Fitness Data Obsession: How Much Is Too Much?

Quick ahead practically 20 years and greater than 200 races later, and I now have 24/7 entry to a dizzying array of metrics—coronary heart fee variability, stress degree, sleep phases, and extra—due to not one however two private health trackers: a Garmin Fenix 6S ($700) and a Whoop band ($239). These are simply two of dozens of gadgets designed to assist shoppers optimize and observe wellness knowledge—however is that this gamification of our well being wholesome? Sure and no, says Alissa Paladino, CPT, an Atlanta-based licensed private coach.

“Health trackers present accountability and motivation and can provide consciousness and necessary perception into your habits,” Paladino says. “Individuals can acquire loads of confidence and vanity once they see no matter metric they’re monitoring enhance, whether or not that’s a every day step depend, weekly lively minutes, or working tempo and mileage.”

This was my precise expertise after I received my first Whoop band in 2019. I discovered that I used to be solely sleeping six hours (if that) an evening. So I began limiting my night display time, reducing again on my alcohol consumption, and utilizing a meditation app to wind down at night time (all good issues) and my sleep improved dramatically. All of those led to the next restoration “rating”—a quantity from 0 to 100 based mostly on the standard and period of sleep, coronary heart fee variability (HRV), resting coronary heart fee, and stress.

Associated Tales

On the time, I used to be in my early 40s and getting into perimenopause—the hormonal transition resulting in menopause and the top of menstruation—and all of this subtle health knowledge felt like a hack to fight efficiency decline. And for some time, it did.

As I made way of life modifications to get higher sleep and cut back my stress, my efficiency improved. My working paces and race instances began dropping. I had extra vitality throughout the day and began touchdown writing assignments with dream publications. Knowledge like excessive resting coronary heart fee and elevated pores and skin temperature even alerted me to sicknesses like meals poisoning and on a regular basis colds, which jogged my memory to take a step again from coaching as a substitute of pushing by way of like I might have earlier than. I rearranged exercises and lengthy runs to optimize excessive restoration days and caught to yoga and Pilates on decrease ones. And these habits solely intensified throughout the pandemic, after I had limitless time and a versatile schedule to “optimize” my well being.

I spotted that the very knowledge that was supposed to assist me enhance my well being was beginning to grow to be dangerous.

However even a number of years after shelter-in-place orders had been lifted and I used to be absolutely vaccinated (and boosted), my so-called “wholesome” rituals—no meals after 6 p.m., lights out at 9 p.m. nearly every day naps to hit my “sleep want,” minimal alcohol—began to grow to be borderline obsessive.

I used to be distraught anytime I received a “purple” restoration or received sick, blaming myself for not following my wholesome rituals or placing within the work to get the “proper” numbers. I panicked if I needed to race or do a tough exercise on a “unhealthy” day, which in fact, put me in a destructive psychological state and set me as much as fail. I continued to isolate myself from different individuals, turning down invites for occasions I deemed “too late,” skipping live shows I used to be trying ahead to attending, checking metrics a number of instances in the midst of the night time—after which getting even extra anxious in regards to the high quality of my sleep.

Finally, I spotted that the very knowledge that was supposed to assist me enhance my well being was beginning to grow to be dangerous. And I’m not alone. “For some individuals, the quantity of knowledge and fixed entry to [fitness trackers] can begin to really feel overwhelming, and relying too closely on exterior suggestions can result in shedding contact with your individual inner cues and trigger nervousness and stress,” Paladino says.

And whereas I didn’t ditch my health trackers altogether, I finally discovered to do what I had carried out all these years in the past after I began working and even a mile appeared unimaginable—I began listening to my physique.

How I discovered to enhance my relationship with health knowledge—and relax

1. Go analog

Lately, after I’m touring internationally, returning to coaching after an sickness, or simply having a late (for me) night time out with mates, I take off the health devices and depart them at dwelling (plus, nothing ruins the look of a elaborate gown greater than a cumbersome working watch!). Similar if I’m out strolling my canine or taking a Pilates class—I need to have the ability to tune into my physique and environment, not fear about what number of energy I’m burning.

In case you don’t need to go fully analog, Paladino recommends doing the occasional exercise with no watch. “Transfer by really feel, take heed to your physique, and you could be shocked how releasing and fulfilling it feels,” she says.

And if you happen to nonetheless need entry to knowledge however don’t need to stress about it within the second, my private hack: Begin your watch and depart it on elapsed time, or open your health app, then stash your cellphone in your pocket. That approach, you’ll nonetheless have all of the metrics after your exercise.

2. Set boundaries

Atlanta-based psychotherapist and psychological well being coach Deana Panza, LPC, RYT recommends setting boundaries with how typically you have interaction with health info, whether or not that’s limiting time on health apps like Strava or solely reviewing metrics a few times per week.

“I’ve seen purchasers make the most of the blood sugar knowledge that they collect from no matter app and system they use and mechanically attribute it to their weight-reduction plan,” she says. “And whereas that may play a job, so can hormones, sleep, and different components, so it’s necessary to have a look at the total, extra holistic image over time,” she says.

Now, I maintain my cellphone in one other room at night time and sometimes don’t verify my sleep knowledge till later within the day so it doesn’t influence how I strategy my work—or exercise. And except I really feel actually sick, I strive to not stress a couple of single day of “off” metrics. But when I discover poor high quality sleep or a excessive resting coronary heart fee for a number of days in a row, I modify my conduct by skipping exercises or prioritizing sleep.

3. Choose your metrics

Whereas my Garmin Fenix 6S is full of info—coronary heart fee, physique temperature, even a “coaching standing” that alerts me when an exercise is “unproductive”—I’ve discovered to disregard metrics that don’t matter to me and take away them from show settings.

Paladino agrees. “I prefer to see my tempo and distance throughout runs and my every day step depend, so I don’t put on [a device] to sleep, I don’t pay any consideration to the guts fee knowledge, I ignore when it tells me I’m pressured, I don’t even understand how it’s calculating my VO2 max nor do I care,” she says. “Principally, I extract from it the metrics which might be significant to me, and ignore the remainder.”

4. Hearken to your physique

I’ve had days when all of the metrics level to a “good” restoration and felt like full trash throughout a exercise, and different days when the numbers are fully off, and I’ve felt superb. “The entire info and the entire know-how that we’ve at our fingertips all ask us to proceed to deal with the data round us as a substitute of the data inside us,” says Panza.

So, if you happen to really feel sick or drained, take it simple or relaxation. In case you really feel rested and the numbers say in any other case, belief your physique and get transferring as a substitute. And understand that in the future of lacking your step objective or Peloton streak or staying out late to have fun with mates gained’t derail your long-term health objectives. However obsessing about these issues completely will.