Why Garmin Watches Are Worth Every Cent! (8 Cool Features)

The market for fitness watches is thriving, with new options appearing constantly. However, not all watches are worth the investment.

But Garmin watches are in a league of their own!

In this article, I’ll take you through some of the remarkable features that set Garmin watches apart from the rest, making them truly valuable for fitness enthusiasts. 

The Garmin Connect App

The Garmin Connect App is an exceptional tool for tracking, analyzing, and sharing various health and fitness activities, ranging from daily steps and workouts to calorie expenditure and estimated sweat loss.

One of the exciting aspects of the Garmin Connect App is its social feature, which allows you to share and challenge your friends directly within the app. 

This makes virtual training together possible! 

This feature is beneficial not only for individuals but also for athletics clubs and trainers who can monitor and track their athletes’ progress. 

The Garmin Connect App also offers a customizable dashboard, allowing users to arrange and display their statistics in a convenient manner. 

This feature empowers you to easily share, save, and compare your various fitness metrics.

By having all relevant data readily available, you can stay motivated and track your journey towards achieving your fitness goals.

Offline Music on Your Watch

One of the impressive features offered by Garmin watches is the ability to enjoy music directly on your wrist. 

This means that you can go for a workout and continue listening to your favorite songs and podcasts without relying on your smartphone or a Wi-Fi connection.

This feature is extremely beneficial when maintaining a stable signal becomes challenging, such as during hikes in remote areas, long-distance runs, or even in isolated and underground gyms.

Garmin watches boast impressive storage capacities, with certain models, like the Forerunner series, allowing you to store up to 2000 songs. 

To access this feature, all you need to do is connect your phone to your watch and initiate the download synchronization process. 

Here’s how to download and synchronize offline music on your Garmin watch:

Firstly, you need to install the Garmin Connect app on your smartphone and pair your Garmin watch with the app.

1. Then, open the Garmin Connect app and go to the music section.
2. Choose a music source from options like Spotify, Deezer, or local music files.
3. Select the specific music you want to download and sync with your watch.
4. Initiate the download and synchronization process.
5. Keep your Garmin watch within Bluetooth range of your smartphone and wait for the process to complete.
6. Disconnect your watch from your phone and test the music playback on your watch’s music player.

Once the syncing process is complete, you can easily listen to all your music and podcasts directly from your watch, eliminating the need for a Bluetooth connection to your phone. 

Please also check out our article for common Garmin pairing problems.

Menstrual Cycle Tracking

Some Garmin watch models have a feature to monitor female wearers’ menstrual cycles.

Through Garmin Connect, ladies can observe the different stages of their current menstrual cycle and receive forecasts about their current position within the cycle. 

These predictions are based on data from previously recorded completed cycles.

This impressive feature enables individuals to track their periods and associated symptoms, regardless of whether their menstrual cycle is regular or irregular.

It also offers personalized guidance on nutrition, fitness, and overall well-being that aligns with the different phases of the cycle. 

For women trying to fall pregnant, this feature is especially useful.

• Within Garmin Connect, users can also access predictions for their upcoming periods and fertility windows, as well as other relevant statistics.
• In addition to pregnancy tracking, Garmin provides other women’s health monitoring options, including pregnancy tracking. 
• This feature helps expectant ladies to keep track of their pregnancy progress and receive weekly educational resources and nutritional advice tailored to their pregnancy journey.
• It provides information on aspects such as the baby’s gestational age and size.

Fall Detection

A built-in feature on certain Garmin watch models enables the automatic identification of potential incidents. When your watch detects an incident, such as a hard fall or impact, it sends a message to your designated emergency contacts. 

This message includes key information like your name and current location (thanks to Garmin’s GPS tracking).

However, if the incident detection is triggered accidentally, you can cancel the message before it is sent.

Models such as the Forerunner 645 Music, Fenix 5 Plus Series, and the Vivoactive Music Series have built-in fall detection.

To ensure accurate location tracking for Incident Detection, Garmin utilizes the LiveTrack feature. Please follow the link at the end of the article to find the specific steps for your watch series. 

If you require assistance but don’t want to use Garmin Incident Detection, you can manually trigger a discreet message to your emergency contacts by holding down a specific button on your watch for a few seconds. 

The exact button to press will vary depending on the model of your Garmin watch, so refer to your manual for instructions.

This discreet message will include your location, providing a way to request help when needed.

Body Battery Energy Monitoring

Body Battery Energy Monitoring is an incredibly useful tool for anyone with an active lifestyle or those trying to become more active. 

The main purpose of this feature on your Garmin watch is to manage your personal energy levels throughout the day effectively.

It allows you to identify the perfect moments in your day to tackle challenges such as physical exercise or demanding tasks, as well as the times when it’s wiser to prioritize relaxation activities like taking a nap, reading a book, or going for a walk.

The Body Battery consolidates the impacts of:

• Physical activity
• Stress
• Relaxation
• Sleep

This helps you monitor how your lifestyle choices and actions influence your overall well-being. 

Consequently, you can gain valuable insights into which strategies work best for your individual needs.

Recognizing the importance of rest, the Body Battery feature helps you uncover your optimal periods for both rest and exercise on a daily basis.

Please also read our article about 6 common Garmin Watch charging problems – with solutions!

Sleep Score

Garmin devices with sleep-tracking capabilities offer advanced features to help you better understand your sleep patterns. 

In addition to basic information, such as when you fall asleep and wake up, these devices also track instances of wakefulness and provide insights into the duration of different sleep stages (light, deep, and REM). 

You can then view the timing of these stages throughout the night, providing a comprehensive overview of your sleep quality.

To determine sleep durations and stages, Garmin devices analyze multiple data points, including:

• Heart rate
• Heart rate variability
• Body movement

Stress Tracking

This feature involves monitoring the body’s natural response to life’s challenges and your surrounding environment. 

Stress is a heightened physiological state that prepares us to quickly react to various situations – for example, fight or flight responses. 

Garmin smartwatches incorporate all-day stress tracking, which is based on a well-established and scientifically validated understanding of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).

By analyzing a combination of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) data, the Firstbeat Analytics engine estimates stress levels on a scale of 0 to 100.

This information is captured using the optical heart rate sensor located on the back of the device.

This feature is particular use for people who live a fast-paced life and are hoping to achieve a more balanced lifestyle.

Jet Lag Adviser

For those who travel frequently across time zones, time differences can disrupt your internal body clock, making it harder to perform at your peak. 

The Garmin jet lag assistant offers personalized guidance to help you stay on track.

It provides customized tips to minimize the effects of jet lag and facilitate a smoother adjustment to the local time of your destination. 

By following scientifically backed advice on light exposure, sleep and exercise schedules, and valuable insights on nutrition, napping, and caffeine usage, you can make your travel experience more seamless.

To make the most of your personalized recommendations, simply add your trip to your calendar. 

This way, you can receive tailored insights in the days leading up to your journey, during your travels, and even upon your return home.

Check out 14 devices and apps that work with Garmin watches, here.

Final Thoughts

Garmin watches stand out in the fitness watches market with their innovative features addressing the diverse needs and lifestyles of wearers.

With the unique offerings discussed in this article, Garmin watches excel in fitness tracking and in-depth health analysis. 

Ultimately, Garmin watches are an investment worth every cent, enhancing users’ health, safety, and overall well-being.

Sources

17 Cool Things Garmins Can Do

New Safety and Tracking Features on Select Garmin Watches