July 24, 2024

No matter age or fitness level, anyone can try a couple of serves of the newest fitness craze: pickleball.

A mix between full-court tennis and table tennis, pickleball is great for both beginner and advanced players and has quickly become the fastest-growing sport today  — kind of what jazzercise was to the ’80s.

It’s no secret that Garmin stays on top of all things fitness and wellness, so it only made sense that we add pickleball as an activity profile to our wellness and running watches. Many of Garmin’s watches are compatible with the pickleball activity feature, including Venu® 3 and Forerunner® 165.

Below are some of the pickleball activity features offered on your compatible smartwatch for the next time you grab your paddle and hit the courts.

How To Set Up the Pickleball Activity Feature:

Using the pickleball activity on any Garmin smartwatch is simple. Start by navigating to the list of activities. For new pickleball players, you’ll want to add pickleball to your list of activities. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to select whether you are playing indoor or outdoor. If you play frequently, you know that these options set you up for a very different game. With the static airflow and a change in ball, indoor games can be more relaxed and slower paced.

When activated, your Garmin smartwatch will record what time you began playing and track how long you’ve played. But that’s not all — it’ll help you keep an eye on plenty of your body’s metrics too.

Health Benefits Tracked on Garmin Watch:

Whether you play for fun or fitness, you can use your smartwatch to highlight relevant health features both during and after you play.

• Heart rate: Having information about your heart rate not only gives you insight into your heart health, but it’s also an indicator of your cardiorespiratory fitness. This means the more you play, the healthier, faster and stronger your heart gets. Keeping track of how your heart fluctuates allows you to play each game better and longer than the one before — that one-hour pickleball session will soon be doubling in length.

• Calories burned: When you are running from one end of the court to the other in a singles match, you’re likely to burn calories — and at a good speed. With a Garmin smartwatch, you can actively track calories burned as you play.

• VO2 max: Your VO2 max, a feature available on many Garmin smartwatches, can help gauge your cardiovascular fitness. When your VO2 max increases, it is indicating that you are bringing more oxygen into your body. This is why repeated exercise eventually gets less tiring over time.

• Step count: If you have a goal of reaching a certain number of steps per day, playing pickleball will surely help you achieve it. Running back and forth across the court requires a great deal of steps.

• Intensity minutes: The intensity minutes feature on your Garmin smartwatch can show you when you are reaching peak physical activity. Some points are easier to win than others, and you’ll see when you kicked yourself into high gear.

• Body Battery™: When we are drained or low energy, it’s usually based on a feeling and not a number. However, Garmin smartwatches can offer insight into your energy levels throughout the day. Check the Body Battery energy monitoring feature on your smartwatch to know when you’ll have the energy to spike the ball across the net at great speed.

• Sleep tracking: Sleep often dictates how our day goes, but did you know that things you do during your day can affect your sleep? By participating in moderate to intense exercise, you’re less likely to waste time trying to fall asleep at night — and the sleep you get will be better quality. Just remember to schedule your pickleball matches a few hours before you hit the pillow, because exercising too close to your bedtime can actually affect your sleep score.

Nothing says endorphins and better moods more than exercise. Not only is pickleball a great activity to do with others, but the act of getting your body up and moving is also bound to make your day a little bit brighter.

While you look to spice up your pickleball match, even if you’re just a beginner, consider adding a Garmin smartwatch to your gear. Whether you’re interested in a lighthearted match with friends or serving up a more serious sweat, paying attention to how your body is working is always the right play. Connect your smartwatch to the Garmin Connect™ app or visit connect.garmin.com to track your matches and analyze your health results.