An Honest Review of the Garmin Forerunner 255 Fitness Watch – PEOPLE

Madison Yauger is commerce writer at PEOPLE, covering beauty, home, travel, and other lifestyle topics. Her background includes news, lifestyle, and commerce journalism for publications like Food & Wine, Real Simple, Health, Martha Stewart, and more. Prior to writing for Dotdash Meredith, she worked for a human rights news agency in Cape Town, South Africa, reporting action around the city as it unfolded. When not working, Madison enjoys spending time with family and friends, voraciously reading thrillers, and befriending every dog in Manhattan.
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Garmin watches and fitness trackers have been seen on the wrists of celebrities like Britney Spears and British long-distance runner and record holder, Steve Way. Of course, you don’t have to be a celebrity or marathon runner to appreciate this watch — or even a runner at all (though it helps).
I used the Garmin Forerunner 255 watch for a little over a month, and tracked various workouts to see how I liked it compared to my other wearable technology. It stacked up against the competition in many ways, as well as having a few features that weren’t as applicable to my fitness regime. Admittedly, I'm not much of a runner, so I reached out to some fitness experts who can speak to the use of wearable technology — like the Garmin watch — when running.
“Wearables have become synonymous with the fitness industry,” Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian celebrity trainer and founder of Training Mate Luke Milton tells PEOPLE. “They have evolved to be an important piece of equipment in one’s wellness journey and I personally believe we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the actual functionality of them.”
When you’re looking at wearable technology, the purpose will help guide what features will be most important to you. If you’re someone who wants more athletically-inclined tech, then you should consider a watch with features that track your workouts and progress, measure health data, track your route via GPS when running or walking, and playa music, as well as being highly durable and waterproof for various conditions. If you’re looking for more of an everyday watch, you might look at options that track fitness, but also have general uses like text, e-mail, calendar, wallet, and weather, among other things.
“I have tried [the Garmin Forerunner] and one of my besties swears by it,” PUBLIC Wellness Program director and trainer Bec Donlan tells PEOPLE. “The features are super impressive.” She likes the variety of activities you can log for a “more accurate calorie burn” record, as well as the “internal GPS links to a map meaning if you go for a run or even a surf it will show your route post workout.” This watch tracks personal records, as well as monitoring your elevation when hiking, she says, adding “the sleep trackers/cycles are incredibly accurate compared to others I’ve tried.”
After testing this watch for about a month, I found it to be extremely high quality, and would definitely recommend it to the athletes in my life.
Garmin 
Buy It! Garmin Forerunner 255, $349.99-$399.99; Garmin.com
Case Size: 46 mm | Music: Yes: $399.99; No: $349.99 | Colors: 4 (2 with music, 2 without) | Strap Material: Silicone | Lens Material: Gorilla glass 3 | Display Size: 1.3" (33 mm) diameter
Who It’s Good For: This edition of the Garmin Forerunner is ideal for any athlete, designed for running, biking, and even swimming. It has many good features to make your fitness a holistic experience with built-in music, GPS, health vitals, and other data.
Who It’s Not Good For: It’s not designed to be as functional for non-athletic uses, so it may not suit those who like to use their watch as a second phone or computer with many extra accompanying apps.

PEOPLE / MADISON YAUGER
While I don't typically run, I do love long walks and fitness classes, so I utilized the Garmin watch to fit my lifestyle. The first time I tried it, I took my dog for a walk and tracked our progress. The basics are fairly simple to use — there are five buttons to navigate around (there is no touch screen). To begin, I hit the start button, which lets you choose an activity you would like to start, such as running, walking, biking, swimming, or even a triathlon. You can also create customized options — I did one to accommodate my go-to HIIT class.
The watch tracks your workout once you hit the start button again, and will stop when the same button (start/stop) is pressed a second time. It gives you the option to resume your workout, save it, resume later, lap yourself, start over, or discard the workout entirely. 
To accommodate the running feature, I used the Garmin watch while jogging on a treadmill. I set my desired pace on the watch, which I immediately regretted when it told me I was running “too slow” (I instantly flashed back to my middle school P.E. coach yelling the same thing, but I digress). In all seriousness, this feature is ideal for marathons because you can map out a pace to hit your goal time, and the watch will tell you if you’re on target to hit it with each step you take. After your workouts, you can input your “perceived effort” as well as select an emoji for how you feel in the aftermath. All of these targets help create an overall picture of your workout, which you can view under the "stats" section.
Throughout all of my workouts, I was able to track my progress while enjoying some of the bonus features, like music. (*Queues up Taylor Swift’s Midnights for the hundredth time*) For some fun jams while you work out, hold the "down" button to access music on your watch. Though you’ll have to connect it via your music provider (whether Spotify, Apple Music, etc.), this feature provides an easy way to listen to tunes while you move.
Once you’ve finished your workout and are ready to head to bed, the watch continues to monitor your health, tracking your heart rate and sleep stages (light, deep, and REM) using the Advanced Sleep Monitoring feature (accessible through the Garmin Connect mobile app). Just make sure to wear the watch for at least two hours prior to going to bed (and leave it on while you sleep) to get the most accurate data. 

