APPLE WATCH QUICK REVIEW – FITNESS WITH THE APPLE WATCH, 3 Pros, 3 Cons
APPLE WATCH – 3 YEARS IN WAITING
So, the day I’ve been waiting for, for nearly three years, came this past Friday – the day I received my iWatch…I mean Apple Watch…sorry.
As many of you might already know, I wanted the Apple Watch to be a reality three years ago when I purchased my first smart watch, the MotoACTV…which turned out to be AWESOME!!!!
Now, being that Motorola no longer makes the MotoACTV, and because all my other electronic devices I have and use on a daily basis are Apple products, having an Apple Watch would make my life that much more simple…but simplicity was only one factor of the many I needed the Apple Watch to excel at.
Yeah, I want my smart watch to be as smart as it can be, but, most importantly, I want my watch to help me be a better me – specifically by tracking and providing feed back about, and during, my fitness/life training – something the MotoACTV was pretty awesome at…even if it didn’t communicate with my iPhone.
So, with that in mind, “that” being a mindset set on needing a smart fitness device, without further adieu, my frist-impression review of the Apple Watch as an overall fitness companion.
APPLE WATCH AND FITNESS
FIT
PROS
When I first took the Apple Watch out the box I immediately thought to myself, “Damn, this sports band is pretty flimsy…don’t know if I like that.” I got the Apple Watch with the white sports band, and at first touch I was a bit worried.
But, after putting the watch on, I completely changed my mind.
Once on the wrist the watch and band felt great!
I have tried a number of fitness bands, watches, and devices over the years and I must say the Apple Watch fits perfectly and feels great on…staying out of the way no matter which way you decide to turn your wrist.
I did a yoga, weight lifting, stretching, ab, and running session with the watch on and I am very glad to report that the watch did not get in the way (be it pinching or digging into my hand, wrist, or equipment) at all. The watch does not slide or really move during a workout…not even when I originally had it loose on my wrist.
CONS
The only negative, which isn’t necessarily a negative in my book, is that to get an accurate, and consistent, heart rate reading during a workout you have to have the watch on pretty snug. Just to give you an idea, to get a consistent heart rate reading while working out I had to wear the watch two-notches tighter while working out than where I normally wear it during the day.
THE APPS – Health & Fitness
PROS
The Activity and Workout apps are visually very nice, informative, and pretty quick and easy to read. The Activity App does a great job of breaking down your daily stats and further breaking down your multiple workouts for that day. But, while the Activity App excels in showing and breaking down your stats, the Workout App needs some work!
CONS
Though it’s good enough, the Workout App leaves a few things to be desired.
For one, IT ONLY TRACKS CERTAIN CARDIO WORKOUTS!
Now, it’s okay that the watch only tracks certain cardio workouts because at the end of the day you can still track your heart rate during any “Other” workout, BUT THAT’S THE ISSUE – “OTHER” WORKOUTS APPEAR AS JUST THAT… “OTHER” WORKOUTS.
In other words, if the workout you are about to do is not already in the predefined Apple Watch workout list (which happen all to be cardio workout), the only thing you can do is select “Other.”
Now, that would be okay if your “Other” workout was always the same type of “Other” but, if you’re like me, and do a number of different “Other” workouts…
…HOW THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO TELL THE “OTHER” WORKOUTS APART FROM EACH OTHER IF YOU CAN’T LABEL THEM…?
If you can’t already tell, this little tidbit, not being able to label (i.e., input your workout name/type) your “Other” workouts annoys the hell out of me!
THIS ESPECIALLY ANNOYS ME BECAUSE “Other” workouts appear in the Activity app as just that, “Other.”
So, the day I did yoga, arms (weight training), and abs, I had 3 different “Other” entries in the Activity app with no way of editing the title of each entry which defaulted to “Other.” So, because I do different workouts throughout the week I’ll just see a bunch of “Others” in the Activity app at the end of the week.
THIS IS A HUGE CON FOR ME because, unless you use another method of keeping track of your workouts (i.e., notebook, calendar, or another app), all you’ll know is that you did “Other” workouts throughout the week with no idea at all of what “Other” workouts you did on Monday vs. Tuesday vs. Thursday morning vs. Thursday afternoon…get the point…?
