Pointless Points

Just clocked up 1000 points on Garmin Connect which I’m quite chuffed about given all I’ve been through in the last 6 years. Old codgerism ain’t great but it could be a helluva lot worse!

Nice work! That is a serious amount of effort to get that level. I’ve got myself in a rabbit hole of sorts with Garmin – trying to get to the next level, but it is slow as the bigger points stuff needs time that I don’t have so can’t get them.
I’ll get there, just not quickly!
Reckon I’ll be at least another 4 years before I get to 1000 though, so well done for that result!

Good job, but new “levels” get increasingly more difficult to obtain. I’ve already accepted that (at age 65) I’ll never get to Level 10.

I do use the point/badge chasing as an incentive to mix up my activities a bit.

Garmin Connect has points? And badges? Who knew….

I’m.feeling properly inadequate as I’m not far off level 5, so looks like I need to be made redundant so I can fill some time with activities whilst searching for a new job!

Retirement…

Still too far away from…and having checked my points, my retirement age is closer than the gap between my points and your points!!!

Google keeps telling me I’ve levelled up or got points for helping update maps and businesses on occasion.
Who knew.

Huh? Where are the points?

Never knew about points,  what exactly do you have to do to get them then?

On phone- Google Maps App

Maps – Profile pic – Your Profile.

I meant on Garmin Connect :)

On Garmin Connect, you can search for challenges. Join those and when you complete them, you get points. You can join any challenge and as long as you track stuff that works for those challenges then they get completed.
The app tends to make them easy to find. Click your profile and it will show your badges. Click All Badges and it’ll show you available badges. You do activities and earn badges.
The badges and challenges gives you points, it can be addictive.

You also get points just for doing certain activities. Run a marathon gives 8 points, as does a ride of 100 miles. These are repeatable.

More recently, Garmin even introduced points for sleeping :-) Wear your (compatible) watch for 30 days and get 1 point. Get 7 good nights sleep and get 4 points. It all adds up.

Just seen that there are challenges for walks.

Not sure i can be arsed using my garmin to track all the dog walks

Ahhh, that’s why I only have 3 points then – I never join challenges, I think it’s just sleep badges. Mmmmm…sleep.

Wow, @reeksy, I thought I was endearingly shit (87pts) – you are a shining beacon for the rest of us ;-)

Oh, so you made me go and look at it properly. The 3 is some sort of level (doesn’t seem to be an explanation of what that is). Points is 109, but it’s buried deep. I seem to be earning spurious badges I didn’t ask for. It’s not like Cubs at all.

I wish it measured farts. I’d have loads of points for that.

What is the point? ?

Isn’t any point other than encouraging you to do more exercise and get healthier – which isn’t a bad thing.

Yeah, it’s a bit like Zwift with its XP, Levels and Drops. It encourages participation. I realise that it doesn’t appeal to everyone though.

Didn’t even know this was a thing.

Not exactly easy to find. Only place I could find my points in the Android app is click on face pic to get to profile, then select ‘all badges’  and then ‘leaders’.

My profile screen looks nothing like MOABs

Apparently I’m level 3 & have 79 points. Go me. Only 61 points needed to get to level 4. I don’t even remember entering any Garmin challenges.

Just added the September Time to Run challenge which needs 10 hours of running. I’m on 9hrs 33mins and have an interval session tomorrow that is just over and hour & a 14km run on Sat to do, so should be set.

Found it! I’m on Level 2 with 53 pts and a mere 7 pts to go till I’m uplifted to Level 3. Be prepared murdooverthehill I’ve set my sights and I’m coming for your crown!

Level 2. 37 points.

That’s more likely because I don’t join challenges, and for a long time I was using Strava on my phone to track rides as my Garmin device needed to be plugged in. New Garmin headunit means I now track on that and sync via bluetootha

Compare Garmin stats

Activities – 742
Distance – 18,850.28 km
Time – 1132:26:24 hrs
Total Ascent – 283,167 m

to Strava stats

Activities – 2,131
Distance – 37,607.8 km
Time – 2440h 24m
Elev Gain – 644,029 m

Level 4, 55 points to level 5

its pretty pointless but the “20x20min exercise in a  month challenge” does make me extend my commute home (or cycle very slowly!).
and the distance challenges have been used as a reason as to why I have to go for a ride today (really my wife wants me out of the house anyway)

At least sometimes the strava challenges give discounts on clothing brands etc….

Level 4 with 179 points. I don’t recall joining any Garmin Challenges so no idea about this but amusingly, most of my points have been earned by being a Sleep Savant….

There are other ways to also gain points; even just exercising on specific days like New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year will get you a point.

FWIW my ride today completed another 3 badges and 5 points.