By Nick Harris-Fry

Copyright tomsguide

Skip to main content

Tom’s Guide

Newsletters

View Profile

Search Tom’s Guide

You May Like

Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 get 28 upgrades in free software update — here are the 6 best new features

Garmin Fenix 8 and Venu X1 get free software update that includes top features for runners and triathletes

Don’t own a smartwatch? Strava’s app update just made phone tracking way better

Phone Insights

Phone Best Picks

Phone Deals

Phone Face-Offs

Phone How-Tos

Phone Reviews

Network Carriers

Android Phones

Google Phones

Motorola Phones

OnePlus Phones

Samsung Phones

Nothing Phone

TV Best Picks

TV Face-Offs

Audio Insights

Audio Best Picks

Audio Deals

Audio Face-Offs

Audio How-Tos

Audio Reviews

Over-Ear Headphones

Bluetooth Speakers

Entertainment

Streaming Devices

Prime Video

Paramount Plus

Playstation

Gaming Peripherals

Connections

Computing Insights

Computing Best Picks

Computing Deals

Computing Face-Offs

Computing How-Tos

Computing News

Computing Reviews

VPN Best Picks

VPN Face-Offs

VPN How-Tos

VPN Reviews

Operating Systems

Malware & Adware

Smart Glasses

Chromebooks

Gaming Laptops

Apple Desktops

Gaming Desktops

Android Tablets

Computing Brands

AI Insights

AI Best Picks

AI Face-Offs

Google Gemini

Apple Intelligence

Mattress Best Picks

Mattress Deals

Mattress Face-Offs

Mattress How-Tos

Mattress News

Mattress Reviews

Mattress Care

Mattress Toppers

Pillows & Bedding

Smartwatches

Fitness Trackers

Smart Rings

Apple Watch

Home Insights

Home Best Picks

Home Face-Offs

Home How-Tos

Home Reviews

Home Topics

Home Appliances

Home Office

Home Security

Home Brands

Popular Brands

View Phones

Phone Insights

Phone Best Picks

Phone Deals

Phone Face-Offs

Phone How-Tos

Phone Reviews

Network Carriers

View Network Carriers

Android Phones

View Android Phones

Google Phones

Motorola Phones

OnePlus Phones

Samsung Phones

Nothing Phone

TV Best Picks

TV Face-Offs

Audio Insights

View Audio Insights

Audio Best Picks

Audio Deals

Audio Face-Offs

Audio How-Tos

Audio Reviews

Headphones

View Headphones

Over-Ear Headphones

View Speakers

Bluetooth Speakers

Entertainment

View Entertainment

View Streaming

Streaming Devices

Prime Video

Paramount Plus

View Gaming

Playstation

Gaming Peripherals

Word Games

Connections

View Computing

Computing Insights

Computing Best Picks

Computing Deals

Computing Face-Offs

Computing How-Tos

Computing News

Computing Reviews

VPN Best Picks

VPN Face-Offs

VPN How-Tos

VPN Reviews

View Hardware

View Software

Operating Systems

View Security

Malware & Adware

View VR & AR

Smart Glasses

View Laptops

Chromebooks

Gaming Laptops

View Desktops

Apple Desktops

Gaming Desktops

View Tablets

Android Tablets

Computing Brands

AI Insights

AI Best Picks

AI Face-Offs

AI Engines

Google Gemini

Apple Intelligence

View Wellness

Mattresses

View Mattresses

Mattress Best Picks

Mattress Deals

Mattress Face-Offs

Mattress How-Tos

Mattress News

Mattress Reviews

Mattress Care

Mattress Toppers

Pillows & Bedding

View Fitness

Smartwatches

Fitness Trackers

Smart Rings

Apple Watch

Home Insights

Home Best Picks

Home Face-Offs

Home How-Tos

Home Reviews

Home Topics

Home Appliances

Home Office

Home Security

View Outdoors

Home Brands

Popular Brands

Meta Connect LIVE
iPhone 17 Pro Max Review
iPhone Air Review
iPhone 17 Review
Best laptops

Best Mattress

Don’t miss these

Smartwatches
I just went hands-on with the Amazfit Balance 2 — this new multisport smartwatch boasts 21 days of battery life

Smart Rings
Oura Ring 4 review: the new gold standard for smart rings

Smartwatches
Best smartwatch tested and rated: 2025 top picks for iPhone and Android

Smartwatches
Garmin Fenix 8 vs. Garmin Fenix 8 Pro: should you upgrade?

