Do you remember when fitness watches first made their debut? I think my first ever fitness watch was a Fitbit – it had no screen and I think all it could pretty much do was count your steps, which was a phenomena at the time!

During Nick’s marathon a few weeks ago – I had a thought. What the heck did we do without fitness watches?! Well, not all of us – I could certainly live without mine because I’m not an endurance athlete…but for people like Nick, it’s basically their life line! (Nick has the Garmin Fenix Plus.) It tracks their pace, heart rate, and pretty much everything little thing about training. Think about the old days, when you would run a marathon, and you would just, well…run. You had no idea how fast or slow you were going. Had no idea when you would finish…you just ran. Sounds a lot less stressful, doesn’t it?! Ha!

Then, the Apple Watch came out – and I was hooked! This was a big deal. It was one of the first watches with a full screen that could completely sync to your phone. I have been a ride-or-die Apple Watch gal since they came out – but last year I had the sudden urge to switch the Garmin family when it came to fitness watches. I purchased the Garmin Venu, and haven’t gone back since. I loved it! A lot of y’all ask…”what made you switch?” or “which one do you like better?” – so I thought it would be a great idea to do a full review on the blog so you can always have it to reference if you ever want to learn more about the Garmin Venu, or if you are thinking about switching from an Apple Watch!

Why I Made The Switch

I wish I had a better, end-all-be-all answer for you…but the reason why I switched is pretty lame. It was pretty much peer pressure, haha! At the time, I had the Apple Watch for about 4 years, and it never even crossed my mind to switch. But then, all of a sudden…everyone around me had Garmin’s. It just so happens that a lot of people in my life are runners. (my brother, his girlfriend, my husband, and practically all of the BPN employees!) Nick would repeatedly tell me that I “had” to switch to Garmin & I would love it. So, I finally caved! I wasn’t necessarily unhappy with my Apple Watch, but I was super intrigued at all of the capabilities Nick’s Garmin had. And, the Garmin Venu had wayyyy more stylish options than my black, chunky Apple Watch that tended to be an eye sore with a cute outfit. So I decided to give the Garmin life a try, found the prettiest one, *duh…light gray and rose gold, yes please!* – and said goodbye to my Apple Watch!

Things I Love About The Garmin Venue

• The Look // I love how sleek & feminine this watch this! It feels like a piece of jewelry. I have it in the Rose Gold & Light Sand. There are tons of other different color wave options, too.
• The Battery // I have to charge my Garmin about once a week – where as with my Apple Watch, I was pretty much having to charge it every night!
• Phone Free Listening // You can download music via Spotify and listen via bluetooth headphones without your phone nearby. Great for runs or hiking if you don’t want to carry your phone!
• GPS Accuracy // One thing that is consistent with all Garmin products, is how legit and accurate their GPS is! Compared to my Apple Watch – wow…it is so much more accurate with mileage & paces!
• Heart Rate Accuracy // Although the most accurate way to track your heart rate is with a strap, the Garmin seems to be way more accurate with heart rate training than the Apple Watch.
• Tracking Workouts // A workout doesn’t feel like it happened unless my watch tracks it, haha! I love that I can constantly be aware of the timing of my workouts, my heart rate, calories burn, and more. There is also every type of workout available under the sun to track – everything from running, cycling, to rowing, pilates – you name it.
• Step Tracking // I’m kind of obsessed with getting at least 10,000 steps a day! I have my step count featured on my watch face so I always know where I’m at for the day.
• Sleep Tracking // This is something I just started taking advantage of recently. Before, I never slept with my watch (thought it would be too uncomfortable) – but, Nick convinced me to try because he loves tracking his sleep. I got used to it really quick, and now I love tracking my sleep! It shows you the amount of deep, light, & REM sleep you get, along with your resting heart rate.
• Menstrual Cycle Tracking // This isn’t the primary way I track my cycle, but I love that it has this capability. It will tell you where you are at in your cycle, fertility chances by day, and you can also log symptoms. It also has a pregnancy tracker, when the time comes for us!
• Hydration Tracking // You can easily track your water intake!
• Phone Notifications + Texts // This is a big question y’all have! I can read social media notifications, texts & e-mails...but can’t respond. (I’ve heard you can with an Android phone, though) I know that may be a deal breaker for some, but I honestly don’t even have my texts turned on because it would be buzzing on my wrist all day! I like having the separation.
• Waterproof // You can wear this in the shower, or in any body of water! It’s a great watch for tracking swim workouts, too.

As far as cons go, or things I don’t like – I honestly can’t think of any! Some may see the not being able to respond to texts as a con, which I totally get. I would say the biggest con is probably the price (it’s $349) – it’s definitely way more pricey than the Apple Watch, but I think the capabilities and benefits outweigh it. It’s an investment – and I don’t see myself having to replace or upgrade, ever! Also, be on the lookout on Amazon because every now & then there are sales and discounted prices!

There are tons of other more affordable Garmin options that have similar capabilities like the Garmin Venu Sq ($199), the Garmin Forerunner ($199), or the Garmin Lily ($249).

Who The Garmin Would Be Great For

• Any active person who likes to track workouts & their health/wellness.
• Runners & Endurance Athletes – this would be your match made in heaven! I am not personally an intense endurance gal, but I do love a good outdoor run in the warm months. Garmin have great connectivity with Strava, a popular running/cycling tracking app.

Overall, I am super happy with my decision and I love the Garmin Venu! I would say the biggest difference between the Apple Watch & the Garmin Venu is the battery life, and the Garmin’s center around health & wellness. Both are outstanding watches, though!