Wearables Are Tools, Not Rules | The Good, The Bad, The Balance
Jan 29, 2025Wearable fitness technology has revolutionized the way we track health and performance. Whether it’s an Oura Ring, WHOOP strap, Garmin watch, or an Apple Watch, these devices provide an incredible amount of data on sleep quality, daily activity, heart rate variability (HRV), recovery, and more.
Used properly, they can help you make informed decisions about your training, recovery, and overall wellbeing. BUT... If you’re not careful, that data can also become a mental suck that dictates how you feel, rather than just providing insight into your body’s condition.
The Good: Data Driven Insights for Readiness & Performance
There’s no doubt that wearables have their place. If you’re serious about optimizing your fitness and performance, tracking key metrics can be a game changer.
Here are some of the biggest benefits (IMO):
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Sleep Quality Tracking
Many wearables analyze sleep cycles, duration, and disturbances, helping you identify patterns that could improve your rest and recovery.
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Daily Readiness Scores
Devices that monitor HRV, resting heart rate, and respiratory rate can provide a readiness score, indicating whether your body is primed for a tough workout or needs extra recovery.
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Activity & Movement Metrics
Step counts, calories burned, workout intensity, and even specific movement patterns are tracked to ensure you’re staying active and progressing.
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Recovery Monitoring
Knowing when to push and when to back off is critical. Wearables offer insights into recovery trends over time, helping prevent overtraining and burnout.
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Cycle Tracking
For the ladies, it's helpful to know which phase of your cycle you're in and the timing of your period so you better understand your body, mood, physical capabilities, and more.
When used correctly, these tools empower you to train smarter, recover better, and maximize performance. But there’s a downside.
The Bad: When Data Controls Your Mood & Mindset
While wearables provide valuable insights, they can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Here’s how:
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Waking Up Feeling Great… Until You Check Your Data.
Imagine waking up feeling well rested and ready to take on the day, only to check your wearable and see a “poor sleep” score. Suddenly, you start second guessing how you actually feel.
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Negative Notifications Can Kill Momentum
Seeing a low recovery score or a “you didn’t move enough yesterday” alert can shift your mindset from motivated to discouraged, even if you were feeling fine before checking.
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Over Reliance on Numbers
If you start depending on data to tell you when you’re recovered or capable of training, you may ignore the signals your own body is sending.
The Balance: Trust Your Body First, Use Data as a Guide
The key takeaway: Wearables are a tool, not a rule. They should provide guidance, not necessarily dictate your decisions (in most cases).
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Listen to Your Body First
If you feel rested, recovered, and strong, trust that. A low sleep score doesn’t mean you’re incapable of a great workout.
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Use Metrics for Trends, Not Absolute Truths
One bad night of sleep or a single low readiness score doesn’t define your overall progress.
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Don’t Let a Number Dictate Your Mood
If you wake up feeling great but your device says otherwise, go with how you actually feel, not just what the data says.
My Personal Experience
Over the years, I’ve experimented with nearly every major wearable on the market - WHOOP, Apple Watch, Garmin, Oura Ring... I think I even had a Fitbit when I first started on my "get strong and be healthy" journey.
After 6-7 years of bouncing around, I seem to have settled on using a Garmin watch and an Oura Ring for the past 3-4 years. This combination gives me the best mix of all the data I want on a daily basis.
My Garmin watch is my go-to for GPS tracking during any bike/run workouts and hikes, as well as tracking steps and daily movement.
The Oura Ring is invaluable for monitoring my sleep quality and cycle tracking.
Together, they provide the right balance of actionable insights without overwhelming me and controlling me with too many notifications or alerts or any of that stuff.
Wearables are an incredible tool in the fitness and performance world, but they should never override your own awareness of your body. Use them wisely -- be sure to avoid unnecessary anxiety or mood changes by obsessing over the numbers.
