2023 Garmin Fitness Report
New data shows Garmin customers work year-round to meet their goals — no New Year’s resolutions needed.
The champagne has been popped and Auld Lang Syne has been sung. Now what? Many people use this time as an opportunity to set new goals but before you get too focused on how to change your habits, let’s take the time to appreciate how far you’ve come. Because we happen to think that Garmin customers were pretty great to begin with.
Take 2023, for example. As with years past, we decided to take a deep dive into the data collected in the Garmin Connect™ app, a tool used by millions of fitness lovers worldwide to track just about every health and fitness metric you can think of. And, as suspected, Garmin customers don’t need a holiday to serve as a reminder to continue to beat yesterday. You all spent the entirety of 2023 pushing yourselves to achieve new goals, and the numbers show it.
So, yes. Let’s use this time as a reminder to keep aiming for bigger and better. As an athlete, you already know you need a foundation to build on, so rather than getting too crazy about completely changing who you are, let’s look at your successes from 2023. Because data doesn’t lie — and Garmin customers clearly don’t need a holiday to remind them to put in the work.
Top Activities of 2023
As a group, you completed more of nearly every activity you’re passionate about than you did in 2022 — but some, of course, stand out more than others. Based on total activity counts, here’s how Garmin users moved the most this year:
- Running
- Walking
- Cycling
- Strength Training
- Indoor Cardio
Didn’t see your preferred fitness routine included? Don’t worry — we’ve got plenty more data where that came from. Keep reading to learn which of our activity categories showed serious growth in 2023 as compared to 2022. Spoiler alert: It’s most of them.
Running
Year after year, the numbers tell us the same thing: Garmin runners are not to be trifled with. Whether you’re hunkering down during a global pandemic, adjusting to life back at the office again or simply maintaining the status quo on your daily routines, you constantly find the time to log more runs. On the treadmill or on the trail, in the house or out in the wilderness, 2023 running activities show dramatic increases over 2022. Luckily, the Forerunner® 265 and Forerunner® 965 series running watches launched early in 2023, providing serious runners with all of the Garmin features you’ve come to know and love, complete with bright AMOLED displays — all the better to quickly glance at your watch as you blaze right past those personal records.
Cycling
Some people enjoy peacefully sitting outside to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature — other people prefer ripping through it in pursuit of that next personal record. Looking at the 2023 increases in outdoor cycling over 2022, you can guess which category Garmin cyclists fall into. You all left your limits in the dust, whether that was grinding on gravel or putting that eBike to the test on the nearest mountain range, and you let your Edge® bike computers guide the way.
That’s not to say that everyone simply took their ride outside, though. Even with steep increases in those exploring the great outdoors, indoor cycling still saw a boost too — and we’re here for it. Whether you’re in the market for an indoor trainer as the temps drop or you plan to keep grinding through whatever the January and February weather throws your way, Garmin has the gear to support your ride.
Walking
If you prefer to keep the pace a little slower — or if you just need a bit of recovery exercise after all the running and cycling — you’re not alone. Garmin customers took 7% more outdoor walks in 2023 than they did in 2022. That doesn’t just mean you were working on your step counts. More walking also likely means more time spent out in your communities, more fresh air, more focus on your mental health — and ultimately, it probably led to better Body Battery™ and sleep score numbers.
Fitness Equipment
We have to ask — have y’all been working on upping your home gym game, or did Garmin users seriously amp up the gym subscriptions this year? Either way, the spikes in training using fitness equipment were impressive. Overall, you logged 19% more activities using fitness equipment in 2023 than you did last year, and that growth represents multiple different categories of activity — HIIT, the elliptical, stair climbing, indoor rowing. The next time you are in a large gym, take a look at all the exercise options around you. Chances are Garmin users spent more time on just about every piece of equipment you see.
With a Garmin smartwatch, though, a fancy gym is completely optional. All it takes is a body and a Garmin watch, and you’ve got access to endless guided workout options to work any muscle group you want, at any intensity you prefer. (OK, maybe not endless options — but if you get through the more than 1,600 exercise options for one activity type alone, then let us know. We’re sure we can come up with something.)
Yoga
Is there anything more relaxing than yoga? A 23% increase in time spent on the mat could mean up to 23% more sessions where you were likely experiencing a bit of both mental and physical growth, and whether that was in solo practice or in a class surrounded by other yogis, we’re 100% proud of the dedication.
