All products featured on Self are independently selected by our editors.
However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
I should start thisfitness trackerreview by confessing: I am not a fitness tracker person.
Photo curtesy of Garmin / Design by Amanda K Bailey
As atype 1 diabetic, I have to keep my blood sugar within a healthy range throughout the day.
Two crucial pieces of wearable medical technology work in tandem to help me with this.
Exercise is a double-edged sword for key in 1 diabetics.
So getting through a workout without a crash or spike requires planning ahead.
Going low or high during a workoutand having to pause to treat, or quit altogetheris frustrating.
And even when everything goes right, worrying about my blood sugar while exercising is stressful and distracting.
After five months of testing it, heres what I think.
I loved the gear right out of the box.
The neutral color goes with everything, while the design is sleek and luxe instead of clunky.
I was glad to see that the Dexcom display looks just like the one on my phone app.
It shows my current glucose and an arrow indicating which way its predicted to be trending.
Working out at home with the Venu 2S makes it a breeze to check my blood sugar.
Before the Venu 2S, Id have to briefly pause my movement to check my sugar mid-workout.
It only takes a few seconds in either scenario, and it never struck me as extraordinarily inconvenient.
But now that Ive gotten used to checking my blood sugar just by looking at my smartwatch?
Doing it the old way seems like a total pain in the butt.
And overall, Im looking at my blood sugar more because of the lower time cost of doing so.
The Venu 2S has really come in handy during workouts outside the house too.
The Venu 2S is also a great diabetes management tool outside of exercise.
Plus, I like not having to take out my phone mid-conversation.
And overall, its a good general fitness trackerthough there are a few drawbacks.
Outside of the CGM functionality, I really like this watch as a general fitness tracker.
The touch screen, side buttons, and accompanying app are all simple and intuitive to use.
Im a big walker, so I like the step count function too.
And the distance tracker was helpful while hiking.
So I cant leave my phone behind and go out for a walk, for instance.
The Venu 2S has settled into my daily lifeand I dont mind that.
I never thought Id become a person who wears a smartwatch nearly 24/7, but here we are.
Essentially, it perfectly suits my needs as a fitness tracker newbie with key in 1 diabetes.
I plan to keep wearing it often.
There are no silver bullets in managing punch in 1 diabetes.
But every tool that makes diabetes care even a little more low-lift or streamlined is worth it to me.
