garmin v3 begin an active and stylish healthy life

I remember receiving the Garmin Vivoactive3 on the day of the Southern Little New Year. When I eagerly opened the package, I was immediately amazed by this watch. It looked like a sister to the Fenix5S on my wrist, but it was more comfortable and lightweight than the Fenix5S. Once I put it on, I didn't want to take it off. This is my favorite review gift I've received. Thank you, Sister Guan.

As someone who loves taking photos, I naturally couldn't resist taking various staged shots, hehe...

As a sports fashion gear enthusiast, I've already owned three Garmin watches: the Forerunner10, Forerunner235, and Fenix5S. I'm a die-hard (white) Garmin (fake) fan (girl). Now, I have a new addition, the Vivoactive3. Its design is a significant leap compared to its predecessors, and I was immediately captivated by its looks. Not to mention its powerful features. Alright, let's dive into the exciting world of the Garmin Vivoactive3 with my review.

The ivory white V3 I received was already in mass production. The box is very delicate, and the Vivoactive3 watch stands out stylishly and prominently against the gray background. The sides of the box indicate that the watch mode can last for 7 days, and the GPS mode can last for 11 hours. It can be used for swimming, heart rate monitoring, side swipe control, and GARMIN PAY (which is not yet available). Garmin has already set up servers in China, so soon, you can use it for public transportation and contactless payments.

Family portrait: data cable + manual + watch + stickers = simplicity and style

This data cable is the same as the one for the Fenix5 and 935 (same charging interface), making it convenient to use. The manual is a quick start guide (main function keys usage). For detailed application instructions, you can download the manual from the official website. As for the stickers, one is the 'Garmin' logo, and the other says 'Beat Yesterday,' encouraging us to do better tomorrow.

The previous two generations had a square screen, but now it has a round touchscreen that everyone loves, significantly enhancing its appearance. The medical-grade rubber strap feels good, and the textured design is also appealing. The quick-release strap adds points to the design. The watch face size is very suitable for girls' wrists, especially the white color, which should attract many girls. I was already tempted. The back of the watch is flat, fitting well with the wrist, unlike the slightly raised back of the Fenix5S (which leaves marks after long wear), making it more comfortable to wear. The large round design of the watch face makes it almost unrecognizable as a professional sports watch with optical monitoring, looking more refined the more you look at it.


The 1.2-inch sunlight-readable, semi-transflective reflective screen with LCD backlight allows you to use it in both bright and dark environments. The wrist-raise-to-wake function also works well. The watch body has only one button, making it look more like an ordinary watch, but it's not ordinary at all, offering touch and side swipe control.
The slim design of the Vivoactive3, with an 11.7mm thickness, makes it comfortable to wear in any situation. The buckle uses a traditional watch strap style, but the silicone is very soft. My only concern is whether it will turn yellow over time. The ample hole positions accommodate everyone from children to adults like me. Let's take a photo with 'Fu' for good luck and satisfaction.

Garmin has many watch series, so I'll only compare the ones I've used...

The software features are basically the same, such as smart notifications (Bluetooth connection with a smartphone), daily activity tracking, sedentary reminders, sleep monitoring, interval training, Garmin Connect, etc. The Forerunner235 is positioned as a city running watch, the Fenix series is mainly for outdoor sports, and the V3 series is classified as a healthy lifestyle watch on Garmin's official website. It has running, cycling, and indoor swimming functions, meeting the needs of most people.


With its slim design and impressive dimensions of 43.4x43.4x11.7mm, the V3 is currently my favorite. It has more features than the 235 and is more stylish and textured. It's lighter than the Fenix5S, weighing only 43 grams. As a sports watch, being lightweight is really important, and it has a touchscreen, making it easier to check workout data during exercise compared to buttons.

To avoid making this review a user manual, I won't go into detail about each function. Instead, I'll describe some easily overlooked issues when using Garmin watches.

1. Two Essential Apps

Download Connect and create a free account to record all your activities, including running, walking, cycling, swimming, and more. After completing an activity, pair the watch with your phone via Bluetooth, and the data will automatically upload to the Garmin Connect app, where you can view more detailed fitness and outdoor activity information, including time, distance, cadence, pace, heart rate, calories burned, cadence, activity map, and more.

▲ Create a free account and follow the prompts to complete the setup step by step.

