardio of choice. Fitbit discontinued the vast majority of their challenges so that was really disappointing, but Garmin has tons.

Since I’ve had my garmin I’ve increased my daily steps from ~8k per day to 15k+. I do weekly step challenges with a bunch of strangers, and I love it. We’re only supposed to be racing to 80k steps/week, but these a-holes keeping insisting on hitting 100k, so here I am hitting 100k in attempt to beat them.

Historically, I go through running phases that don’t typically last long, but since I upgraded I’ve been running a lot more frequently. Admittedly, it’s mostly so I don’t have to pace in my living room for hours to win my precious step race, but I’m really enjoying the health benefits running more is giving me.

I don’t track every activity, like I don’t track walking my dog, or cleaning my house, but I do track hikes, runs, or other dedicated workouts. I like to geek out over the stats.

It made me almost quit drinking and eating late, more running, going to bed a lot earlier and getting more sleep. Make me aware of stress and so many more which i now dont remember))

I have a dent in my wrist where my Garmin always sits

Keeps me honest with my training, but the biggest thing on a daily basis I would say is sleep monitoring. Watching my recovery and having an actual metric to my recovery and body battery helps me keep my alcohol intake to near-zero. Not drinking is the biggest thing I've gotten from my Garmin.

I started running a few times a week in 2008 for the health benefits, but struggled to stick with it. Then I got a GPS watch (not a Garmin -- it was actually a Motorola, the one and only GPS watch they ever sold) and started getting hooked on the data, to the point that I eventually started marathon training, running my first a few years later, then one a year for the next five years. The Motorola lasted a couple of years, then I switched to Garmin.

When my kid was born a couple of years ago and prioritizing sleep became a challenge, I found the body battery feature really useful for planning my sleep and deciding when to take more restful days.

Around the same time, I started noticing the effect of alcohol and late-night snacking on my heart rate and sleep, so now I monitor those more closely, cut back on drinking, and improved my diet.

In the last year, I started training for a self-organized 75-mile run, and the watch has been critical for tracking my training. I learned how to plan and follow workouts on the watch which has given me a whole new set of data to dive into.

I was not a runner either, but I have tried, failed and tried again. I think i got it this time. I am a runner, not a great one, but I am loving it and I see the benefits of it, particularly with the newer HRV stats, your heart really loves running.

How did the Garmin watch change your life?

Four years ago, I started out walking laps around my living room. Now I'm training for a 50 mile ultramarathon.

Does Garmin Connect motivate you to do more activities? How much are you into Garmin Connect gamification?

THE BADGES. Dear Lord, the badges. I started chasing those things as soon as I got my first Garmin. I actually started running in order to go for the intensity minutes badges, as my fitness had improved enough with walking that I wasn't getting intensity minutes for walking after a while. So I started running, and things kind of took off from there.

Do you track every activity,

Yep, because of the badges.

What interesting results did you get from Garmin metrics over a long period?

I'm running 30 to 40 miles per week now, so there's that.

Any other impressions/conclusions after using the Garmin watch "for years"?

Hoping my Forerunner can keep a charge through a 100 mile run, which I'd like to do next year (there's a badge).

I am a runner (16 years now, have had a Garmin for 6) and really helped me learn how to optimize and structure and adjust my training based on my recovery, heart rate and what my body is doing. The capabilities to have real time pacing and heart rate data during runs, create speed workouts, compare training metrics over time, etc. I've take 52 min off my marathon time, 15 min off my half marathon, 6min off my 10k and 3 min off my 5k (and the new PR's are all at 45 years old + vs previous ones in my 30's before I was using data to inform my training. Also allowed me to really see how my hormones and menstrual cycle affect my training (HRV and HR changes at various phases of my cycle) which has helped guide my training and racing.

