The Best Gift for Runners, Fitness Lovers, and Gym Goers: Fitness Watches

The holiday season is once again coming around the corner, and we’re spending a lot of time at home. The coronavirus restrictions are still a reality for many of us, and if that isn’t keeping you inside, the colder weather surely is. Because of these factors, fitness lovers are having a harder time staying active. Fitness trackers are a great way to add some much-needed motivation to exercise during these trying times, and they can serve as a great gift for any runner or fitness junkie.

Fitness watches are especially good at tracking activities such as running, cycling, and walking. They have complex algorithms and sensors that give you an idea of how many calories you burned, how many steps you took, what kind of distance you traveled, and your pace.

If you’re working from home during the coronavirus lockdowns, your fitness may not be as good as it once was. You’re moving around a lot less, burning a lot less calories, and maybe gaining a few too many extra pounds. You may be looking for more ways to lose that extra weight you picked up, and fitness trackers are a great way to get you back on track with your fitness goals.

It should be no surprise that the Apple Watch is one of the most intuitive fitness trackers, and it also has one of the best-looking interfaces. But it has one glaring problem compared to other fitness trackers: you get very little data to actually assess your workouts when compared to more specialized fitness trackers like those from Garmin or Fitbit.

Another setback—the Apple Watch is one of the few fitness trackers that requires daily charging—while many fitness trackers from Fitbit and Garmin have a full week of battery life. And while most fitness trackers can work with either an Android or iPhone, you can only pair your Apple Watch to an iPhone :(

Is the Apple Watch the best looking fitness tracker? Yes—without a doubt—but a part of me wishes that Apple could make a separate watch for fitness junkies that would sacrifice some of the additional smartwatch functions for better battery life and more in-depth fitness analytics.

Why buy the Apple Watch since it clearly isn’t the best fitness tracker? Although the Apple Watch doesn’t natively display in-depth fitness analytics, it is perhaps the best smartwatch on the market and is able to augment your iPhone in ways that no other wearable can.

Even thought the Apple Watch doesn’t provide the most in-depth fitness statistics, it’s one of the most advanced wearable devices currently on the market, and it’s well worth every penny if you want the best smartwatch money can buy.

If you want a fitness tracker that displays more in-depth relevant fitness data than the Apple Watch, consider getting a Garmin, Fitbit, or any other wearable that is specifically catered towards fitness junkies. Although the Apple Watch is super sleek, it loses out to these devices because of its inability to natively provide detailed workout summaries and track reps for gym-based workouts.

Since Garmin specializes in making professional sports watches, they put a lot of effort into developing their smartwatches and proprietary apps to give you a ton of in-depth fitness data. Although their watches may seem overpriced, you will realize why once you open the Garmin Connect app—trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

Garmin makes some of the most advanced fitness trackers on the market. They are well worth it if you are an athlete or just somebody serious about fitness.

We hope you have a better idea about which watch would make the perfect gift for your favorite fitness lover! And remember, no matter what the season, Back Market always has deals on refurbished smartwatches and fitness trackers, so don't feel like you need to buy now! The deals are always fresh here; plenty of time to buy :)