Smartwatches
Forget Apple Watch — shop these 7 Garmin deals up to 40% off right now

Smartwatches
Best running watches 2025: which one is right for you?

Smartwatches
I test Garmin watches for a living and this accessory improves every single one

Fitness Trackers
The best Fitbit and Fitbit alternatives in 2025: expert tested and rated

Fitness Trackers
Best fitness trackers in 2025: These are the 6 fitness trackers I recommend after testing dozens

Best Garmin deals in September 2025

Smartwatches
Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 get 28 upgrades in free software update — here are the 6 best new features

Smartwatches
Garmin Fenix 8 and Venu X1 get free software update that includes top features for runners and triathletes

Don’t own a smartwatch? Strava’s app update just made phone tracking way better

Fitness Trackers
Garmin clarifies what data it’s sharing with Google Health Connect — here’s the full list

Fitness Trackers
I test Garmin watches for a living, and this $2 watch face is a game-changer

Smartwatches

Free Garmin update rolls out Lifestyle Logging to all users — here’s what it does and how to get it

Nick Harris-Fry

18 September 2025

Start logging your healthy (and unhealthy) habits

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Future)

Garmin announced several new features alongside the launch of the Venu 4 smartwatch yesterday, with one of the most interesting being Lifestyle Logging. This allows you to track behaviours each day and, over time, get insights into how they might be affecting things like your sleep and stress.

Lifestyle logging will be available via an on-watch widget on the Garmin Venu 4 when it goes on sale on September 22 and will be added to some other Garmin watches in time, but it’s already rolling out as a free update for all users in the Garmin Connect app.
As a Garmin user myself, I think the feature is significant for three reasons. Firstly and most obviously, it could be helpful in tracking healthy and unhealthy habits to see what effect they’re having on you.

You may like

Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 get 28 upgrades in free software update — here are the 6 best new features

Garmin Fenix 8 and Venu X1 get free software update that includes top features for runners and triathletes

Don’t own a smartwatch? Strava’s app update just made phone tracking way better

It’s also great to see Garmin add a free feature to the Connect app, rather than one that’s locked being the Garmin Connect+ subscription. Finally, this is a feature that’s similar to Whoop’s journal, and could be another indication that Garmin is lining up a screenless tracker of its own.

What is Garmin’s Lifestyle Logging?

(Image credit: Garmin)
Lifestyle logging is a tool that helps you track your habits to see how they affect your overall health. It’s a simple feature that lists lifestyle factors, and each day you tick off whether they did or didn’t happen that day.
Garmin has a lot of behaviours you can use to build out your list at first like early caffeine, sunlight and exercises (light, moderate or vigorous), and you can also customize your own factors if there’s something you think affects your overall wellbeing that happens regularly.
Pretty much anything that affects you can be considered a factor worth tracking, so beyond daily habits like a morning coffee or alcohol intake there are also more substantial, long-term things like having an infant at home, or illness.

Sign up to get the BEST of Tom’s Guide direct to your inbox.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
You log everything that does and doesn’t happen each day and once you’ve built up the data over time you’re shown four- and 12-week graphs that show how each behaviour might be impacting things like sleep, stress and your heart variability, either positively or negatively.
It’s a feature that requires a lot of input from the user, and you can set up reminders in Garmin Connect so you remember to log behaviours each morning and evening.
Even if you know that certain behaviours are likely to affect the body, sometimes having this data laid out so starkly can be very helpful in showing you that getting some sunlight in the day leads to better sleep, for example, or that alcohol plays havoc with your heart rate variability.