▲ Next, pair the Vivoactive3 watch with the Connect app via Bluetooth.

▲ Once the watch is successfully synced with Connect, you can see all the data for 'My Day' and all past activity records.

2. Accurately Setting Your Heart Rate ZonesOnly by accurately setting your heart rate zones can you effectively use Garmin's training plans.

Based on experience, setting heart rate zones according to the percentage of heart rate reserve (HRR) is more scientific and accurate (don't use the default maximum heart rate percentage), as it considers the variability of resting heart rate in the calculation.


Here's how to do it:

▲ Click the watch icon at the top of the interface.

▲ In the settings menu, select 'User Settings,' then choose 'Heart Rate Zones.'

▲ In 'Heart Rate Zones,' generate each zone based on your maximum heart rate, resting heart rate, and the scientific HRR percentage.

Therefore, the most important thing in setting heart rate zones is accurately knowing your resting heart rate and maximum heart rate.
Resting heart rate: You can measure it yourself by feeling your pulse. For a more accurate reading, measure it in a quiet state right after waking up.
Maximum heart rate:The common prediction method (220 minus age) may not be accurate for older individuals or those who are generally fit.To accurately measure your maximum heart rate, you can use the hill running method (search online or check Garmin's official website for details).

3. Garmin Watches Can Be Linked to Codoon and Other Fitness Apps

Once your Garmin Connect account is authorized and linked to fitness apps, you can go running or cycling without carrying your phone (unless you like taking photos during workouts). After finishing your workout, the data will automatically sync to Connect and Codoon via Bluetooth.
What frustrates me is that my Connect account can't link to Codoon because Codoon defaults to Connect's domestic accounts, and I originally registered my account in the UK (for some unknown reason), making it an international account. But since I like taking photos during workouts, I haven't contacted Garmin to resolve this issue.

Next is the most important part: the sports testing. Since receiving the Vivoactive3, I've been wearing it constantly because it's so lightweight that I hardly feel its presence, only taking it off for showers and charging. As a sports watch, it's fine to wear while swimming, but I personally don't like wearing it in the shower. Charging is also quite fast, taking about two hours to fully charge.

Before exercising, press the button on the right side of the watch to choose your favorite activities. The Vivoactive3 supports over 15 sports modes, including running, swimming, golf, yoga, stair climbing, skiing, strength training, and more. Once you've set up your favorite sports modes, it's easier to find them.

▲ These are my personal favorite sports modes.

Of course, you can add your favorite sports through 'Settings' > 'Applications' > 'Add Favorites,' or by pressing the right button to view applications, then long-pressing the screen to select 'Manage Apps' to reset your favorite sports.
Smartwatch operations are quite similar, and you can quickly use them without reading the manual. However, this touchscreen watch has a trick that I didn't know about (maybe I'm just too slow): how to go back to the previous menu during operation. This issue troubled me for a while. If I made a mistake, I couldn't go back to the previous menu to correct it and had to start over from the home screen. I even complained about the time-consuming and troublesome touchscreen operation. Actually, it's very simple: just swipe from left to right. My God, it's so convenient... I only knew about swiping up and down to turn pages, but not left and right. How silly...

Next, let's see how the Vivoactive3 performs in different types of sports:
1. Running
As a sports watch, Garmin's GPS positioning speed and accuracy are impressive. The data collection and analysis are absolutely professional, far superior to those of smartwatches. Its software ecosystem is very strong, with professional training courses that can be sent directly to the watch for planning and guidance (although I haven't tried them yet). Many runners use Garmin, so you can find companions both online and offline.

Press the button on the right, select 'Running,' and while waiting for the GPS signal, press the button below to enter the settings page. Since the Vivoactive3 defaults to 1 mile (1.6 km) as the lap unit, you need to change the 'Lap' option to 1 km to match our usual habit of counting laps in kilometers. You can also define data pages, alerts, and other functions, similar to other Garmin sports watches. The first time I used the running function, it took about 30 seconds to find the satellite, which was quite fast. During the run, you can set the four data fields on the pages to your preferences (such as distance, time, current pace, cadence, heart rate, and zone) and switch between them by swiping up and down, making it easy to monitor your running data and improve your running quality.
I've used the Vivoactive3's running function many times. Below, I chose to experience it during the company's 60th-anniversary 24-hour relay run on February 23. I was responsible for running from the east gate to the west gate of the factory, using both the sports watch and the Codoon app.

