Wearables seem to be everywhere right now. They promise us insights, accountability, and a little extra motivation to move more. But like most tools, how helpful they are depends on how we use them.
I’ve worn some kind of tracking watch for years. I started with a Fitbit and was perfectly happy with it, but when my husband’s dad realised he wasn’t using his Apple Watch anymore, he passed it on to me (result 👌). Now, it’s part of my daily routine.
Mostly, I use my watch as a practical tool – a timer for clients and classes, or logging runs so I know how far I’ve gone. But I also enjoy checking in on how active I’ve been over the course of the day. That said, I completely understand the more addictive side of wearables.
“If I didn’t track it, it didn’t happen”
Have you ever gone for a walk without your watch and felt like it somehow didn’t “count”? I know I have. I’ve caught myself thinking, well that was a waste of a walk, which is silly because of course it wasn’t. The walk still happened, my body still moved, and that’s the real point.
This is where wearables can get in the way. The data is useful, but it’s not the full picture.
Which metrics matter?
What we focus on makes a big difference. Years ago, I obsessed over calories – how many I ate, how many I burned. Now, calories feel irrelevant to me, and I honestly can’t remember the last time I checked them.
I’ll never forget overhearing someone at the gym say, “I can’t believe I only burned X calories,” after a 45-minute workout alternating between rowing and weights. Instead of celebrating what their body had just accomplished, they were fixated on a number that often doesn’t mean much in the bigger picture.
The Oura Ring is another great example. One of my clients uses it mainly to track their sleep, but if the ring says they didn’t sleep well (even when they feel rested) it changes how they perceive their entire day.
On the flip side, I’ve seen wearables used powerfully, too. Another client bought the Oura Ring specifically to track her cycle while trying to get pregnant, and it worked. Whether or not the ring was the reason, it shows how these tools can genuinely support us when used with purpose.
When rewards help (and when they don’t)
Some of my clients and friends use Vitality through work, where the more movement they track, the more points they earn which means free coffees, cinema tickets, and other perks. They love it, and it motivates them not just to track their movement, but to move more.
And that’s brilliant! But it does create a catch: if you don’t track it, it’s effectively “pointless.” Which brings us back to the same dilemma.
Research shows that while rewards (like free coffee) are motivating, intrinsic motivation (doing something because it genuinely matters to you) is more powerful for long-term habits. That’s why I always encourage clients to focus first on how they actually feel, not just what the data says.
Check in with yourself first
No watch or ring can tell you how your body feels after a workout, or how rested you truly are after a night’s sleep. And let’s not forget that wearables aren’t 100% accurate anyway.
Wearables can be a fantastic starting point, especially for building awareness and consistency. But ideally, we want to reach a place where we move because it feels good and meaningful, not just because our device rewards us for it.
A little challenge
I invite you to ask yourself more often over the next few weeks:
👉 “How does this make me feel?”
If you enjoy journalling, write your answers down. You might be surprised by what you discover.