Makers of activity monitors are expected to ship 368M units worldwide this year. There’s a high probability that you or someone you know has purchased one in the past. Personally, I have either purchased or long-term tested at least a handful. First there was the Nike FuelBand. Then it was a Jawbone. Sprinkle in FitBit, an Amazfit, and most recently for a total of 91 days was WHOOP. And every single time I use one and am excited by the new features and technology, I leave disappointed and wanting more after a short time.
The FuelBand had its obvious drawbacks. It was a glorified pedometer that also counted ambiguous points. Great as short term motivation to be more active, but zero feedback. Zero information about how to level up once you consistently hit the step goals. It collected dust after a couple of months.
Jawbone had the shortest stint on my wrist at less than a week. It was a software bug nightmare with being overly ambitious with activity and sleep tracking. They saw the future, but delivered none of it. Jawbone famously crashed and burned with recalls and horrendous product quality.
FitBit had a longer usage period, aided by the attachment to my employer’s health plan and getting discounts for increasing levels of activity. The heart rate monitor was a nice touch, especially during 4 vs 4 soccer matches I’d play a few times a week. Look at that, I had a higher heart rate when I sprinted around an open field! And also, look, no path from FitBit about what to do with that information! I was getting an increasing level of data, but had no idea what to do with it. Once I hit the yearly limit for discounts on my health plan, the FitBit found its way into a drawer and later to the garbage.
AmazFit was my first foray into a smart watch. But adding text and email alerts to a heart rate monitor seemed to have little benefit, or at worst had a negative effect on quality of life with the constant interruptions.
After a several year hiatus for technology on my wrist (my G-Shock having maintained its position for almost 10 years), WHOOP emerged with new features to hopefully improve my well being. 1If anyone is curious, yes, I did consider Oura, but heard negative feedback about the expensive ring being crushed during deadlifts. My sister has been an avid WHOOP user for a couple of years, and was impressed how there was a feedback loop of using data to attempt positive changes and updates for the user. Didn’t sleep enough? Get more sleep the next night. Markers were improved during days of meditation? Here’s a quick reminder of that benefit. It wasn’t anything flashy, but WHOOP came across as the next generation of activity monitor that might become a permanent fixture.
Why waste space? After exactly 91 days, I don’t see a need for WHOOP. Once again, any feedback and improvement can be easily summarized and repeated.
- Don’t drink
- Get 8 hours sleep during consistent times
- Be active
Its really that simple. I do thank WHOOP for introducing me to Heart Rate Variability and how its a marker for sleep quality. That led to having hard data that if I drank more than a serving of alcohol, my HRV would be out of whack and therefore my sleep quality plummeted. But after unlocking additional features after the first and second month with consistent data, the a-ha moments vanished. I became increasingly frustrated with yet another ambiguous point system (if I do quick morning walk to hit 4 point, why wouldn’t a 10 point workout mean I’ve hit 14 total points for the day?). I was still left wanting an additional level of insights and change to daily habits. Which types of exercise were the most beneficial? Aside from activity points, how was I comparing to others on a holistic level? And most importantly (and not a feature of any activity monitors today), how does my diet affect my health? That last one will be addressed in a rant some day about the FDA and detrimental effects of not allowing consumer level glucose monitors.
Until we get activity monitors that give a 360 degree view of health, they’ll remain either for high level athletes or in a drawer for the rest of us.
