Why I love to hate my watch

If you have an Apple Watch or a FitBit, you know exactly what this type of message means and how it makes you feel. On this particular day, it was 7:20 pm and I was getting dinner on the table. I was not going to close all three rings. I was annoyed since I had spent the day cleaning the house - up and down the stairs for laundry, mopping the floor, dusting and I exercised over 60 minutes that day yet I still didn't have that last 179.

Ironically in my HIIT class the next morning, many of us were lamenting the lack of reported calorie burn after we had completed a workout that left us all sweaty and spent. Many of us were familiar with walking around the house at 11:00 pm to finish off that move ring or adding another "workout" in so that the calorie burn would be there. But is that really being "authentic"? Are we being true to ourselves if we do this? I began to think of how I could put this watch to the test and see just how "accurate" all of these workouts really are.

First, let's talk about why this is so important. I believe it is the instant gratification factor. Let's face it, when you clean your kitchen or do the laundry, you see the fruits of your labor. When you workout, you see the sweat but you don't see any immediate change in your weight. It's a marathon -a long term project. But everyday you build heart health, endurance, lose fat and develop muscle, lower your blood pressure, reduce your risks for diabetes. We all know those benefits but we don't SEE them on a daily basis. Hence the appeal of a watch telling you that you did a great job and burned xxx calories after that workout. The sweat is real and the reward is the "you closed your ring" message that we see.

An article posted on "The Verge" https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/24/16926350/apple-watch-series-2-fitness-tracker-healthy-notification-behavior indicated that your reported fitness calories could be off by as much at 42%! So last week, I decided to put it to the test. I set my watch to "HIIT" for my regular workout. Then, I went out grocery shopping and while out I turned my watch to "other" and my grocery shopping trip reflected a "workout" that burned an additional 125 calories and a trip to Michael's Craft store added 103. When I told my watch that I was "exercising", the elevated rate was recorded in that way. Previously, my grocery shopping trips did not produce that much more for a calorie burn.

The following day, throughout my HIIT workout and my Zumba class, I did not turn the watch on at all. It did not reflect exercise calories and at the end of my HIIT workout, I had "burned" only 39 calories when I am normally 175. The Zumba time, the watch assumed I was running and started recording a workout and awarded me 141 calories for that time when I normally have 400. Did I feel any different on Friday when I "closed" my rings vs Saturday when I supposedly didn't? No, it had no effect on me as I have come to accept it.

So why would I continue to wear the watch? A You Tube video by Keltie O'Connor, former college basketball star turned YouTuber explained it best. She shares how she can be more present when out with friends. A text message pops up and she can glance at her watch to see if it is an emergency and not take out her phone. https://youtu.be/vpKbnqLCK_M As a mom, I completely understand that rationale. I can quickly glance and see if it is an emergency or if I can deal with it later.

From a fitness perspective, I will use my watch to monitor my heart rate and adjust my workout accordingly. If I am doing a cardio activity and I want to stay in cardio mode, I can monitor my heart rate and not get into peak; likewise if I need to push, I will work harder to get to peak. I may want to remain in fat burning mode so will monitor accordingly. The watch does reflect your heart rate correctly and that can be very valuable information for some folks. But as the article referenced above also indicates, the "calories burned" are based on an algorithm and may not be the most accurate.

So I have learned to accept it for what it is and not get stressed over closing my rings every day. I will still record my workouts, still share with friends, be glad for the reminder that I need to move each hour, and be glad I can quickly glance at a text. I will not, however, march around the house at 11:00 pm. Instead, I will Live Like Lynn. Do you wear a watch and what are your thoughts? Share a comment and let me know.