One other fascinating improvement is how I’ve began connecting the subtlest preliminary bodily sensations of impending low or excessive sugar to my readings. These earliest signs (like feeling a teeny bit faint or having a quickened heartbeat with low blood sugar, and a slight tinge of nausea or dehydration with excessive blood sugar) can mimic a number of the results of exercising, so it’s trickier for me to discern what’s blood sugar-related or not throughout a exercise. Checking that real-time information level in opposition to how my physique is feeling extra often has been useful for studying extra about what these sensations are indicating.
The Venu 2S has actually turn out to be useful throughout exercises exterior the home too.
Whereas I largely train at dwelling, I’ve additionally used the Venu 2S whereas climbing within the mountains or at health studios within the metropolis. It makes checking my blood sugar much less of a problem and extra delicate—I can do it whereas in downward canine or on a Pilates reformer, as an illustration.
Earlier than the Garmin, I’d typically depart my telephone in my bag throughout lessons and have a look at my blood sugar on my pump. Whereas I normally give the trainer a heads up that my insulin pump could beep throughout class, I nonetheless get side-eye from individuals (who maybe assume I’m checking my telephone), and generally the trainer forgets and says one thing too. That’s not on me—and nobody ought to ever really feel like they need to conceal their medical expertise—however I do like having a extra discreet choice that’s there if I would like it.
The Venu 2S can be an awesome diabetes administration device exterior of train.
My largest shock is how the Dexcom-Garmin integration has grow to be a helpful part of my diabetes care exterior of understanding too. There are such a lot of occasions throughout the day when glancing down at my wrist is solely extra fast and seamless than consulting my telephone or insulin pump. (Carrying my Garmin almost across the clock is straightforward given the spectacular battery life—as somebody with a behavior of letting my gadgets die, I like {that a} full cost lasts a great 4 to 5 days.)
I’ve discovered the watch helpful whereas driving, strolling, showering, reserving it by means of the airport, and even getting a therapeutic massage. It’s additionally been clutch in sure social conditions—whereas out to dinner with a pal, at a film, or on a date, as an illustration. (My telephone is usually in my bag and my pump tucked in my again pocket or bra, making it just a little awkward to fish out.). Plus, I like not having to take out my telephone mid-conversation.
One thing else I recognize is how the customizability of the Venu 2S lets me take what I would like from a smartwatch and depart the remaining behind. I can flip off a whole lot of the notifications that really feel extreme and pare down the info seen on the screens so I’m not overwhelmed by metrics. I’ve solely scratched the floor of this watch’s monitoring capabilities, however the actuality is that I’m already required to quantify and monitor a lot relating to my well being for the sake of diabetes administration, that including extra of that to the combo is simply not a precedence.
And general, it’s a great common health tracker—although there are a couple of drawbacks.
Exterior of the CGM performance, I actually like this watch as a common health tracker. The contact display screen, aspect buttons, and accompanying app are all easy and intuitive to make use of. Whereas I haven’t utilized a number of the Venu 2S’s extra superior health monitoring capabilities, I nonetheless discover essentially the most fundamental metrics invaluable. I like seeing my coronary heart price rise up there once I’m actually pushing myself, in addition to my coronary heart price vary breakdown after my exercise—it enhances my sense of accomplishment greater than I believed a quantity would. I’m an enormous walker, so I just like the step rely operate too. And the gap tracker was useful whereas climbing.
