Watches have gone far beyond telling time. There are now fitness watches designed to enhance workout goals. The idea of using watches to track physical wellness started with activity tracking, such as noting how often the wearer moves.
However, some of the latest smartwatch designs can do much more than track the number of steps you take at the office. The Swiss chronographs have now morphed into tech gadgets complete with fitness metrics like workout monitoring, heart rate tracking, calorie tracking, sleep tracking, and even GPS functionality.
So, if you’re prospecting to get a smartwatch for one or a combination of those physical wellness goals, stick around while we walk through the functionality of seven fitness watches. We hope to help you pick the right fitness watch to enhance your workout goals.
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1. Misfit Flare ($60)
Misfit Flare is budget-friendly and the cheapest on this list. This smartwatch is also simple for minimalists and easy to use for your interval training and activity goals. A feature that stands out in Misfit Flare, among many other brands of fitness trackers, is its battery longevity. On a single charge, the device can run for four months without needing a plug-in.
In addition to tracking fitness metrics like sleep, calories, and heart rate, Misfit Flare has a smart button. This button can take selfies and turn on the lights, all for $30.
2. Timex Ironman GPS ($100)
The Timex Ironman is a sophisticated fitness tracker with all the features you could wish for in a smartwatch. Your swimming, running, or biking activity goals will become easy to track irrespective of longevity, interval training laps, or distance.
The Timex Ironman is pocket-friendly relative to some pro variants with similar functionalities. The only disclaimer is that you cannot access all your workout monitoring data on the watch’s simple screen. You’ll need to hook up this watch to a computer for a full scope of your fitness data.
3. Garmin Vivomove HR ($200)
At first glance, the Garmin Vivomove looks like a regular analog chronograph. But smart features display information about your activity goals in a small corner of its glass frame.
This smartwatch is great for tracking sleep, calories, and heart rate, helping to control stress levels. On a full charge and in smart mode, the Garmin will last four full days before needing a power boost.
4. Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro ($200)
This smartwatch by the South Korean tech giant outranks many other brands with its exceptional functionalities. For runners who love hitting the dust with some background music in their headphones, the Gear Fit2 will do the job. Its storage can hold up to 500 songs, which should be more than enough for your workout playlist.
Gear Fit2 also has GPS functionality and can help you win your next half marathon. Besides heart rate tracking, the Samsung smartwatch will help you monitor liquid levels, complete with smart features that notify you about the need for some rehydration.
5. Polar M430 ($230)
The Polar M430 is a special design for trainers. With a brief test that takes roughly five minutes, this smartwatch will help you assess your fitness objectively. As you keep working out, you’ll be motivated as the fitness marker improves over time.
Some folks overtask themselves during workouts and don’t know when to catch a breather. The Polar also has that ingenious feature of determining the sweet spot between overworking yourself and underperforming with fitness training.
6. Epson ProSense 307 ($249)
The Epson ProSense is so good and sophisticated that it even supplies fitness data that you probably didn’t realize you would need. This watch uses heart rate tracking to determine other fitness metrics like speed and cadence and even provides information on splits.
The fitness metrics don’t skew when you switch between multiple sporting activities, like during a triathlon. So, there are modes for swimming, biking, and running to identify the appropriate performance markers for each activity.
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7. Fitbit Ionic ($300)
Unlike other smartwatches, which require manual settings for running, lifting weights, swimming, or biking mode, the Fitbit Ionic has an activity tracker that detects when the wearer switches activities. This tech marvel is fully autonomous and does not need to be connected to other devices.
Indeed, when you find yourself at a loss of workout routines to follow, you can follow preloaded moves on the watch’s screen. You can also load up to 300 music files on this smartwatch and use it for digital payments. Now, what else do you want in a smartwatch?
By the time you’re done running through this list, we reckon you will have ended your search for fitness watches designed to enhance your workout goals. However, despite your specific fitness goals and financial capability, you can get the very best for your money if you cannot afford an expensive Apple watch.
