WELLBEING | Celebrating The Joy Of Little Wins With a Bit of Help From My Garmin Venu 3S

August 27, 2024 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Health & Fitness, Homepage Feature, Walks, Wellbeing

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When I found myself lacking a little in fitness motivation, getting back on track and keeping myself accountable was a priority. I recently kick-started a new fitness regime and here I share some little wins that can help you do the same…

No matter how you choose to move your body, be proud and celebrate the little wins!

When I started running during lockdown I never imagined I’d grow to love it. Fast forward and I’m still running, but doing much less outdoors now and far more on my home treadmill. I’m also still doing plenty of open water swimming and of course, lots of walking too, but lately I’ve been lacking focus and knew I needed to do something to renew my motivation and hold myself accountable.

Getting back into good fitness habits

As someone who tries their best to offset the damage done by having a full-time desk job, it has always been important for me to track my steps and to understand what that means in terms of calories. As a poor sleeper too, I like the insights that detailed sleep reports provide.

Celebrating The Joy Of Little Wins With a Bit of Help From Garmin — Running during lockdown

Once I take my eye off the ball and stop tracking things, that’s when my healthy habits begin to slip, leading to a downward trajectory for my sense of wellbeing and mental health, so I’ve always felt I benefit from wearing a fitness/health tracker.

My entry-level Garmin Forerunner smartwatch was a step up from my super basic Fitbit and served me well for many years, but frustrated with its inability to track swimming amongst other things, forcing me to switch to my dedicated Poolmate swim watch, I’d been on the lookout for an upgrade for some time.

Tracking little wins with the Garmin Venu 3S

I’m now the proud owner of the Garmin Venu 3S smartwatch, a fantastic piece of wearable tech that’s several steps up from my old Forerunner 45S.

My new smartwatch effortlessly paired to the Garmin Connect app which I’ve been using for many years (and much prefer over Strava or the Fitbit app) and I had it up and running, with a super-cute fully customised watch face, in just a few minutes.

The best part of my new smartwatch is its extended activity tracking. Having recently returned to yoga and pilates classes after a massive break of 15 years, it’s a joy to be able to track all of the activities I do, including meditation.

It’s so nice not needing to switch between my old Forerunner, designed primarily for running and my dedicated swimming watch, a single device that does it all has made a huge difference and means there’s one less thing to think about.

“We can move our bodies simply because it feels good to do so.”

Whether you’re looking to take control of your health, want to kickstart a new fitness routine or you simply want to hit a daily step count, a smartwatch really does give you the knowledge that you need to keep you on track and help you make better decisions.

Walking in The New Forest at the weekend wearing my Garmin Venu3S

Whilst hitting a personal best is always cause for celebration, unless you’re training hard for an event or are a serious athlete, it’s not all about hitting a PB every time you head out for a run.

A hike needn’t be a race to see how fast you can reach a summit and a swim can just be a swim.

Open water swimming, easily tracked on my new Garmin Venu 3S

Unless you’re specifically event training, we need to remember that we can move our bodies simply because it feels good to do so, not because we need to be getting ‘better’ every time we do it.

Celebrating little fitness wins, particularly for those new to exercise or returning to it after a long break, can absolutely be about being gentle with yourself and recognising that anything you do is a cause for celebration.

A slow run is still a run, a tough yoga session you struggle through is still a yoga session, a short swim is still a swim – you get the picture.

So after your next, walk, run, swim or gym session, don’t beat yourself up about what you didn’t achieve, focus on and celebrate everything that you did achieve without the pressure to be faster or to go longer or harder than last time.

How to Celebrate Little Fitness Wins

1. Start small and create a habit

For those just starting out or returning after a break, start small! Sign up for one beginners class a week. Go for one walk a week. Go for one swim. Don’t be tempted to jump straight in a decide you’ll exercise every day or multiple times a week.

You might want to start even smaller, with a few minutes of home yoga or weight training a couple of times a week, gradually working up to doing more as exercise becomes a habit.

Starting small and keeping goals achievable can do wonders for self-esteem too, making you feel good instead of making you feel bad for not sticking to something more unrealistic.

2. Ditch the endless drive towards achieving PBs

Try not to get too hung up on personal bests, seeing stats like your Vo2 max increase or becoming a local hero for specific run segments – although I’d be lying if those things didn’t give me a little boost when they do happen!

Move your body because you enjoy it and because you know each time you do, you’re investing in your health and wellbeing and that’s good enough.

3. Don’t get hung up on what you didn’t do

Don’t beat yourself up if you are unable to meet your daily goals. Life will often get in the way of our best intentions, but you can pledge to make it up the next day or the following weekend, whatever works for you.

10k steps is often lauded as the goal we should all aspire to, but if you’ve done little exercise in the past or are in recovery, you may want to set your daily step goal to something more attainable, after all, there’s no point feeling like you’ve failed day after day which can leave you ultimately demotivated.

4. Set up move alerts

Lots of different fitness-tracking smartwatches provide movement alerts or similar, and if they are optional, I’d recommend turning them on. The Garmin Venu 3s does an incredible job of nudging me to move throughout the working day when I’d otherwise be largely motionless at my desk and stiff by mid-afternoon.

The Garmin Body Battery™ feature is something I find super helpful too. In very simple terms, when I’ve had a particularly active day it sends soothing guidance to wind down and congratulates me (a little win!), and when I’ve had a sloth-like day, it provides gentle encouragement to move my body to facilitate better sleep.

5. Choose something you enjoy

Finding the time to fit exercise into a busy life isn’t easy and often requires a total rethink of priorities. Some may get up earlier to fit it in, others may have to make sacrifices elsewhere to find a space to invite consistent exercise into their lives.

Creating space in your life will always be easier if it’s for something you enjoy.

Remember though, that just because something is hard, doesn’t mean you can’t find enjoyment from that. Likewise, choosing something easy might not be enough to keep you motivated, so it’s a good idea to give as many different activities a try as you can.

Yoga is amazing for every level and can be done with a minimal amount of space at home, all you really need is access to YouTube, though professional in-person instruction, particularly for total beginners is best, so try looking for local classes, particularly If working out at home isn’t practical.

If you’re competitive you might want to have a go at Cross Fit or give Park Run a try. From walking to weight training, cycling to open water swimming, there are so many options to choose from, with a bit of dedication you’ll find something you enjoy that you can fit easily into your life.

More about my Garmin Venu 3S

I chose the Venu 3S which is the smaller version of the Venu 3 (smaller watch face, and smaller strap size). It’s packed full of features, including a full-colour touch screen, WiFi, voice controls, advanced health tracking, excellent battery life, loads of stats and the ability to track everything from open water swimming to sleep data.

Double the price of my old Garmin Forerunner 45S, it’s genuinely worth every penny and I’d thoroughly recommend it.

Mine cost £399 from Very, and you can view their full wearable tech range here.

Read about some of the things I do to stay active.