THE POINT IS THAT I SIMPLY WANT TO ENTER THE NAME OF THE “OTHER” WORKOUT I AM DOING so that I don’t have to keep track of it somewhere else! I.E., I don’t want to have to cross reference the Activity App with something else just to know what I did as the “Other” workout that day, week , or month!
IS THIS “OTHER” A DEAL BREAKER?
Well, as annoying as I find it, no, it’s not a deal breaker…for me anyways.
It’s not a deal breaker for me because I keep track of my workouts mentally and with the Fitlist app.
NONETHELESS IT SEEMS LIKE A HUGE OVER SITE ON APPLE’S PART! AND IS AN UNNECESSARY ANNOYANCE FOR US ALL.
But, because it seems like a simple software update issue, I am willing to wait until they give us the ability to name the “Other” workouts in the Workout app! Even if I have to do it via my phone in the Activity App – JUST LET ME NAME MY “OTHER” WORKOUTS SO I CAN KEEP TRACK OF THEM TOO!!!!
IF APPLE DOES NOT ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, AND DO IT SOON, THEY’LL LOSE A LOT OF FITNESS PEOPLE!!!!
APPLE WATCH ACTIVITY APP…ADDICTING?
BEING CONNECTED….TO YOURSELF…
If you’re anything like me (i.e., addicted to stats, knowing, and constantly trying to get better), then, like many other fitness trackers, the Apple Watch might be yet another addiction.
Yeah, I know it’s another tech device to keep us connected to the world, but instant messages and Twitter is not what I am talking about with the Apple Watch (as a matter of fact, I was originally worried I’d be too connected…but, I am happy to report, I am not). Instead of being connected to the world wide web 24 hours a day, for fitness enthusiast the Apple Watch might just be yet another thing to keep your one-track-mind on being fit!
Or, and here is the beauty in it, YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT IT AND JUST BE YOU and at the end of the day, check up on your stats.
Wait…did I just say “check up on your stats?”
With the Apple Watch you don’t have to do that at all – and I love it! With the Apple Watch you can forget about tracking your own progress, hand that task over to the watch, and let Apple Watch remind you how you’re doing throughout the day…it’s like having your own personal coach!
APPLE WATCH – BREAKING ADDICTION?
YOUR OWN PERSONAL COACH
Instead of finding myself addicted to checking my stats (as most of my previous fitness trackers have done), the Apple Watch has actually made me less concerned about my stats…which is pretty awesome if you ask me.
“How.” you may be asking?
Well, the Apple Watch gives you periodic updates on how you are doing throughout the day, which has allows me to forget about tracking my progress throughout the day because I know the watch is taking care of it.
AND, BEST OF ALL, UNLIKE OTHER FITNESS TRACKERS, the stats on the Apple Watch do not seem inflated at all!
IN SUMMATION – APPLE WATCH, THUMBS UP OR DOWN?
To put it simply, 1-1/2 Thumbs Up…so far.
Unlike other fitness trackers out there, the heart rate, pedometer, and other stats the Apple Watch collects seem accurate, and, more importantly, non-inflated.
Pros:
Built-In Heart Rate Monitor – the monitor, if the watch is worn snug during a workout, is pretty accurate and worth every penny to not have to deal with keeping a chest strap in place and connected.
Activity Tracker/APP – simply put, awesome and easy and nice to read.
Fit – the Apple Watch’s fit is pretty perfect (for me anyways). It does not press into your wrist, get in the way of your weights, or snag on anything (equipment, close, or other body parts).
Cons:
Workout App – As mentioned above, the only real beef I have with the watch has to do with the Workout App itself.
The two main issues with the app are:
- Lack of user interface control (i.e., you can not adjust/program/pick which stats appear on the watch to track your fitness – you have to be okay with Apple’s predetermined configurations).
- Lack of Workout Types (i.e., the “Other” issue). The workout app is limited to a few cardio workouts and has only one default catchall for all other workouts – “Other.” And, as of right now, you can not edit nor add your own personal “Other” workouts so all “Other” workouts you do will show up as “Other” in the Activity App…which pretty much simply sucks….BUT I HAVE FAITH APPLE WILL FIX THIS PRONTO!
