2025 Garmin Watch Health & Activity Data Review
Here is my annual health & fitness data review from my Garmin watch for 2025. Throughout the year, I engaged in physical activities 394 times, covering a total distance of 1,949 km, with a total exercise duration of 635 hours—equivalent to 26 days.
That’s 635 hours of adventure, focus, and joy!
2025 Goal Review
- Sea Kayaking: 123% complete (123 activities vs 100 target) - exceeded goal!
- Whitewater Kayaking: 143% complete (43 activities vs 30 target) - exceeded goal!
- Hiking: 92% complete (46 activities vs 50 target) - close to goal
- Yoga: 46% complete (46 activities vs 100 target) - need more consistency
- Running: 40% complete (21 activities vs 52 target) - significantly less running this year, due to ankle injury in May
- Indoor Climbing: 43% complete (26 activities vs 60 target) - stopped after ankle injury
- Bouldering: 17% complete (7 activities vs 40 target) - ankle injury from a bouldering fall in May ended this activity
Activities
Activities Type
- Water Sports (kayaking) dominated throughout the year, especially in spring months (April-May peak)
- Winter Sports appeared in December-January
- Gym & Fitness Equipment consistent throughout the year
- Less running compared to previous years
Total Activity Time
- May had the highest activity time (~6000 minutes), mainly from the Grand Canyon self-support 10-day kayak trip
- Water Sports occupied the majority of activity time throughout the year
- Lower activity months: June and July (due to moving from Bay Area to Vancouver on July 1st), and November (12-day trip back to China)
Total Distance
- May had the highest distance (~480 km), dominated by Water Sports from the Grand Canyon trip
- August also had notable distance with hiking visible
- Winter months showed lower but consistent activity
Training Status & VO2 Max
- Training status is distributed among maintaining (yellow), productive (green), recovery (blue), with some strained (red) and overreaching (purple) periods
- VO2 Max peaked around May-June at approximately 54, starting around 53 in February
- VO2 Max dropped from 54 to 51 in the second half of the year due to lack of high-intensity cardio after ankle injury
- HRV Status remained mostly balanced (green) with occasional unbalanced (orange) periods in June
- Acute Training Load showed significant peaks in April-May, staying within optimal range most of the year
Health & Fitness
Intensity Minutes
- Average weekly moderate: 157 min
- Average weekly vigorous: 119 min
- Average weekly total: 397 min (higher than 2024’s 330 min and 2023’s 314 min)
- Peak week in April reached ~1700 minutes
- Overall maintained good intensity throughout the year
Resting Heart Rate
- Average resting heart rate is 50 bpm, same as 2024 and lower than 2023 (51 bpm)
- Slightly elevated in May (correlating with high activity period)
- Remained relatively stable throughout the year
Steps
- Total steps: 2,781,633
- Total distance walked: 2,016 km
- Average daily steps: 7,642 (slightly lower than previous years)
- Average weekly steps: 53,493
- Lower step weeks visible in May-June (more time on water, less walking)
Stress
- Average stress level: 28 (lower than 2024, same as 2023’s 29)
- Lowest: 23
- Highest: 35
- Stress remained relatively stable throughout the year with fewer dramatic peaks compared to 2024
Calories
- Weekly average active calories: 2,950
- Weekly average resting calories: 10,393
- Weekly average total calories: 13,343 (similar to 2023’s 13,193)
- Large spike in late April/early May correlating with high activity period
Sleep
- Average sleep score: 77
- Average highest sleep score: 87
- Average lowest sleep score: 61
- Sleep scores remained mostly between 60-90 throughout the year
- Average weekly sleep duration: 7h 21m (less than 2024’s 7h 46m and 2023’s 8h)
- Average weekly sleep need: 8h 6m
- Only about 10 weeks met the sleep need (green bars)
- Sleep duration consistently below the recommended need
- Average weekly bedtime: 11:51 PM (earlier than 2024’s 12:06 AM)
- Average weekly wake time: 7:27 AM
- Some variation in September-November with later bedtimes
Progress Summary
Year Overview
- Total activities: 394 (more than 2023’s 358)
- Total distance: 1,949 km (more than 2023’s 1,700 km)
- Total activity time: 635 hours (more than 2023’s 454 hours)
- Average heart rate during activities: 107 bpm
Activity Breakdown
Running
- 2025: 21 activities, 78.81 km, 10:00:53 total time
- Significantly less running than 2024 (80 activities, 386 km) and 2023 (73 activities, 459 km)
- Stopped running after ankle injury from bouldering fall in May
- By the time my ankle recovered, I had moved to Vancouver and the rainy season made outdoor running less appealing
Gym & Fitness Equipment
- 2025: 121 activities, 111:16:12 total time (more activities and time than 2024)
- Compared to 2024: 101 activities, 104:32:56 time
- Compared to 2023: 111 activities, 85:14:24 time
Kayaking (Sea Kayaking)
- 2025: 123 activities, 894.81 km, 287:50:10 total time
- Massive increase from 2024 (38 activities, 522 km)
- Almost doubled the distance of 2023 (55 activities, 509 km)
Whitewater Kayaking
- 2025: 43 activities, 613.30 km, 95:00:18 total time
- More than doubled compared to 2024 (33 activities, 260 km)
- Huge growth from 2023 when I just started (2 activities, 9 km)
Hiking
- 2025: 46 activities, 260.78 km, 94:35:30 total time
- More activities than 2024 (27 activities) and 2023 (33 activities)
- Similar distance to 2024 (259 km), more than 2023 (225 km)
Indoor Climbing
- 2025: 162 routes, 9:54:56 climbing time, 1,477 m total ascent, 32:22:41 total time
- Compared to 2024: 146 routes, 12:50:20 climbing time, 1,492 m ascent
- More routes climbed in less time - efficiency improved!
- Stopped climbing after ankle injury in May, then moved from Bay Area to Vancouver
- Indoor climbing gyms in Vancouver area are not as good as California, and I’ve been busy with other sports (kayaking, hiking, yoga, ski)
- Probably won’t resume climbing until I move back to the Bay Area
Summary & Reflections
2025 was a year of changes - both challenging and exciting. A bad ankle injury from a bouldering fall in May, followed by a big life change moving from Bay Area to Vancouver, significantly impacted my running and climbing activities.
What went well:
- Kayaking (both sea and whitewater) was the dominant activity, with significant improvements in distance and time
- Overall activity time increased to 635 hours (vs 454 hours in 2023)
- Stress levels remained stable and lower than 2024
- Gym/fitness remained consistent
- Hiking increased in frequency
What didn’t go as planned:
- Ankle injury stopped running and climbing mid-year
- Vancouver’s rainy season made it hard to resume outdoor running
- VO2 Max dropped from 54 to 51 in the second half due to lack of high-intensity cardio
- Sleep duration is consistently below the recommended need
2026 Goals:
- Incorporate more high-intensity cardio activities (running or cardio workouts in the gym) to bring VO2 Max back up
- Continue kayaking, hiking and start skiing.
- Get more sleep!
Looking forward to a healthier and more balanced 2026!
Note: this blog is written by Cursor AI based on my prompt and screenshots from Garmin Connect websites. I reviewed the blog and made some minimum changes.
