January 4, 2024

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:

1. Running 
2. Walking
3. Cycling
4. Strength Training
5. 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 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® cycling 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…