When I started running regularly in my 30’s, sports watches were all the rage. Every runner hit the watch at the start of a run or a road race. My sports watch obsession lasted maybe six to eight years, and when I was done with it, I was really DONE.
I quit timing my runs when it dawned on me that technology was ruining my enjoyment of exercise. Sports watches and fitness trackers provide irrefutable proof of performance. For us middle-aged folks, we know too well that we will never outrun our inevitable decline. That steady mortality drumbeat cannot be ignored if, with a few clicks, you can review your diminishing speed and mileage that occurs with the passage of time.
If you are new to regular exercise, will technology enhance your experience and support its consistency? Maybe or maybe not. The research is all over the map. But if you are just starting an exercise habit or beginning regular workouts, I personally think it’s a good idea to avoid technology – at least for a while. Technology is about communicating information. Those high-tech wristbands divert your attention from monitoring the internal experience of exercise and, instead, focuses on an external method of documenting it.
In our tightly-wired, constantly available, instantly accessible world, it is increasingly difficult to create boundaries on our time. Exercise is one way to do that. Body movement gives you the chance to come face to face with the ever-present sensory awareness of your physical self. It forces you to assess exertion, muscular stiffness, breathing rate and depth, and minor aches and pains. Your senses are flooded with the sights, sounds, and smells around you. Focusing on these sensations helps interrupt the flow of worry and anxiety. Exercise isn’t just a form of self-focus, it is mindfulness to the maximum.
Don’t get me wrong: it is satisfying to see that you have run four laps around the high school track 17 seconds faster than last time. It’s super fun to see that you were able to walk ½ mile further than you were two weeks ago. So, if you want, use a fitness tracker to enhance the experience of exercise without letting the information it provides diminish your sensation of it.
Remember: embrace the chance to get away from it all whenever you can.