▲ Codoon's activity data is quite accurate and consistent with Garmin's. During this activity, I had a few pauses. Although both Codoon and the Garmin watch have an 'auto-pause' function, there are slight differences in recognition, leading to minor data discrepancies. Also, I often forget to stop the watch after finishing the run, even though I promptly stop the Codoon app.

▲ This is the data analysis from the Connect app, which is quite comprehensive.

Compared to other Garmin sports watches, the most notable feature during running is the touch operation. It's very convenient to swipe and view all the running data I want to see without affecting my running efficiency.

2. Cycling

Due to the cold weather, I haven't ridden my mountain bike for a long time, so I don't have any cool cycling outfits to show. I experienced the Vivoactive3's night cycling function during the company's 24-hour relay event on February 23.
The operation is similar to the running function. Just select 'Cycling' in the application.

▲ Comparison with Codoon's data.

▲ I forgot to redefine the lap distance unit before cycling, so it defaulted to 8.05 km per lap. It should be set to 1 km as we are used to.

▲ You can view cycling pace, heart rate changes, altitude, and heart rate zones.
It's very convenient to check the recorded activity data on the watch during cycling. There's only one page, so no need to flip through screens. It records the activity duration, distance, speed, and heart rate, which is basically enough.

3. Swimming
I love its swimming function the most because I just started learning to swim last year. As a beginner, I want to know the swimming distance and time. Further, I want to know the swimming efficiency index Swolf (seconds per lap + strokes per lap). The lower the score, the better the swimming efficiency.
Press the right function button, select 'Pool Swim,' and it will show 'Wrist Heart Rate Not Available.' Then set the pool length and press the right function button to start recording swimming data.

▲ You can view the time and distance of each set during swimming.

▲ Basic swimming data.

▲ This data shows that after swimming 1125 meters, I pressed the right button to rest once, then swam another 700 meters, completing two sets. Each time you press the right button to rest, it counts as completing one set. I'm still a beginner in swimming and need to work hard to lower my Swolf score.
The downside is that it doesn't have stroke analysis.

4. Strength Training
I usually go to the gym for strength training, doing various exercises 3-4 times a week. Due to the review period coinciding with the Chinese New Year, the gym I have a membership at closed early for the holidays. I found a hotel gym to briefly experience the Vivoactive3's strength training function.

After selecting the strength training mode and pressing the right button to start, the watch automatically counts sets and reps.


▲ The strength training interface can record the number of reps for each exercise, the time taken to complete a set, and the rest time between sets.

You can also download training plans through Connect:

▲ You can edit training plans, including exercise names, reps, and weights. I'll experience this feature more thoroughly next week at the gym. It should help with remembering the exercise arrangements, reps, and rest times (ideally 30-60 seconds) during training, allowing me to focus on the accuracy and feeling of the movements.

▲ These mainly record training duration, calories burned, and heart rate.

5. Yoga

I attended a yoga class once. This is a new indoor exercise mode that mainly records exercise duration, calories burned, and average heart rate. This function feels optional.
I haven't tried other modes like the stair climber, elliptical, or golf yet.

In terms of appearance, the Garmin Vivoactive3 can be considered the most attractive smartwatch under Garmin's brand. It's very suitable for those who care about looks and need many sports functions. According to its official classification, it's in the 'Healthy Lifestyle' category. For ordinary fitness enthusiasts, its running, cycling, indoor swimming, and gym functions are more than enough.

Regarding the choice of Garmin watches, here are my personal suggestions for reference:

If you only run and cycle, you can choose the Garmin Forerunner235. This watch is lightweight, easy to use, and provides detailed data.

If you're an outdoor enthusiast and have high requirements for watch quality, choose the Fenix series. It's powerful and has a great texture. If you're a triathlon enthusiast, the TX Triathlon series is your best choice.

If you run, cycle, strength train, and do indoor swimming, and you care about the watch's appearance while enjoying a 'healthy lifestyle,' you can choose the high-value Vivoactive3 like I did. I personally think the white one is suitable for women, and the black one is suitable for men with not-too-thick wrists.

For my current exercise needs, compared to my Fenix5S, the Vivoactive3 only lacks an outdoor swimming function. However, it wins in price, lightness, and comfort. A healthy, sporty, and stylish life starts with the Garmin Vivoactive3 watch!