Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
Spring has sprung! Despite the COVID-19 nastiness surrounding us, it’s not too late to get your buns up and out of the house for a nice walk or run. If you’re lucky enough to live near the woods, you can nip on over for a beautiful trek through nature, but those stuck in the suburbs can also reap the benefits of taking a lap or two around the block.
For the more serious-minded walker or athlete, though, time is often of the essence. Spring is the perfect season to start timing your walks or runs to see how fast you are. For the more race-minded speedsters among you, this is a crucial aspect to your training, so it’s key to have a watch on hand (literally!) to measure your average speed, distance, and time.
One of the best gadgets to do this is a GPS watch. While you can just as easily download an app like Runkeeper, which will pretty much perform the same functions, it doesn’t hold a candle to the accuracy of GPS watches. They’re lightweight, sleek, and guaranteed to get you right for race day.
Still not convinced? Read on to learn about the features that make these watches a must-have for anyone serious about crossing the finish line as quickly as they can.
Bye-Bye, Phone
Is there anything worse than trying to open your phone with a sweaty hand mid-run? Probably. Even so, there’s no denying that fumbling through your passcode while trying to maintain a steady gait is a downright nuisance. Fortunately, a GPS watch eliminates this problem. However, if you’re worried about silence during your walk or run, fear not; you can download music and podcasts on most watches and link them up to cordless headphones. You’ll never have to worry about a sweat-stained phone screen again.
Stay on Track in Every Way
What good would a GPS watch be if it didn’t track your distance and speed? However, you may be pleasantly surprised to discover that these watches keep working for you well after your walks and runs. Many also track how many steps you’ve walked in a day, your heart rate, and your sleeping patterns. For those looking to optimize their lifestyle and live as healthily as possible, consider a model that can perform all these functions for you.
Furthermore, tracking your daily activity is an excellent way to practice consistency throughout your training. It’s become common knowledge that sitting too much can be very detrimental to your health and that a daily distance of 10,000 steps can help counteract the adverse effects that sitting too much causes. Thankfully, these watches can also send you regular reminders to get up and move, so that you’ll never have an excuse not to get moving every day.
Hookin’ It Up
Yet another benefit of these handy little watches is that you can connect it to your other electronic devices. Social media butterflies will be especially keen to learn this, as they can share their progress with their family and friends and perhaps even motivate themselves in the process. Furthermore, you can use larger devices to measure the sum of your data and look for trends in your training and progress. Lastly, since GPS watches use GPS technology to track your location, there’s hardly a spot on the planet where you can’t use it to track your activity, making it an incredibly versatile piece of technology.
Spot on Records
As mentioned earlier, free phone apps may track your activity sufficiently, but their accuracy may leave something to be desired. If you’re a numbers person, this may very well drive you bananas and for a good reason. How can you be sure you’re getting the most from your training if your tracker isn’t doing its job? But accuracy goes just beyond your speed and distance–you’ll also want your course to be accurate. Thankfully, GPS technology narrows this down to the wire, meaning that you’ll be able to see every last stop and turn on your trail. This technology can come in handy if you’re hoping to streamline your route.
Perhaps you’re keen to go out and buy a GPS watch as soon as you can now, and really who can blame you? With a host of benefits for people looking to either fine-tune their walking or running routine or improve their general health overall, these watches will only add to and improve your life. Thankfully, we have an excellent website for lightweight GPS watches: GeoSettr. Head over there today to browse through the top watches on the market and set your life in motion.
Disclosure – this is a collaborative post.
