The World of the Smartwatch
Smartwatches are the newest thing everyone “has” to have. I held out for a long time, though, before making my first step toward the smartwatch world with a simple Fitbit.
Quite honestly, at first, I didn’t see what all the rage was about. I was used to walking a lot of steps each day and knew I usually burned a lot of calories with routine workouts and walks with the dog. I just didn’t know how much.
The Fitbit was a nice introduction into the smartwatch realm because it was pretty basic and easy to learn. It wasn’t some complicated piece of technology on your wrist. The Fitbit calculated my steps as well as burned calories, miles/distance walked, heart rate and length of workout (walk, run, etc.). You’re able to review your daily stats on your Fitbit app at the end of each day to see what you’ve achieved.
The Fitbit seemed perfect for those who just want to stay in touch with their fitness – as opposed to other Apple watch apps. It also can tell you when to get up and stand or take a brief walk if you’ve been siting for too long. Those reminders were beneficial at times to get me up and moving. Other times, though, they were annoying during the workday.
I had the Fitbit for a few years until I was recently gifted an Apple watch for my birthday. I am considered in the Millennial generation and should like technology. But sometimes I’m an old soul and enjoy the simple things, so with the Apple watch there was a learning curve for me.
It’s definitely more complex than the Fitbit. It has a touch screen just like your iPhone, but is, obviously, much smaller. You can add apps from your iPhone onto your Apple watch and basically have two phones. You can answer texts and phone calls with one touch.
There are some benefits compared to the Fitbit. For instance, it is a little more accurate with your fitness stats than the Fitbit. I noticed my daily steps were more realistic as opposed to what the Fitbit calculated.
However, the notifications the Apple watch sends are slightly on the obsessive side. Fortunately, though, you are able to change that in your settings.
It’s been really nice to be able to walk away from my phone and not have to take it with me since the watch does basically the same thing.
For me, the Apple watch is helpful, but it definitely took trial and error to get some of the features to be connected/work. All in all, smartwatches are nice to have if you enjoy staying in touch socially and physically.
;)
