Why I Stopped Wearing My Apple Watch
By Mallory McPherson-Wehan
A year ago I got an Apple Watch and I was thrilled. I am a big data girl, and as a fitness fanatic I hoped to see the numbers affirm my love for movement and exercise. All seemed well for a while. After analyzing my exercise routine, height, and weight, my watch algorithm set 810 active calories as my “movement” goal. But I found it difficult to reach that number every day. Only on the days when I taught multiple fitness classes and walked frequently did I hit 810. I think I was more affected by not meeting the goal than I let on. I would joke to myself about how it was possible to teach two fitness classes a day and still not satisfy my watch, but secretly I was perplexed and disappointed in myself. This arbitrary 810 number really got to me. I began rationalizing that there was nothing wrong with me, that no one would be able to reach that number every day unless they were crazy. Certainly not reaching it from time to time was normal. But deep down I didn’t really believe it.
After listening to BJ Fogg interviewed on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, I began thinking about taking off my Apple watch. BJ Fogg, a social scientist and behavior change expert, was talking about his concept of forming tiny habits to sustain behavior change. When he mentioned that you need to create habits that make you feel successful, I started to reflect on my habits and the behaviors that shape them. I thought about my Apple watch and the icky feeling I got on days I didn’t reach 810. On days where I hit it, I felt successful, or at least satisfied. When I did not close them, I viewed my workouts as less valuable or worthwhile. I found myself not counting workouts when I forgot to wear my watch or feeling really down if I accidentally worked out without wearing it, knowing that my numbers for the day were less than they should have been.
I have always loved to exercise because it makes me happy and gives me energy. But the watch was taking the fun away. In group fitness classes I focused on getting my numbers up rather than enjoying the class or appreciating my strength. I found myself attracted to classes like cycle and HIIT that I knew would raise my numbers, but I wasn’t taking them for the reasons that motivated me to take them years ago.
An intuitive eating seminar I attended a few weeks ago was the nail in the coffin for my Apple watch. Caroline, the incredible woman leading the session, talked about how moving because you enjoy it rather than to please some extrinsic evaluator leads to sustained behavior change. The next day I removed my Apple watch, and I haven’t worn it since. That was a month ago, and let me tell you -- I feel liberated. Liberated from the metrics, from the disappointment, from the compulsion to wear a device that measures the value of movement in cold numbers. I have started to love movement again because of how it makes me feel. I’ve been able to reflect more on what workouts I enjoy and why I enjoy them.
I’ve told my boyfriend, Ryan, about my experience with the Apple watch exercise rings. He couldn’t relate. He did not feel that his worth was tied to the rings. In fact, he really only used his watch for the Nike Run Club app so he could benchmark his running capabilities. I’ve wondered if our different experiences have to do with my working in the fitness industry, constantly surrounded by obsession with metrics and body weight. I’ve wondered if it has to do with gender and how society equates women’s worth with how they look. I’ve wondered if it has to do with my confidence or self-worth. Most likely all those factors play a role.
People use smartwatches for a variety of reasons that can have nothing to do with fitness tracking. There is nothing inherently sinister about a watch that produces exercise metrics. For some those numbers can be motivating, and in many ways they were motivating for me. But that extrinsic motivation came with unrealistic, impersonal expectations that I struggled to meet. I’ve learned that numbers don’t tell the whole story and that they are not indicative of my value and worth. In fact, enjoyment of exercise is the biggest driver in behavior change. As a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, I’m learning that my relationship with exercise is reflected in my training and instructing. Remembering the reasons why I chose to exercise in the first place has helped me focus my clients and participants on the pleasure and functionality of movement without getting caught up in comparisons and numbers. In many ways I’m genuinely glad I wore the watch and gained these valuable insights about how much further I need to grow in my relationship with movement. Taking off my Apple watch was just the first step.
Further Resources:
Mal’s YouTube Video: “Your Apple Watching Isn’t Helping”
F*ck Wellness podcast episode: “Exercise Metrics ≠ Worth”