If you want to see how yoga is improving other aspects of your life, we’d recommend Venu® 3 fitness smartwatch, one of our 2023 launches that boasts up to 14 days of battery life, allowing you to keep your watch on your wrist at night rather than the charger. You won’t just know how much you slept — you’ll know the quality of it, as well as what tends to drain and charge your body’s energy.1
Pilates
You tracked 48% more Pilates sessions across the globe in the past year — and that’s after a 38% increase in 2022 and a 108% increase in 2021. This likely has a lot to do with the animated, on-screen workouts offered on compatible Garmin smartwatches. You can either select a premade workout within the Garmin Connect smartphone app, or you can create your own and send it directly to your watch. Whether you’ve got an hour to spare or only 15 minutes in between meetings, Garmin watches offer the ability to make the most of your time — and your movement — in whatever way feels good to you.
Learn more about how to access Garmin workouts directly on your wrist here.
Breathwork
Garmin customers are breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out … 33% more than they did last year (or at least completing intentional breathwork activities 33% more than they did last year). Not familiar with the feature? How many times has someone told you to simply take a deep breath when something was upsetting you or stressing you out? While it can be frustrating in the moment, that advice is actually centered around science. If you can get your respiration and heart rates under control, you’ll likely be able to think a little more clearly.
But if centering yourself in those moments of chaos isn’t necessarily your strong suit, compatible Garmin smartwatches come equipped with the breathwork activity profile, which allows you to practice three different breathing techniques — tranquility, coherence, or relax and focus — to help calm your heart rate and change your stress levels. Tranquility is designed to help get you ready to go to sleep, coherence should help you to feel balanced and calm rather than overly excited, and relax and focus is, as you may have guessed, meant to help you achieve a state of concentration.
Hiking
Nobody needs to tell Garmin customers to take a hike — you all do a great job of getting out there and doing that on your own, and you do it more and more each year. (We bet that fēnix® 7 Pro multisport watch, with up to 37 days of battery life using solar charging, helps quite a bit.) With fans all over the world, we’re always fascinated (and often jealous) to see which views you’re chasing with a Garmin on your wrist. Be sure to tag us on social media @garminoutdoor if you think you’ve found a particularly good one.
Multisport
Ahh, our multisport activity fans — likely most commonly known as triathletes, although you can also use this activity profile to complete brick, custom, duathlon and swim-run workouts. Because sometimes, one sport at a time just isn’t enough. You all are a crazy bunch, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. With the level of drive required here, it’s no surprise to see that you kicked it into even higher gear in 2023. With 18% more multisport activities this could mean up to 18% more sweat — and possibly up to 18% more blood and tears as well. Any rest days you took over the holidays were very likely well deserved.
Tennis
Game, set, match — Garmin customers played 76% more tennis in 2023. That could mean up to 76% more serves, up to 76% more returns and (hopefully) at least some decrease in chasing after rogue tennis balls. We bet your backhand is killer.
Water Sports
Is your local pool feeling a bit more crowded than it used to be? You may have Garmin customers to thank for that. As a group you all logged 10% more lap swimming — that’s a lot of additional time spent in the water.
If you’re more interested in the kayaking and surfing side of things, we had major growth in those categories as well. Kayakers logged 17% more activities in 2023, whereas surfers hit the waves 22% more times.
Climbing
A fear of heights seems to be a rarity for many people with Garmin smartwatches. Whether it’s bouldering (up 68% from last year) or indoor rock climbing (up 62%), it’s safe to say that Garmin users like to climb things.
Esports
If it’s surprising to you that esports is an activity profile, that’s likely because you aren’t familiar with the stressors of the virtual gaming world. Competition is fierce, and players who aren’t focusing on optimising their body’s performance are not likely players who are winning. Compatible Garmin smartwatches come equipped with an esports activity feature that provides relevant health metrics directly on your wrist, and the Garmin GameOn™ desktop app enables you to sync your PC so you can view them on screen as well. Knowing how your body reacts before, during and after your match is crucial to understanding how to better your game in the future.
Horseback Riding
We typically think of New Year’s resolutions to hit the gym more often, but many of you were clearly more focused on hitting the stables. Garmin customers completed 30% more horseback riding sessions in 2023 than in 2022. And while we can’t speak for your horses, we bet the extra time spent with them had myriad mental health benefits as well as physical ones.
Didn’t see your preferred activity included above? Garmin smartwatches come equipped with so many activity profiles it’s impossible to include them all but suffice it to say that you all continue to put the technology we build to good use. Whether it’s diving to new depths with the Garmin Descent™ lineup, reaching new heights with our aviation smartwatches or getting the whole family in on the fun with vívofit® jr. 3 for kids, we always consider it a privilege to be along for the ride. So cheers to you and cheers to the records we know you’ll break in 2024 — we can’t wait to see what you’ll do next.
