If You Are Serious About Your 2018 Fitness Goals, You NEED This Smart Watch

If You Are Serious About Your 2018 Fitness Goals, You NEED This Smart Watch

It’s that time of the month when the festivities (and indulgences) of the year-end have come to a grinding halt, and you’ve got to get real about that whole “new year, new you” mantra. Yes, getting fit tops pretty much everyone’s new year resolutions list, and I’m no different.

So when I got my hands on the Apple Watch Series 3 late last year, I was determined to wear it less for vanity purposes and more as a way to track my fitness activities and goals.

That’s if I even remembered to wear it in the first place. *insert rolling eyes emoji* Won’t lie… it took a while.

But with a brand new gym membership card in my hand and the Apple Watch strapped to my wrist, I started my 2018 new year resolution with the gusto of a Salman Khan fan at the local cinema. I was pretty darn excited.

And once I got the hang of it, I was hooked.

Here’s why.

Apple Watch Series 3 Review_Inpost_Hauterfly

Apple Watch Series 3 42MM

Several weeks into using my Series 3 as a fitness tracker, and I’ve done a complete 180 as far as my fitness goals are concerned. Now, I’m addicted to it.

It seems almost silly to talk about its time-telling ability, when it can do so much more. But here’s a word to the wise: if you do intend to use it like I do, then you’ve got to tune out all the extra stuff like playing music, talking to Siri, making/answering phone calls and text messages, or using Instagram and other distracting apps.

When you focus on what you really want out of it — in my case, a super smart fitness tracker — it’s probably the most useful gadget you’re going to have around for your health needs.

Activity Tracker

First up is the Activity app, which really pushes you to get moving. Whether it is reminding you to get up out of your chair and go for a little walk or showing you your activity summary from the day before (and encouraging you to beat it), this really does give you that extra push to shake off the laziness and start moving.

If by the end of the day you haven’t gotten close to your goals, you’ll even get specific messages saying a brisk 5-minute walk will close all your rings. The high you get from closing all your activity rings everyday really is epic.

Small wins, big motivation.

Workout Buddy

Now here’s where the watch gets really fun. The workout app that comes with the watch has all the standard workouts, including indoor and outdoor running, walking, cycling, ellipticals, swimming, HIIT, etc. With each workout, the app calculates how many calories you’re burning by measuring your pulse, and you can even group your workouts together in one single session to figure out your daily burn.

It also boasts of a new barometric altimeter that tracks elevation better, when you’re out running or climbing uphill, etc. If you’re a runner, you’ll especially appreciate how you can now use your watch without being connected to your phone.

You can also configure goals for each or any of your workouts, like time or duration, and the watch will show your pace, distance, and heart rate in real time. Once you’ve completed your workout, you’ll get a simplified summary of the stats. And all of this data automatically syncs up to your iPhone as well, giving you a full summary of all the things you’ve accomplished in a day.

One of the new watchOS 4 features is the elevated heart rate notification, which alerts you when your heart rate rises above a certain threshold, especially if you’re just sitting in your chair or generally sedentary. This can potentially indicate a panic attack or a heart-related issue, and you’d do well to be aware of it. Of course, the potential for panic is not unfounded, but there are easy ways to rectify this by re-checking your heart rate using the watch.

The new feature also gives you your recovery heart rate post a workout, which is especially helpful if you want to assess how your fitness levels are improving over time. Generally speaking, the fitter you are, the quicker your heart rate will return to normal after a workout. By looking at this data over time, you can get an idea of how your fitness levels are changing for the better.

The Series 3 will transform your workouts because you now start paying attention to how active your are — or in my case, how inactive I really am through the day. Like any good buddy, it will remind you to exercise, to stand up, to breathe, to drink enough water. And that’s pretty darn rad.

Notifications

The only “extra” thing I like about the Apple Watch outside of its superb fitness tracking, is the notifications. It’s perfect to alert you to calendar events, reminders, and incoming text/Whatapp messages.

But that’s it. If you don’t want your wrist buzzing literally every minute, I suggest you turn off notifications for most other things and focus on just the important stuff.

Your iPhone can do the rest, and a lot better.

SHOP NOW: Apple Watch Series 3 42MM (Rs 31,900)

Zahra Khan

CEO & Editor-in-Chief at Hauterfly. Owned by three cats. Sometimes wallflower, sometimes wildflower. 32 flavours and then some.

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