This watch is great for a runner, a swimmer, a bicyclist. Really anybody who wants to track their heart rate accurately, and have fun doing so. This watch is about $250, but it is worth the money. I got mine in the color "Frost Blue Silicone". 

Garmin Forerunner 235

I like this watch for so many different reasons, and let me explain to you why.

I ski 6 days a week, and workout 6 days a week, and this watch has been through it all. I swim laps with this watch, take a shower, ski, workout, eat dinner, everything. What I really am impressed by is the fact that I have slammed the watch face into so many different things, and it still hasn't cracked.

First, the overall control of the watch is simple. There are 5 buttons in total. 3 on the left, and two on the right. The top left one is for light. So if it is dark you simply push it, and it supplies you with a backlight. The light button is also used to control the power (turn it on and off). The lower two buttons are up and down arrows. You scroll through the home screen with these arrows. The button on the top right is a running man. That guy basically selects everything for you. The final button on the bottom right is the back button. If you accidentally click something you simply click the back button, and you are back to where you started. 

Second, the apps. The watch is Bluetooth, and there is an app in the AppStore called "Garmin Connect". With this, you can download apps, watch faces, games, etc. on to the watch. You download through the phone, and it syncs to the watch via Bluetooth. On the home screen of the watch, it comes with a heart rate monitor, a step counter, weather, notifications, control center, and data. You can also click the running man to go to the activity tracker. Here, you can select what workout you are doing and it will monitor your heart rate, how long you do it for, and how far you go. 

Third, the heart rate monitor. The heart rate monitor is linked to several apps on the watch. There is a little green sensor on the back of the watch which rests on your wrist when on. It will monitor your heart rate, and it will also let you know how many hours it will take to recover after a long workout. The heart rate monitor is pretty effective and works well underwater, but it is not designed to be accurate underwater. If you have a band that straps around your chest, you can also connect that to the watch through Bluetooth for an even more accurate read.

Finally, the charging, and watch band. The charging cable is a clamp that slips into 3 dots. The watch does take a while to charge, but if you charge it overnight, it will be fully charged in the morning. The watch comes with one band- the one you bought it with. However, you can buy other colors on Garmin for $30, but there isn't a large selection. I did find that you can buy other colors on Amazon for $8 that work really well.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this watch to any active person. If you sit in the office all day and don't want to track your heart rate, maybe look at the other Garmin models, which do similar things but for a cheaper price. If I were to compare this watch to an Apple watch, this watch definitely is more accurate with the heart rate monitoring system. The Apple watch is more of a smartwatch than an exercise watch, but I have heard of people that use the Apple watch as a workout watch.  Let me know if I should invest in one, and do a review about it. 

-Brie