There’s nothing as powerful as a big run to immediately relieve stress, anxiety or anger.
Forget indoor gyms… outdoor running is how you’ll get your necessary hit of fresh air, and it works as such a good break from being chained indoors to your work desk.
Wearable technology is a term that’s really blown up in the last year or two, and now there’s one that specifically tracks everything to do with your running activity. Garmin’s Forerunner 15 does exactly what you think it does: it’ll track the distance of your run, how many steps you take, your pace, heart rate, and calories burnt.
To use the watch, you’ll need to charge it for about three hours first. Charging it is pretty simple… simply click it onto it’s clip-on base, and connect the USB end into your laptop or computer. Once it’s juiced up, select the option ‘Going For A Run” and its GPS powers will locate satellite signals, which in turn will measure the number of kilometres run.
The best part of this watch is how easy it was to navigate. The top left one is the power button; bottom left one lets you control “across” the menu (so you can check your heart rate, calories burnt etc); the top right is pretty much the GO! or enter button; and the bottom right allows you to scroll “down” the menu. Trust me, you’ll pick it up in no time.
If you don’t feel that you’re the fittest person on earth (read: you like to take a few breaks during your run), then the auto-pause function is something you’ll love. Select it from the menu before you start running, and it’ll automatically pause the tracking activity when you take a breather too.
The Virtual Pacer tool is something that’s really cool to use – it basically helps you improve your performance by encouraging you to run at the pace set. In return, the watch will also let you know if you’ve run the fastest kilometre done to date, or the longest run you’ve done as well.
Another great thing about this gadget is how all the information is self-contained – there’s no need to pair it to your mobile, unless you want to get our competitive spirit on and compare your results with your friends.
And if you’re OCD like me, then you’ll want to keep this baby as clean as possible. Great news… this watch is waterproof for up to 50 metres, so you can give it a quick rinse after every run. Don’t forget to put it back on after you dry it though, as the watch can also help you track your sleep patterns and total hours slept.
Want to get more out of your gadget? Pair it up with a Foot Pod, which can record pace and distance instead of using your GPS… in case it’s raining outside and you switch to some treadmill work or when your GPS signal is weak.
For the fashion conscious… yes, these do come in several colours. Pick black for an understated buy, red for an option that’ll stand out, or teal for a sporty throwback to good ol’ Baby G watches.
What’s your favourite way to track your active lifestyle? Tell us in the comments below…