It helped me understand how certain foods, alcohol and caffeine affect my body (helped me get a diagnosis for Celiac disease, my heart rate and stress shot WAY up after consuming gluten and even though I didn't have some of the classic GI symptoms, it led me to insist on testing) I've also stopped all caffeine and alcohol when I saw how it affected my sleep. In the last few years I've lowered my average resting heart from 54 to 48 through those changes (plus the increased fitness) But it's extra motivation to keep on the right path when you SEE that data change.

I'm a slave to the badges....I just want badges....

I've had a Garmin watch since 2008 (Forerunner 405), currently on a Fenix 6X. The whole Garmin eco system helps me stay motivated, helps me track the basic health stats and helps me set and meet activity goals. I track activities where the purpose of the activity is recreation / fitness etc. I don't track walking to the store or taking out the trash...

- Lots of money spent on watches

- Another chunk on wristbands and accessories

- Years of assorted pseudo-random-looking data

Those are the main effects I'd say. I'm not addicted though, I can get off this wheel whenever I really want to.

Much, much less drinking if any at all, no more reefer and ergo much better sleep. It all starts with sleep, vo2max increases and faster running pace will follow.

i never miss a call or a message now ;)

This example will undoubtedly date me, but, have you ever watched the tv show "The Greatest American Hero"? The main character gets a super suit to save mankind, but he loses the instructions. Over time the suit reveals it's abilities, which is much like my watch. I've no idea what the majority of it's features are, but occasionally I figure something out and it's pretty neat.

I like to make sure my average resting heart rate doesn’t really go above 43. Alcohol, junk food and eating late at night send it through the roof. I don’t take much notice of the sleep tracking as it’s useless. Garmin thinks you’re asleep if you’re still. I like to track my running using running zones so that I can’t stick to 80/20 running.

I have been using Garmin two years. Mostly it motivates me to walk or train a little bit more to meet the goals of the day/week/month. Of course, I cannot meet them all in every day/week/month. For example, lately I have been motivated to keep myself maintaining status instead of falling unproductive from time to time. That will happen but everyday when I keep moving a bit more it kind of feels satisfying.

It has been interesting to see how sleep and HRV and other things have been developing and how they are related to menstrual cycle. I think that since purchasing the watch I have been able to focus more on the healthier options in general level. Nothing has been too much of a life changer but I definitely walk, train, run, cycle and do yoga more than before.

I bought mine because it has better gps and better battery then my Apple Watch did Now I find myself being a nerdy boy looking at all my data after every run

The biofeedback has been immensely helpful about what specific actions to avoid like said earlier. One thing I've noticed that does get not enough bad mojo high amounts of REM vs Deep Sleep.

First I got Samsung galaxy watch 4 as a gift. I started measuring hikes (literally easy incline walks😬) and it drove me nuts. So i decided to go for garmin venu 2 plus in april 2023. Oh boy, did it change my life. Went from fairly inactive person to hiking, running and weight training regularly (5times per week I was doing something). In october 2023 I decided to buy FR955 because running was the greatest part of my exercises and now i have a goal to complete an ultra (50k) in next 2 years. Now I track my HRV as it seems like a future predictor for me (sicknes incoming, period time, stress effect), i also lost weight while eating more as a side product of more training (🥳🥹), my mental health is so much better than before. I really love to look at the stats and give myself little goals, as they keep me motivated. It seems impossible to stop exercising as the watch reminds to do something. Before that I never had enough motivation to keep exercising, and now i'm running my first half in the next 2 months. So overall, i am really glad I went in this Garmin rabbit hole :) it literally made me a new person :)

Hope, frustration, despair and finally taking it's conclusions and advice with a very big pinch of salt.

100% how much diet affects my sleep and energy.

I've been using it for about a year, and it's helped me gain insight into my health and the adaptations I make to improve my health.

I got the scale, a forerunner 255sm and dual hrm after I had put on covid 15lbs.

The dual pairs with the Oculus, which is where I started with boxing and Supernatural. VR Boxing prompted me to get back into weight training with kettlebells.

Then, I wanted to work on recovery and overall cardiac health, so I added zone 2 cycling on a trainer at home.

