Some people may binge on good food during the holidays but those who want to welcome the new year with a trimmed waistline may appreciate having a fitness tracker. These smart wearables act like virtual fitness buddies that subtly keeps you in check with gentle reminders here and there. Right now, you can do away with those extra calories and make room for up to $60 worth of savings when you take advantage of Amazon’s deals on either of Garmin’s Vivosmart 4 or Vivosport.
Garmin Vivosmart 4
— $99 ($31 Off)
More than being able to deliver the basics such as steps, calories burnt, floors climbed, and heart rate, Garmin’s Vivosmart 4 can also track specific exercises such as walking, cycling, elliptical training, and swimming. It also comes with preloaded activity timers to accurately record your workout, and if you forgot to set it up, you can count on its Move IQ feature to automatically detect your workout and start timing. It will also remind you to move when it notices inactivity and will motivate you when you meet your fitness goals.
This wearable lacks a GPS tracker but makes up for it with more than a few monitoring tools to help you better understand your body. For instance, you’ll be able to gauge your fitness level and gain knowledge about your fitness age with a VO2 Max (maximum oxygen uptake) estimate. In times of stress, there’s a feature for all-day stress tracking as well as a relaxation breathing timer to help take the edge off. The Pulse Ox sensor then estimates your blood-oxygen levels to make you aware of sleep apnea and other breathing disorders. There is also an Advanced Sleep Monitoring feature that records movements and quality of sleep and a Body Battery that measures your energy levels.
The Vivosmart 4 is a fitness band that you’ll easily be able to match with any outfit and that scores 3.5 stars in our review. Its design is fashionable, lightweight, and comfortable with an oblong tracker unit built into the one-piece silicone band. The OLED touchscreen display is readable in any light but since it’s quite small, you might want to refer to the Garmin Connect app on your smartphone to view all your stats. Syncing your device will also enable you to get vibration alerts for all notifications. Needless to say, you won’t be missing out on smart capabilities, Android users will even get to reply with preset text responses.
With a long-lasting battery that can stretch up to seven days, the Garmin Vivosmart 4 can be your everyday companion for just $99 instead of the usual $130 on Amazon.
Garmin Vivosport
— $110 ($60 Off)
If not having a built-in GPS is a dealbreaker for you, you might not mind shelling out a couple bucks more for Garmin’s Vivosport. Like the Vivosmart 4, it can churn out key metrics for steps and calories, but with its GPS tracker in place, you’ll also be attuned to your pace, distance over time, as well as the route you took. You’ll be able to perform each workout the way you want to with preloaded activity profiles including strength training and cardio with the ability to count set and reps. And if taking a plunge in the pool is what gets your endorphins fired up, you’ll be just as happy that it is swim-proof with water resistance to depths of 50 meters.
As a full-fledged activity tracker, fitness likewise is where it shines. Daily fitness and stress tracking are intact with Garmin’s Elevate 24/7 wrist-based heart rate monitor and VO2 max estimate. Stats are yet again automatically uploaded to the Garmin Connect app which is also a portal to an online fitness community where you can engage in friendly competition as well as share your achievements. There is also a LiveTrack feature that will allow your friends to follow your activity.
Smart notifications and music playback are also readily accessible on this fitness band. With no buttons whatsoever and a relatively small LCD color touchscreen, you might not be able to do without your phone completely but, rest assured, you’ll be able to receive calls, texts, and other app alerts in real time and enjoy a fairly fluid and intuitive interface. And should you be unlucky enough to have misplaced your phone, there is a feature that can help you obtain its location.
While Garmin claims the Vivosport has a battery life that can stretch up to seven days in smartwatch mode, our review notes that you’d likely need to charge it every other day. But it is still a solid fun-sized fitness wearable with a near-perfect 4.5-star rating you can now score for only $110 instead of the usual $170 from Amazon.
Looking for more options? Check out what we have on smartwatches like the Apple Watch, Fitbit alternatives, and more on our curated deals page.