You may like

Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 get 28 upgrades in free software update — here are the 6 best new features

Garmin Fenix 8 and Venu X1 get free software update that includes top features for runners and triathletes

Don’t own a smartwatch? Strava’s app update just made phone tracking way better

How to get Lifestyle Logging on Garmin Connect

(Image credit: Future)
If you download the latest version of the Garmin Connect app on your phone you should get access to Lifestyle Logging. When I updated the app it appeared at the top of the home screen as a new feature, but if you need to find it in the menus, it’s under More/Health Stats.
Once you have it set up, it’s worth adding as a tile on your home page so you remember to log your behaviours, as well as using the morning and evening reminders. For now, you have to not only tick any behaviours you did that day, but also cross any you didn’t — hopefully this will become automatic for any unticked behaviors in future updates.
Is a Garmin Whoop rival coming?

(Image credit: Future)
The Lifestyle Logging feature will be added to Garmin watches along with the Venu 4 in the future, but it’s a feature you can use entirely in the app and similar to the Whoop 5.0 band’s journal tool, so it could easily work with a screen-free tracker.
Garmin did launch the screen-free Index Sleep Monitor this year, which is an armband that just tracks sleep for now, but it has the technology and software to make a screenless tracker work 24/7.
The recent launch of the Polar Loop band shows traditional sports watch manufacturers are keen to rival Whoop in the screenfree market, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see such a device from Garmin over the next year.
Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
More from Tom’s Guide

I ditched my Apple Watch 10 for the Garmin Fenix 8 for a month — and I’m never going back
Apple Watch Ultra 2 vs Garmin Fenix 8: Which smartwatch should you buy?
I wore the Garmin Fenix 8 vs. Garmin Forerunner 970 for over a week — which should you buy?

Today’s best Garmin Forerunner 970 deals

Garmin Forerunner 970

$749.99View
See all prices

We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Nick Harris-Fry

Social Links Navigation
Senior Writer

Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.

Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 after six weeks of training for a magazine feature and subsequently became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 27min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K, and has run 13 marathons in total, as well as a 50-mile ultramarathon. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.

Nick is an established expert in the health and fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Garmin Fenix 8 and Enduro 3 get 28 upgrades in free software update — here are the 6 best new features

Garmin Fenix 8 and Venu X1 get free software update that includes top features for runners and triathletes

Don’t own a smartwatch? Strava’s app update just made phone tracking way better

Garmin clarifies what data it’s sharing with Google Health Connect — here’s the full list

I test Garmin watches for a living, and this $2 watch face is a game-changer

Watch out Apple Watch — Garmin is seeing a huge surge of interest right now

Latest in Smartwatches

Hypertension tracking is now live on the Apple Watch — here’s what to do if you get an alert

Forget Apple Watch 11, here’s 6 reasons to buy (and 2 reasons to skip) the Apple Watch SE 3

Garmin launches Bounce 2 — new smartwatch for kids with LTE challenges Apple Watch SE 3

I’ve been using watchOS 26 for months, and this one feature will convince you to upgrade

Garmin launches the Venu 4 smartwatch to rival the Apple Watch Series 11 — and it has a built-in flashlight

I ran a half marathon with the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro vs. Garmin Forerunner 970 — here’s the winner

Latest in Features

Free Garmin update rolls out Lifestyle Logging to all users — here’s what it does and how to get it

Top experts debunk the cycle syncing trend — ‘The evidence just isn’t there’

You’re probably using your espresso machine wrong — I’m an ex-barista and here’s what you need to know

Forget iPhone 17 — the AirPods Pro 3 is Apple’s biggest innovation of the year

I just tested the iPhone 17 Pro’s new zoom camera vs Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 10 Pro XL — and the results surprise me

Chatbots don’t need punctuation — I tested ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude to find out

LATEST ARTICLES

This new AI tool can predict your risk of 1,000+ diseases — meet Delphi-2M

IKEA just dropped a luxe light, and it looks way more expensive — here’s why I’ll be picking one up

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds makes Mario Kart World look like child’s play — and its seriously chaotic nature leaves you itching for more

Forget iPhone 17 — the AirPods Pro 3 is Apple’s biggest innovation of the year

I had a Google Nest Mini and an Amazon Echo 3rd Gen while I was at college – and this smart speaker is the clear winner for your dorm

Tom’s Guide is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Terms and conditions

Contact Future’s experts

Privacy policy

Cookies policy

Accessibility Statement

Advertise with us

Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait…