Last Updated on December 6, 2022 by pg@petergamma.org
– We are studying breath frequency when practicing mindful breathing and step frequency when practicing mindful walking.
– The Matlab Toolbox for Respiratory Rate Estimation is the most user friendly device to ge accurate breath frequency value, a Training tracker shows step rate, but it only counts every second step
– we ended up counting breath per minutes and steps per minutes and writing protocols as the easiest solutions, since no device was helpful to us right away to do this job for us. For this purpose, we needed a timer to get us a signal every minute. Garmin watches allow automatic laps for instance every 1 km, but we do not know of any options for laps every minute.
– Starting from the Vivoactive 3 series, we have a timer on Garmin watches. It can be set to one minute with repeats. When we do this, the Vivoactive vibrates after a minute and repeats this alarm. Unfortunately, the Vivoactive 3 continues to vibrate for one minute doing a diminuendo. Whith the next repeat, the Vivoactive 3 start a new diminuendo. This caches our attention, we have to be very attentive not to miss a new starting point.
– There is a better way by create a custom workout in Garmin connect. There is the option to create a costom workout and download it for instance to a Garmin Forerunner 230. Then it vibrates every minute. This is a good help for our purpose, if we want to count the number of breath we take in a minute, or the number of steps we make in a minute. Two Garmin Forerunner 230 devices can be used if we want to have this vibration running 24 * 7, and the Forerunners have to be changed after 12 hours.
– Unfortunately, it is not possible to create custom workouts in Venu watches, only for instance in the Forerunner series, as far as we know. The Garmin timer option in the Vivoactive 3 is great, but we miss an option which gives as a vibration every minute without crescendo to practice mindful walking and mindful breathing. The only option we currently have, is to wear an additional Forerunner 230 for this purpose, or to buy a very expensive watch which have all the features in one watch, but is this worth it?
Also the timer of the Apple watch 6 is not helpful. It vibrates and rings for a minute. It can be repeated manually. To avoid wearing another watch, eventually a smartphone with a suitable timer app could be helpful.