I’ve talked a lot about my relationship with running on my Instagram before but when Garmin came to me to try their new Vivoactive 3 music watch I knew I wanted to dive deeper into my running journey with all of you. Running has always been one of those things I just wish I was naturally good at. I remember as a young child, watching my Dad go out for a run and watching him train for half and full marathons. I remember sitting on the sidelines watching him race by and thinking I hope one day I can run like that. As I got older, I played soccer and participated in gym class and I was never good at the running bit. I always became winded easily and I realized I could run and run but where was I going?! Round and round and round a track normally and I was often really bored. As I got older, I pretty much never ran unless it was to get ice cream, ha!

But when I began my weight loss journey, running called to me like never before. I’ve said before that in my head I thought if I could run 5 miles without stopping I would finally be fit and strong and athletic. For me running became one of my biggest teachers during my journey and one that would make me so happy one day and one that would have me upset and frustrated the next. But it was always a major goal of mine throughout my journey to be able to run and not stop, to never give up. It was one of the only other goals I had in my journey other than the number on the scale and I think it helped keep me from going nuts! Running truly does clear your mind like nothing else, it became my version of moving meditation.

Fitness trackers and watches were not a big thing when I was losing weight but thankfully because my dad was a runner he actually introduced me to my very first watch and fitness tracker before everyone even had them! I had a Garmin Forerunner and it was awesome. It kept track of my heart rate and I could time my runs as well. I loved it.

Fast forward a couple of years and now there are so many amazing fitness trackers and watch options available to purchase. But my absolute favorite watch/fitness tracker for running is still Garmin, hands down. I’ve been using the new Garmin Vivoactive 3 music to take with me on my runs and walks. It tracks my movement with a built-in GPS for incredible accuracy and also holds music so I can run out the door, phone-free, and have everything I could possibly need. The music feature is what really makes this watch shine for me. You can listen to your favorite iheartRadio playlists and you can also download up to 500 songs straight to your watch. Simply connect the watch with your favorite Bluetooth headphones and you’re ready for phone-free listening where ever you and your watch go!

Not only does the Garmin Vivoactive 3 music track my runs and walks, but I can also use it as my everyday fitness tracker. There are more than 15 preloaded sports apps to track all different types of movement including, yoga, swimming, strength training, and so many more! And once you download the app you can access preloaded workouts, create your own or download custom ones to your watch, so you can train just the way you like.

Another cool feature of the Garmin Vivoactive 3 music is its ability to monitor your fitness level with the VO2 max and fitness age estimates and that the watch can actually help you keep an eye on how you handle stress. But one of my absolute favorite features is the battery life. I can charge it fully and it’s ready to go for 7 days in smartwatch mode and up to 5 hours in GPS with music mode. This means I never have to worry if I forget my charger or forget to charge it overnight!

This post was sponsored by Garmin. The views, ideas, and opinions expressed here are my own. Sponsored posts help fund the work I do here on Fittybritttty.com at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your constant love and support!