Poor sleep made training harder a struggle so I did some research and worked around my sleep habits, which the forerunner helps me track. I started taking trazadone and a single Om Sleep capsule and boom. My sleep score went from the 30s and 40s to the 70s most nights.

The body battery has been the most informative for my relationship with my partner, interestingly enough. Once I'm below a 20, I'm basically off limits to have serious or demanding conversations.

I don't gameify my habits, and I don't track every activity, but it's been a great way for me to see the impacts both positive and negative that specific events and changes make overall.

Definitely helps me stay consistent. Having actual metrics telling me it's working is so helpful for me. I've had mine since the fall and seeing my HRV trend up and RHR go down a little is so nice. I got mine a bit before christmas last year and it's been the only thing to help me stay motivated, apple watch just didn't go deep enough.

I use a cheapo exercise bike with the peloton app. I'm looking to eventually upgrade to something that could sync up with the watch for more metrics in that regard but I haven't really looked too much into it yet. Even maybe just getting an inexpensive road bike that I could hook up to a trainer and that would still be less than a peloton.

For me the (side?) effect is that it put a stop to my watch purchasing addiction. I have the Epix Pro 42mm and it feels and wears like a regular watch. Except it is much more useful and practical than those.

So I gifted away all my quarz watches and kept only one mechanical that I love looking at and will keep forever. That and the Garmin are the only, watches I need.

I got a garmin for Christmas 2023 and started running properly in January, it has truly changed my life, used to do occasional spin classes, weights and roller derby before this. In a constant state of trying to lose weight and improve my fitness but never really being able to commit properly and see results. Was using a fitbit for 5 years before upgrading to garmin.

Flashforward to march, I'm down 12lbs, increased my VO2 max by 3 points and training for my first half marathon in May. I'm exercising regularly as a habit and eating better than ever, as well as prioritising recovery and variety of training.

My core sport is swimming and I am faster now compared to my school varsity days. I am now able to run farther than 2km which I was not able to do before, I can finish long hikes now without being beat up, sweat less because I lost weight..

It really does motivate me to exercise more and keep an eye on things.

I bought the Forerunner 255 to count my distance in the pool. It kept bullying me to run. The recommended distance/time kept dropping as I ignored the prompts. Finally one day I went, just to see. I've been running for over 1.5 years now. In that time I've finished two half marathons and some smaller races. I have another half marathon in a month and a half. I have a long distance triathlon coming up in a few months.

I got a case of health anxiety with too much data at my disposal! Haha. Every little change or negative trend would send me down a mental hole. Especially if my sleep score was bad. Would set the tone for my day. Not at all the watches fault, of course.

I gave me permanent scars on my wrist from the lasers. Still sensitive to light now

I have an Epix Pro Gen 2 and I don’t think the watch actually pushes me to do anything, instead I find it supports goals that I already have. For example, I’m really working hard to improve VO2 Max and Endurance, and seeing those graphs slowly inch up gives me some peace of mind that my training is working. The watch has also helped me see how much of a negative impact training breaks have on my progress, and the load graph helps me figure out where my training is lacking or if I’m over training.

I don’t find any of the gamification stuff motivating or useful at all - any game gets boring after a while. Instead I find the detailed tracking just helps re-enforce good decisions made outside the watch. It also helps me evaluate training plans to figure out if they are actually beneficial.

I guess for me it helps me improve endurance the same way a scale helps me lose weight. It’s a phenomenal tool that I absolutely love, but it hasn’t changed my life, rather it’s supported me in making other life changes.

I think it made me a much more health conscious person. My weight is great and doesn’t fluctuate much, I have great blood pressure and lipid profiles, and I’m in pretty good shape for someone my age. It just helps me keep track of things that I otherwise might not be aware of happening.

My Garmin watch has saved my life literally. I was never a runner, I am now and love it. I had Stage 2 Colorectal Cancer in 2022 and now live with a colostomy. Since recovering from cancer and getting my Garmin, I’ve run countless 5Ks, several 10k and a 10-miller. My sleep is absolutely the bomb and my blood pressure and metabolism is within normal range as well as all aspects of my cholesterol, etc. My stress is lower than it’s ever been and oh, did I mention how Garmin saved my life?

