Honesty hour: I really struggled with figuring out the “how” in being healthy after having a baby. 

I knew it would take a while for my body to go back to “normal” (if ever). I nodded my head and listened when people told me it takes time and you need to just give yourself grace. But, at the same time, I knew I wanted to claim back this area of health and I wanted to do it quickly.

It wasn’t about losing weight.

It wasn’t about fitting back into pre-mom jeans.

It wasn’t about needing to prove myself. 

It’s simply this: I want to be the healthiest version of myself for my little girl. 

I have a little girl. Yes, I am still allowing that thought to sink in. And this little girl will grow up into a world that will do everything it can to label her and assign roles to her and make her fit inside its skinny, perfect boxes. And honestly? I can’t say she won’t try. My mother gave me the healthiest depiction of motherhood and womanhood possible and I still tried my hardest to wedge myself into all the labels and all the roles and all the boxes.

But I want to try…

To give her a true picture of health.

To show her what it looks like to really take care of this body of mine.

To demonstrate daily how I treat my body like a temple.

To show her that health does matter and there is a healthy way to approach it.

So I made an investment in my own health… 

I bought a fitness watch. I debated over the purchase for a few weeks. I kept asking Lane if I should make the purchase and he kept saying to me, “Only if you use it.” 

After two months of using my Garmin watch (I went with the Garmin VivoActive 4S in rose gold), I can confidently say: I made the right choice and this watch has been an absolute game-changer for me. 

Here are a few of the elements I, personally, love about my fitness watch:

IT TRACKS LIKE A BEAST

Wow. If you’re a data junkie like me then you’ll be immediately satisfied with the Garmin watch.

This baby can track with the best of them. 

I can track my workouts and how many calories I burn.

I can track how long I spend in the “Zone,” which is the really intense heart rate zone.

I can track how much sleep I get throughout the night.

I can track steps and flights of stairs I walk.

I can track how much water I’m getting in. **This is a big one. I was consistently having trouble getting enough water on a daily basis and being dehydrated. Since getting this watch, I’ve been tracking my water intake seamlessly every single day. I’ve been hitting 90-100 ounces almost every day and feeling great as a result. 

If all this watch did was simply track my health journey, I’d be more than happy. The way this watch tracks data is worth the price alone, in my honest opinion. 

I LIKE THAT IT ISN’T AN APPLE WATCH

There. I said it. Lane bought me an Apple Watch for my birthday in 2017 and I am embarrassed to admit I never wore it. I tried and failed to charge that thing up and make it a consistent habit in my life but I just couldn’t. 

At the end of the day, I already find my iPhone to be way too addicting. I am constantly placing boundaries down in my life so that I can be more present and consume less. The Apple Watch was just an extension of that. It was like having a mini-computer on my wrist.

Some people need a mini-computer on their wrist. I am not one of those people.

I like that the Garmin sends notifications *if I choose to activate them* for texts that come through or phone calls but it does not bombard me with notifications for emails or try to bait me back to my phone.

I LOVE THE LOOK OF IT

Plain and simple: I just love the way my Garmin watch looks. 

I’m one of those people who does not want to sacrifice the look and feel of something for functionality. Lane would argue this isn’t smart and I would agree that Target often suckers me into too many not-so-amazing products through their impeccable branding but hey, what can I say? I love a good aesthetic.

I love the round face of the watch. I love the rose gold exterior. It’s a watch I actually want to put on my wrist. It is an accessory that I like leaving on– no matter if I am dressing up or wearing athleisure. 

THE BATTERY LIFE IS WILD

I felt like I was never using my Apple Watch simply because I was always forgetting to charge it and the watch was losing battery power all the time. Sometimes I would wear the watch without it even being on… stupid, I know. 

I’ve been so surprised to find out just how insane the battery life of the Garmin watch is. I only have to charge it once every 5 days or so. It takes about 30-minutes to an hour to get a full charge and then I’m back in business for the next 5 days. I love that I don’t have to take the watch off at night (love to track those sleep levels) and can easily plug it in while I’m working at the computer during the day.