Missing The Point

I like to laugh at idiots, which is why The Verge is still in my RSS reader. There's seldom anything of value on there anymore, but this article reminded me of a pet peeve of mine. From the article:

My beef with treadmills — especially ones you stick under a standing desk — is that you can walk 500 miles on them but your smartwatch will record maybe 100 steps. Your legs could be working overtime, but smartwatches rely on arm swings to count steps. I know because anytime I write and walk at the same time, my Apple Watch says I’ve done diddly squat. And that’s even when I record an indoor walking session. No one needs to record every little step, but it helps me keep track of my workout volume and intensity.

Several years ago I went hiking with some friends. One of my friends forgot his fitness tracker and almost didn't go on the hike because it wouldn't "count for anything." He was complaining about the fact that his hike wouldn't count towards his fitness goals in whatever gamification his device did. Without the reward of imaginary Internet points, the hike had no value in his mind. He was missing the point.

I've noticed this train of thought amongst many people who use fitness trackers. Many fitness trackers apply gamification to motivate users to exercise. They award points based on goals and activities. To sweeten the deal further, they usually allow you to share your accomplishments with friends and family. Gamification is a double-edged sword. The upside is that it motivates you to exercise. The downside is that chasing those imaginary Internet points can become the primary focus rather than physical fitness.

Let me return to the quote at the beginning of this post. The author complained about the fact that walking on her under desk treadmill didn't get counted by her fitness tracker, which relies on arm movements to count steps. She was frustrated because, as my friend said, her steps on the treadmill didn't "count for anything." Fortunately, she eventually realized the idiocy of her thinking:

My experience improved once I chucked the smartwatches into a drawer. I accepted my step counts wouldn’t be accurate and that my training algorithms across a dozen wearable platforms would be slightly off. I actually stopped recording my walks on every single platform altogether. As a result, my mental health improved, and I take far more walks now. My life isn’t any less stressful — I just have more endorphins, but that’s enough to make me more resilient.

I know many people would've done the opposite. Once they realized that they weren't earning imaginary Internet points by walking on their under desk treadmill, they would've stopped using the treadmill. My friend almost got in his car and drove home rather than go on a hike without his fitness tracker because he lost the point. Instead of exercise and enjoying nature being the purpose of the hike, earning imaginary Internet points became the purpose of the hike.

A fitness tracker is a tool. Like any tool, it should help you accomplish a job. If it doesn't help you accomplish a job, it should be discarded. If your fitness tracker causes you to avoid physical activities because they don't "count for anything," then the tool is hindering you. It has become liability rather than an asset. It should be discarded.

I promise you that your body won't notice any lack of imaginary Internet points. You won't stop building muscle because you didn't wear your fitness tracker while lifting. Your resting heart rate won't increase because your fitness tracker didn't count the steps you took. Your blood pressure won't increase because you failed to unlock that accomplishment badge in your fitness tracker app.

The point of exercise is to improve your physical fitness. Never lose sight of that fact.