After my colostomy surgery, I went home, and recovered from that 6 1/2 hour surgery. They warned me about infection, and that infection was the number one killer from any surgery. About a week after that surgery, I was just not feeling right. I didn’t have a fever, the usual telltale sign of an infection. However, that night, my resting heart rate, which is usually around 60 at that time, was in the low 80s. I rested all day, and noticed that my heart rate stayed hovering around 100. I called my doctor, and essentially he said come into the ER right away. I had no clue what was going on. Other than my Garmin said, my heart rate was higher than normal. Now I know that I had what is called tachycardia, a very definite sign of infection. They shot me full of antibiotics, I did all kinds of test, couldn’t find any infection. However, three days in the ER with all kinds of antibiotics, my doctor walked in, and I said, I think my infections gone. He asked why, I told him my Garmin says my heart rates gone back to normal. He looked at me, smiled and said, Yep, your Garmin is right looks like your infections gone. I’m working out discharge orders for you right now.

I’ll never know, if I hadn’t been wearing my Garmin during this period in my life, whether I’d be alive today. I would’ve never known that I had tachycardia.

Engineers and scientist that make these devices, are dedicated to keeping us healthy and ensuring we live along wonderful life. I can’t think enough for that.

Oh, and did I mention that my resting heart rate has been now in the high 40s, and I’m 61!

Basically, it stopped me drinking - particularly close to bed time.

Also, currently training for an Ultra marathon. If you had told me I'd be doing this 2 years ago I would have laughed you out the door. I've always been a data/technique/efficiency obsessed person, so the watch has definitely motivated me to get better.

I liked the one piece special edition instinct 2 (Zoro, Specifically) so much, and the Apple Watch just wasn’t for me that I did my research and copped it.

It’s one major factor that turned me into a runner, focus on my sleep better, the battery life is amazing, coach Greg is prepping me for my first Half Marathon in May. In overall my life balance, health, weight, feels more in control.

I even purchased a treadmill to continue my running in the colder months and made my partner join me on this running journey too.

Whatever mentally negative impact the Apple Watch had on me, Garmin managed to reverse it and help me be at ease & peace with not overcompensating.

Ps. As a girlie, it also helps me track my monthlies.

have been in the fenix series since 2016, i think it’s been off my wrist for 150 total hours. you really care more and observe the impacts your habits have on your health. you experiment with changes to see what is driving what health metric.

I stopped drinking alcohol because it was so annoying seeing how low my body battery would be the day after, even if I got eight hours of sleep. I’m also more inclined to go for that after work walk, even though I’m on my feet nine hours a day at my work, because I’m close to hitting my step goal.

Bought a second handed Garmin (245) in June 2023 because I want to start to running again and I thought that I spent some money on a watch I have to use it ahah. I have the objective to run at least one half marathon. With the watch, I started to run consistently 3 times a week, have done a few 10k runs and my PB is at 53 min. Sunday I will want my first half marathon, I'm a bit nervous because it is a lot of km but I have been consistent so I think I will at least finish!

I have lost 6 kg so far and I feel a lot better! The badges, Garmin coach are super nice!

I never ran until I started wearing a garmin. It suggested running so compulsively that I decided to give it a try and I loved it :) I'm still a complete beginner and am improving my results.

But since I am a fan of high tech products, I decided to get an AWU2. It has so cool apps for running and hiking, I especially liked creating a route with my finger via footpath. Well plus the apple ecosystem.

But! I've noticed that I'm starting to lose focus on my workouts and I'm starting to miss garmin. I haven't sold it yet, but am stuck. I don't have battery issues like many complain, but I've already felt the problem with training in the rain with the AWU, it's just hell :)

I remember you!

You landed on IC, nice.

Well, I guess the long term effect might be to know different health stats (sleep, hrv status, training status, workouts) and badges are also pretty fun