I gave the people at Fitbit full disclosure that I’m not exactly a gym… person, and they said to give the Versa 3 a go anyway – apparently, there are lots of sneaky ways the device helps motivate you, so I was interested to see if they would work on me.
Their much-loved Versa model was upgraded this year with a heap of new health and fitness features – as well as a legit built-in microphone and speaker and the choice between Google Assistant and Alexa. Yep, you can speak into it and make it do things for you! Nifty!
If you’re new to smart watches like me, the device does take a bit of getting used to in terms of knowing where all the widgets are and how to master them. For me, I simplified it by focusing on getting to know the features and apps I’d actually use.
Upon activating my device and syncing it with my iPhone, I prioritised linking it up with my Spotify. The Versa 3 lets you control Spotify from your wrist, and knowing I could head out on a walk with my doggo and switch tracks in my playlist without having to mess around with my phone was super handy.
Another thing that surprised me was the little guy that jumps up on your watch at various times throughout the day to remind you to get off your a*** and move. When you meet your movement goal, he throws a little party on your wrist to celebrate.
And by movement, that literally just means getting some steps in – the goals aren’t super ambitious. For me, that looked like leaving the home office for a coffee run. And ta-da – I’ve done 249 steps. No biggie, just a fitness queen over here.
I jest. Admittedly, the thing I got into most was the mindfulness and meditation tools. According to Fitbit, this year has seen a drastic uptake in users practicing yoga and Pilates compared to last year. Meditation is up by a whopping 3,508 per cent, which is not exactly surprising data given what’s gone down in 2020. The Versa 3 offers guided meditation sessions (where you focus on your breathing) which are personalised according to your heart rate. I’ve been doing these in the evenings before bed.
The device also lets you set weekly mindfulness goals and build on your practice from day to day. If you’re new to all this, it’s a really approachable way to get a bit of calm time into your workday. It might only be for two minutes, but who’s counting? Literally no one except you.