Apple Watch Series 3 Fitness Review

Fitness trackers are great tools for seasoned athletes and workout newbies alike, but I've never personally gotten into wearing one. I guess I always figured I was good about getting to the gym and doing my same old run on the treadmill, so I didn't need a gadget to convince me to exercise.

Well, until now. I recently set a personal goal to switch up my workouts and get stronger, so I figured it might finally be time to give the Apple Watch Series 3 a try ($399, Buy It Here). I've been wearing it for about a month—and let me tell you, if you've set any fitness-related New Year's resolutions, this watch is going to help you stick to them. I'm historically a non-wearable wearer, and even I'm converted.

If you want to learn more about the technology embedded in the Apple Watch's latest iteration, you can find more information here. And be sure to check out our story on the Apple Watch's new phone-free music streaming capabilities.

For now, let me tell you about using the Apple Watch Series 3 as a first-time fitness tracker.

It can be as simple or as complicated as you want.

The Apple Watch Series 3 can tell me a lot about myself. At any given time it can show me how many calories I've burned, steps I've taken, and minutes I've exercised in a day—and that's just the basic stuff. When I logged a boxing class on the Workout app the other morning, the watch produced a graph of my heart rate on a minute-to-minute basis; when I walk, run, or bike outside, it also records my distance, average pace and elevation gain.

It can feel like a lot of biometrics coming at you at once, which is great for folks looking to fine-tune their fitness routines. If it all feels overwhelming, the basic three-ringed Activity display offers an easily-to-read summary of how active you've been in a day. If I'm being honest, the colors are really fun and bright and I end up staring at it a lot.

It can measure elevation.

New to the Series 3 is a built-in Altimeter, which tracks your elevation. I love to hike, so I'm excited to put the Altimeter to the test the next time I head up to the Adirondacks. See? This watch is literally making me want to climb mountains.

It's water resistant.

Yep, you can bring this baby in the pool. The Apple Watch Series 3 is water resistant up to 50 meters, meaning you can log shallow-water swimming workouts. (Careful about taking it in the shower, though—soaps and shampoos can damage the hardware.)

You can get a workout in without always hitting the gym.

It can be frustrating when a day gets so busy, there's no time to hit the gym. One such day I had work followed by a meeting followed by a haircut followed by a friend's birthday dinner—but I realized that if I walked the combined 60-plus blocks to each appointment, I could log it in the watch's Workout app as an "Outdoor Walk." I learned that I burned around 250 calories as I traipsed across the city—and that there's always a way to put an athletic spin on an ordinary event.

It feels like it's my friend.

Yeah, I know I'm being cheesy. But I like how the watch sends me encouraging messages throughout the day, like a friendly little fitness coach on my wrist. It reminds me to get up and walk around instead of sitting at my desk like a gross slob all day, and pushes me to meet my daily activity goals. (Want to get in the best shape of your life? Check out the Metashred Extreme workout from Men's Health.)

It reminds me to chill the f*** out.

Finally, achieving your fitness goals is all about getting in the right mindset. I was recently in the midst of a stressful day when I tested out the Breathe app. I selected my desired amount of time, and the watch proceeded to guide through a calming meditation session complete with soothing graphics. It was cool to see that my heart rate had slowed right down by the time I was done.