Like a lot of women that stay at home with their children, I tend to put myself on the back burner. It’s not that I don’t value my health or well-being, it’s just that I focus on a lot of other things {hello family, housework, errands}. When I was working 10 or 12 hour shifts, I was definitely moving a lot more. I knew I wasn’t moving as much lately, but I had no idea how sedentary I’d become. When Garmin reached out to me about reviewing the Garmin vivofit, I thought “sure, why not”. Little did I know, this small wristband would make a BIG impact on my daily routine.
When I first agreed to review the vivofit, I thought I’d just be getting a basic fitness band. I knew they came in several fun colors, but I asked for Black in case I didn’t really like it so I could give it to my husband. To my surprise (and delight!), Garmin sent me a vivofit bundle and a set of vivofit bands in size small (at no cost) to review. When I first opened the vivofit fitness band box I was surprised when the heart rate monitor slid out. I wasn’t expecting the bundle {vivofit band + heart rate monitor} and at first I thought this was silly. I’m not an athlete, so what was I going to do with this heart rate monitor? It wasn’t until I affixed the monitor that I realized how beneficial it could be… more on this later.
What you’ll find in the vivofit bundle box: a vivofit with large AND small band (nice touch!), the heart rate monitor, USB ANT™ Stick, and a manual. Perhaps you have no clue what an USB ANT Stick is or what it does … I know I didn’t. Well, according to Garmin, all you have to do is “plug the ANT Stick into your computer’s USB port, and it will automatically receive your activity data when your compatible fitness device is within range.” This is essential if you’re planning to sync your vivofit with your computer, otherwise (and in addition) you can sync your vivofit with your smart phone using it’s Blue tooth technology. All you’ll need to do is download the free software for your computer, or the Garmin Connect app on your iOS or Android operating system.
I really liked the idea of using the vivofit with my mobile device, so I immediately downloaded Garmin Connect from the App Store and went through the easy and intuitive set up. All you have to do is create a free account for their online community and input your stats (birthday, height, weight, gender, and activity level), then Garmin will set a daily activity goal for you. Once I got through the set-up, I “paired” my vivofit with my phone by holding down the display button for a few seconds. In no time at all my phone recognized my new vivofit, I was able to “sync” it, and I was good to go!
As I mentioned earlier, the vivofit comes with two bands, size large and small. All you do is pop out the vivofit display and snap it into the band of your choice. Garmin sent me this colorful assortment and they are fabulous. I love how I can quickly change them out to coordinate with my outfit for the day. The whole system is very lightweight and low-profile so it isn’t a hassle to wear at all.
Now, let me talk about what makes the Garmin vivofit unique {and totally wonderful}:
First, and probably my favorite feature, the display. The vivofit has an awesome display that’s easy to read and tells you a lot of information. Just by pressing the display button you can toggle from steps taken, goal, miles, calories burned, time, date, and heart rate (which will only read if you’re in fact wearing an ANT+ heart rate device – and not just the Garmin brand, any heart rate monitor with ANT+ built in will work). I reviewed another brand of fitness band that didn’t have a display, and I can tell you that having the display makes it so much easier to keep track of your progress througout the day. It’s also great because I normally don’t wear a watch and now I have one (bonus!), plus it automatically synchronizes with your smart phone so it sets itself. The display also has a move bar which I LOVE! Since several studies have shown that sitting for prolonged periods of time can trigger harmful metabolic changes (read: slows your metabolism and results in weight gain),the move bar simply reminds you to move. After one hour of inactivity, the red move bar will appear. Additional segments will be added every fifteen minutes until you reset it by getting up and moving. It’s a visual trigger that you can see and act on.
The vivofit is also water resistant (up to 50 meters). This such a wonderful feature since having a toddler means a lot of diaper changes and hand washing… and of course there’s bath time, water table play, afternoons at the splash pad, washing dishes… you get the picture. Another great thing about the vivofit is its battery life. It should last about a year, which means you never really have to take Garmin vivofit off. Unlike my previous fitness band, there’s no need to take it off at night and recharge it or anything like that, which is great considering the vivofit also tracks your sleep patterns. Just set the device to sleep mode when you turn in for the night and you can then keep track of the amount of time you sleep and periods of movement and restful sleep. This data can then be synced to your smart phone or computer so you can see the trends and evaluate what your body needs. The vivofit is always on, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so it’s always collecting data. Just make sure you sync vivofit at least once every 30 days. Once the data storage system is full it will delete the oldest data to make room for the new.
Another great feature of the vivofit is that it sets a personalized daily goal for you. It quickly learns your current activity level, then assigns an attainable daily goal. Each day, as you {hopefully} meet your milestones, it will adjust your goal for the next day, gradually nudging you toward a healthier lifestyle. If you’re a person that strives on rewards, you can earn virtual badges on Garmin Connect (their free online fitness community). If you’re more competitive, you can join online challenges with other vivofit users and connect, compete, and compare with friends and family from all over the world.
As I mentioned before, Garmin also sent me their heart rate monitor and I thought this would prove to be a mistake on their part. I’m not into wasting money, and I thought they’d surely wasted this product by sending it to me. My feelings about this totally changed once I strapped the monitor on though. I saw that my resting heart rate was in the high 80′s! Now, for those of you not familiar with ideal heart rates, 60-100 is physiologically normal, however as a 30-something year woman with no significant medical conditions, my heart rate should really be more like 60-70′s. Well trained athletes can have resting heart rates in the 50′s, so this showed me a few things. First, that I was probably dehydrated. I can’t say I was surprised by this. I just don’t think about drinking water so I don’t take in as much as I should. Secondly, it showed me that I am indeed out of shape. After I drank about 32 ounces of water I slipped the monitor back on and my heart rate was down into the high 70′s, but that still give me a lot of room for improvement. I know, I know – I can just take my pulse – I don’t need a heart rate monitor for this, but I do plan on really giving this some good use in the upcoming months. As soon as my broken toe is fully healed, I’ll be training to run for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at their Memphis Marathon weekend this winter!
Since I’ve started wearing the vivofit, I’m definitely moving more each day. I love being able to quickly check my progress throughout the day to see how many steps I have left to reach my goal. You can believe me when I say that if 6 PM rolls around and I haven’t met my goal that I get moving! I’ve also noticed some other changes too. I’m making a daily, conscious decision to be more active (and therefore interactive) with my little guy. I try to take him to the park most days, and I used to pull out my phone while he played to get a little “me” time while he was happily occupied. Now, I’m trying to move right along with him to set a healthy example. Don’t get me wrong, I still have my days where I need a little break, but overall I think I’ve made a big improvement there.
Overall, I’d highly recommend a Garmin vivofit to pretty much anyone! Whether you’re an elite athlete or a stay at home mom, you can benefit from owning a vivofit. It provides such valuable information that you can use to make better decisions about your health. Even small steps can add up to big changes, the key is making that first move. I am honestly smitten with my vivofit and don’t see myself taking it off anytime soon.
Connect: You can connect with Garmin on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Buy it: You can purchase the Garmin vivofit on Amazon, along with their accessories.
Win it: One lucky person is going to win a Garmin vivofit during the “Dads, Grads, and Everyone in Between” Giveaway hop that runs from June 5-19th. Make sure you come back to enter!
Disclosure: I received these products at no cost to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own. Amazon links are affiliate links.
The post Small Steps can Lead to BIG Changes! How the Garmin vivofit motivated me to get up and move! appeared first on Viva Veltoro.