Apple Watch: A Break for The Active
Apple Watch: Revolutionizing Fitness Tracking, but with Room for Improvement Discover the potential of this innovative device in health monitoring and addressing key concerns for athletes
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The writer has found Apple Watch's capability to track routes and monitor vitals, while simultaneously streaming music and podcasts, to be highly beneficial during their running sessions. However, they highlight the absence of proactive functionalities that could optimize exercise and enhance recovery.
Other companies such as Fitbit and Oura provide readiness scores, which help users determine when to push themselves and when to prioritize rest based on their past activity, sleep patterns, and other relevant factors. However, the writer suggests that Apple Watch should go a step further and recognize rest days, offering proactive recommendations for optimal sleep, nutrition, and exercise routines tailored to individual data. This enhancement aims to enhance overall health and fitness tracking capabilities.
Running in 2020 was fueled by a traumatic death in my life, but the Apple Watch has been instrumental in maintaining my running routine, enabling me to cover a hundred miles every month. Its remarkable features such as music streaming, podcast playback, and accurate tracking of my routes and vitals have proven to be invaluable. However, having completed a staggering 4,500 miles, I find myself yearning for additional capabilities from this wrist companion.
In recent years, health and fitness trackers have made significant strides in providing enhanced functionalities. As a result, I'm starting to feel that my Apple Watch could do more to actively assist me in maximizing the benefits of my running regimen.
Other companies are actively involved in researching the optimal times for individuals to engage in physical activity based on their specific needs. In contrast, my Apple Watch already possesses a wealth of knowledge about various aspects of my daily routine, such as my weight fluctuations, duration of sleep, heart rate, and even the local weather conditions. However, it fails to exhibit proactive behavior in delivering this valuable information to me, even on an opt-in basis. It is high time for my Apple Watch to become more proactive and make use of this information.
Apple, I Need Rest
Tyler Hayes
When evaluating a product's usefulness, there is always a triggering factor. In my case, the absence of rest days in Apple Fitness became that point of consideration. I began running without any formal training or guidance, doing it on my own and in isolation. Due to the Covid lockdowns, I had the time to run every day, and so I did. My goal was to complete the three Activity rings and receive acknowledgement from my Apple Watch, which has always recognized and encouraged lengthy streaks.
I've often pushed myself to go on runs and meet my exercise goals. Looking back, I consider myself fortunate to have avoided any major injuries from pushing too hard. It's surprising that Apple Fitness doesn't promote or recommend taking recovery into account.
It took me longer than I'd like to admit, but I eventually learned the importance of rest and varying workouts for overall progress. It became clear to me that I was excessively fatigued. Reluctantly taking a day off showed notable improvements in my running times compared to the days before. Over the years, I've also discovered the benefits of incorporating stretching, yoga, or HIIT workouts on non-running days.
Right now, the Apple Watch doesn't recognize the concept of taking a day off. If you skip a day, your streak is broken. This holds true even if a streak is interrupted due to illness. If you're not consistently meeting your goals for movement, exercise, and standing each day, the watch sees it as not performing adequately. Consistency is crucial for forming habits, but expecting to achieve all three goals represented by the rings on a daily basis, indefinitely, seems a bit unrealistic.
Am I Ready to Exercise, and if So, How Much?
Apple could potentially introduce a system of standardized rest days that it actively promotes at regular intervals. In addition, they could consider implementing a policy where missed days due to illness are forgiven retroactively. Nonetheless, it appears that there may be a more effective approach to assisting individuals in pushing their physical limits and facilitating their recovery in order to further enhance their performance.
Companies like Fitbit and Oura have already explored the concept of a readiness score, which is a numerical indicator that guides people in planning their exercise routines based on factors such as previous physical activity, quality of sleep, and other relevant data. This innovative software continuously learns from user data and provides recommendations regarding days when the body is better prepared for intense workouts versus days that are more suitable for gentle exercises.
Here's how Oura explains the Readiness Score: "The Readiness Score is determined by factors such as your lowest resting heart rate and body temperature during sleep, as well as any physical activity from the previous day. It also considers metrics related to balance, including HRV, sleep, and activity levels."
And here's how Fitbit describes its solution: "The Daily Readiness Score uses your Fitbit data to evaluate whether you're prepared for a workout or should focus on recovery. Over time, it provides insights into how your activity levels, sleep patterns, and previous days' heart rate variability contribute to your current energy levels."
I also desire my Apple Watch to perform this function, as the necessary data is available.
Unlike Oura and Fitbit, neither of these companies disclose their readiness scores for free. Both organizations reserve this information for their subscription services. If Apple believes it is necessary to follow suit, they already possess Fitness+, which is likely not being fully utilized.
The Future of Health and Fitness Monitoring
Tyler Hayes
The debate about whether Apple will charge for additional features on the Apple Watch is currently irrelevant. The priority should be finding more practical uses for the data collected by the watch's sensors. Although the Series 8 Apple Watch introduced a temperature sensor, it has not been particularly useful for many customers. Moving forward, Apple should focus on discovering personalized ways for the watch to motivate wearers in simple and practical ways.
There have been several days in the past few months where I struggled to gather the motivation to lace up my running shoes and reach my weekly running distance goal. Looking back, it would have been beneficial if I had run an extra mile or two on other days instead of trying to run every day. It would have been extremely helpful if my watch had suggested running a longer distance halfway through my run. Furthermore, I often wore AirPods, so Siri could have easily prompted me with a quick suggestion in my ear.
I hope Apple continues to invest in sensors as well. The Google Pixel Watch 2 recently introduced stress monitoring, which notifies users of stressors, often after the fact, to assist in managing or avoiding potentially unhealthy situations.
Having such a feature is definitely something I desire for my Apple Watch. However, what truly matters to me is that the sensors that justify the cost of the Apple Watch are employed to provide actionable information.
In the future, my ideal wrist device would go beyond just collecting data and instead provide proactive suggestions. Currently, the Apple Watch falls short in this aspect, but I envision a device that can offer recommendations throughout the day to positively impact both my physical and mental well-being.
For instance, it would suggest the most suitable time for me to go to bed, what kind of food or portion sizes I should consider for dinner, and even help me determine the best time to go for a run based on my daily schedule. Moreover, if I inform it of my monthly running distance goal, it could suggest the optimal schedule to achieve that goal while ensuring I remain energized and rejuvenated. It shouldn't be limited to merely tracking my steps, calories, and sleep; rather, it should provide personalized suggestions based on this valuable information.
The Apple Watch has revolutionized the way people monitor their health, particularly in detecting heart issues and increasing body awareness. Its functionality extends beyond emergencies, including its ability to detect falls. Despite continuous improvements, the device seems to lag behind in certain fundamental functions. While it played a crucial role in initiating my running journey, there is still room for enhancement, particularly regarding the concept of rest.
Editor's P/S
As a Gen Z fan, I can relate to the sentiments expressed in the article. The Apple Watch is an excellent device for tracking fitness and health data, but it could be even better if it offered more proactive features to help users optimize their workouts and enhance recovery.
For instance, the watch could use data on past activity, sleep patterns, and other relevant factors to suggest optimal rest days, sleep routines, nutrition, and exercise routines tailored to individual needs. This would be a great way to enhance overall health and fitness tracking capabilities.
Additionally, the watch could provide more detailed feedback on workouts, such as suggestions for improving form or pacing. These features would make the Apple Watch an even more valuable tool for people who are serious about their fitness.