PEOPLE / MADISON YAUGER
Overall, I think the Garmin Forerunner 255 is a highly valuable watch for tracking consistent fitness progress over a long period of time. It has features that would make it ideal for seasoned athletes who run marathons and triathlons, or even those who prefer a light jog through the park. It consistently tracked my workouts, and while it didn’t necessarily improve or alter my fitness regime, it met me where I’m at, which I appreciate in my wearable technology.
It’s also extremely comfortable to wear — there were times I forgot I was wearing it because it's so lightweight. The battery is also incredible. You charge it once and it lasts for up to two weeks. I was skeptical at first, but every time I went to check the watch, it was still kicking, waiting for me to put it on for my next workout. I only ended up charging it a few times over the course of a month (unlike other wearable devices that you have to charge every night). 
If you’re someone who runs distances, the GPS feature will surely come in handy, as well as the health monitoring features for high-intensity fitness classes, jogs, and the like. Plus it comes with bonus features like Garmin Pay (similar to Apple Pay) where you can load your credit card onto the watch and pay electronically with contactless payment. So, if you need a post-workout smoothie, you can buy one on the way home — no wallet necessary.
Regardless of what kind of athlete you are, this watch has features for so many types of exercise — it really is a versatile fitness tracker. Weighing all things equally, it’s very comparable to other wearable devices, but I think in terms of tracking specific fitness measurements and overall performance, this watch is one the best, especially if you’re a serious athlete.

PEOPLE / MADISON YAUGER
“The most important feature of any good wearable depends on your personal goals,” says Milton. That said, fitness tracking is one of the primary reasons that someone might buy a Garmin watch, so that’s a big one. This watch has extensive fitness tracking features such as training (for marathons/triathlons/etc.), daily suggested workouts, various longterm training programs, and even GPS-based pace guidance to help you set a course before a run. Milton says he values the ability to track your runs/rides/swims etc. and then replicate them and try and beat your time. "GPS would be up there with one of the more important aspects for me," he says.
Then there’s the other half of fitness tracking, which is health monitoring — features that measure your vitals, sleep, etc. There’s even a morning report to show you an overview of health and training stats. “Reliability is so important to get accurate feedback,” says Milton. “Make sure that if you are using a wearable to track your workouts/movement that the information you are getting is correct." (He notes the importance of step-counting accuracy and how a lot of the early versions of wearables would mistakenly recognize hand movement as a step: "Apple and Fitbit have really evolved this, and I am a fan of the Garmin products too.")
Beyond fitness and health data, many watches — including the Garmin — have bonus features like playing music, showing the weather report, syncing up with your calendar or e-mails, and even a pay feature to have a digital wallet available when you’re on the go. “Any extra features that stop me reaching for my phone in a workout are a huge plus because it means less distractions,” says Donlan. “Things like connecting to Spotify, GPS, calendar, the weather, syncing with texts for notifications, etc.” If these features are on your watch, you won’t reach for your phone to check them, thus pausing your workout. 
“Music is so important, so make sure that your wearable can sync with your playlist,” says Milton. “We have identified music to be a key motivator in fitness and consistency of workouts, so I strongly recommend you find a wearable that does that. Apple is the obvious front runner in this department.” That said, the music feature works easily on Garmin watches, too, once you get it set up. 
Wearable technology is not cheap, and though these watches are usually small devices, they have a lot of tech inside them that makes for an expensive price tag. The Garmin Forerunner is comparable in price to other popular fitness watches, costing either $350 or $400 depending on whether you choose a "music" or "no music" option (the latter has music capabilities).
There are many great wearable fitness trackers available, and different options might win your favor depending on your goals. One of the original fitness trackers is, of course, the Fitbit. If you just want the basic features of a fitness and health tracker, this is a good pick. However, If you want something with a touch screen that’s easier to navigate and is a more holistic piece of tech that acts as a second phone, the Apple Watch might be a better choice. “Apple did a great job of ‘gamification’ with their ‘rings’ — closing out a ring when you achieve a fitness/movement goal is a great way to keep you engaged and consistent,” says Milton.
If you like the tech of the Garmin Forerunner 255 watch, but the look of the Apple Watch, the Garmin Venu Sq. 2 offers similar tech and design. “I haven’t personally tried the Garmin; however, I am looking forward to it as my friends speak so highly of it,” says Milton. “They are leading the way when it comes to GPS, map plotting, etc. They are very popular with cyclists.”
Some other fitness and health tracker options to consider:
If you consider yourself an athlete and want a watch that can keep up with your workouts, track progress, create custom daily workouts, help you train for races, and so much more, this watch is 100 percent worth it. (Plus if you’re someone who forgets to charge your devices, this watch battery lasts for over a week.) If you prefer something that balances fitness with daily watch wear uses like text, calendar, secondary phone, etc., this one has those features, they just aren’t as easily accessible as, say, an Apple Watch, so that’s something to keep in mind. This watch will get you across the finish line, whether it’s an actual marathon, or just your personal fitness goals.

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