In his day-to-day life, Melburnian Jordan Brough is a photographer and blogger who juggles fatherhood to Ezra, 17 months, and a litter of mischievous dachshund puppies with picture-perfect content creation. Here, he explains why the Garmin Forerunner 55 smart watch is the ideal device for people on the run. 

Designed to Move

I’m going to start with the size and the design of this one. It’s made of silicone, which means it is super comfortable and lightweight, and really great to wear. It is a small watch, so it doesn’t sit too high on the wrist, and being compact makes it really great for running and exercise, which I absolutely love. 

A Watch That Goes the Distance

The built-in GPS on the Garmin Forerunner 55 smartwatch means it’s easy to track your distance.
The built-in GPS on the Garmin Forerunner 55 smartwatch means it’s easy to track your distance.

Being a dad to a toddler, I’m constantly on my feet. So having a watch that goes with me everywhere, with built-in GPS and wrist-based heart rate, means that I can monitor the progress of my running and fitness by tracking the distance, calories, pace and heart rate. I can now know how far I’ve gone! 

The battery life on this is phenomenal. If you’re tracking your steps, exercise, sleep and all of those other things, then you want to make sure the watch is ready to go as soon as you are. The battery on the Garmin Forerunner 55 can last up to two weeks!

Music on the Move

When I’m running I need great music to listen to – it gets me going. This watch allows me to control music played with my smartphone. I just create a playlist on Spotify and then I can easily access it when I’ve got my watch and my headphones on. That’s if you’ve got a compatible smartphone, and, if you do, you can also receive emails, texts and other alerts on the Garmin Forerunner 55. 

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Your Own Mini Personal Trainer

Wearing the Garmin Forerunner 55 is like having a tiny personal trainer on your wrist.
Wearing the Garmin Forerunner 55 is like having a tiny personal trainer on your wrist.

Another feature which isn’t particularly new to this watch, but I absolutely love, is the Garmin Coach. It’s like having your own personal coach just sitting there on your wrist. If you’re working towards a big run or a big event, the Garmin Coach keeps you on track and accountable.

As well as the Garmin Coach, the watch also gives you suggested daily workouts. So, it tracks my previous runs and then gives me run recommendations based on my training history, fitness level and recovery time.

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In Tune With Your Body

It’s not just about your body health - the watch also gives you a really great picture of your mind health as well with its stress-tracking feature. It tells me if I’m having a calm, balanced or stressful day, and the relax reminders even prompt me to do quick breathing activities. 

The Verdict

The Garmin Forerunner 55 gets a thumbs up from photographer and blogger Jordan Brough.
The Garmin Forerunner 55 gets a thumbs up from photographer and blogger Jordan Brough.

All in all, I think the Garmin Forerunner 55 is a perfect watch; it ticks all the boxes for me. It’s a sleek design that goes with anything, so I never have to take it off, and it’s just a brilliant device. I would easily give it a 5 out of 5. 

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