Fitness Fatigue May Mean You’re Not Listening to Yourself As You Should [OPINION]

Does anyone remember pedometers? The pacer-looking device that older folks wore strolling around the mall comes to mind. Pokémon and Tamagotchi also sold devices that tracked steps taken in order to reach virtual goals, marketed at children. Now, the worldwide wearables market (devices like smartwatches) ships 222.9 million devices per year. Almost all of these contain health-tracking functions, and most operate very advanced tools. The Apple Watch, being the most popular has taken fitness tracking as a priority and promises to offer you tools that monitor and assist your health so you can be better.

Is this increased attention to personal health metrics truly a good thing? It seems fine to make things fun, simpler, and more accessible but at a certain point, it can be hard to remember that the idea behind this is to improve your health. Not to reach a daily step goal, calorie count, or some other metric being recorded. Anything is better than nothing, and in some cases, nothing is exactly what you need. Some people will see measurable benefits from the necessity of completing obligations, but health shouldn’t be a chore imposed by digital metrics.

I’m currently under the weather, I’m desperately hoping it’s a mild cold and not something more serious – I neglected to get my flu shot this year. As I relaxed, drank mug upon mug of tea, and tried to give myself space to heal I couldn’t quite keep my mind on the task, or anti-task on hand. On my wrist, my Apple Watch was a constant reminder that I hadn’t reached my “move goal” which is my calories burnt through activity today. I had started my day later than normal due to the toss and turn of a sickly sleep, and when I awoke had resigned myself to a lazy day. If I ever needed it, today was the day.

That wasn’t to last, as I began doing chores and reading which I don’t often allow myself enough time for I couldn’t help but notice that my goals were hardly being approached at all. Reminding myself it wasn’t a big deal, that everyone deserves a day off and not just when you’re sick but especially then, I attempted to go about my business. Come noon, I felt myself becoming tangibly more agitated. Normally by this time I had done enough exercise to burn the 1,500 calories that my watch decided was appropriate for me. Normally by this time, I would have been in the gym and/or gone for a run. Normally by this time, I would have been awake and on my feet for six or seven hours, not three.

This isn’t the first time I’ve felt compelled to complete some arbitrary metric in the pursuit of health, but I’m often able to explain my near-obsession with an admirable obligation to good habits. With fitness being more and more “gamified,” more and more people are participating in it, hopefully resulting in healthier habits for people that may have been intimidated by the serious nature of working out. Games like Pokémon Go gave millions of people extra incentive to go out and go for walks, disguising the activity with a novel new way to interact with people and the world around you.

In a world that is increasingly playing off engagement through encouraging behavior that is likened to addiction, it can be hard to remind yourself that breaking a cycle is a necessary thing. Yes, I did end up at the gym, but as I was there, I was reminded of what I already knew. A missed day, an off session, something out of my control isn’t the be all end all for my personal health.

My watch may not see it that way, and it’s hard to go to bed without thinking about the 200-plus days that I’ve reached my goals, but that calls for a reminder that I’ve been lucky enough to complete that much prior to this.