Watch Your Workout: Working out to fill rings on your Apple Watch isn’t sustainable and your motivation for working out will fall fast

I felt a buzz from my Apple Watch for the third time today.

Maggie, your move and exercise rings are usually further along by now. Get up and move to make progress towards your goals.

Still sore from cheer practice, I get out of bed and start a HIIT workout on YouTube. The absolute last thing I wanted to do at that moment was leave the comfort of my bed and do a full 20 minutes of cardio. But I had closed my rings every day for the last month. I couldn’t let this be the day the movement streak slipped.

Ever since I slapped my Apple Watch onto my left wrist for the first time, I’ve become obsessed with the idea of closing my rings — the three icons designed to help me stand longer, exercise and burn more calories. Instead of working out for myself, I was working out to fill three lousy circles on an Apple Watch.

Filling my rings was an accomplishment for the first few weeks. But as time went on, working out felt more like a chore instead of something I should be enjoying. The rings began to have power over my mood — how much I worked out determined how happy I felt. Oftentimes I felt I couldn’t even start on my homework because my exercise ring only had 27 out of 60 minutes filled, or I didn’t feel like I could go out with friends until I finished my “move” ring. 

Closing my rings felt like something I had to do every day. But was it really a necessity? Working out to fill rings on your Apple Watch isn’t a lasting habit, and your motivation will fall quickly if you continue to trap yourself in the obsessive cycle.

Being active is a healthy habit. Because of this, it took me a while to realize the obsession I had with these active goals was having a negative impact on my mental health. Some days I’d see my move ring, with only a measly 200 calories burned, and immediately leave my house and go to the gym. Not to mention that the watch was filled with inconsistencies. After running a mile, the treadmill said I burned 110 calories but the watch said I burned 78, and sometimes it doesn’t log my standing hours correctly.

Other days I’d obsessively plan my whole schedule around the watch. What time do I need to work out the morning of WPA so I don’t miss my nail appointment? How am I going to close my rings when I’m on a plane? 

I closed my rings every day for 40 days. And while this was an accomplishment, my body was sore, and I needed a break. So, I finally started ignoring the notifications. 

What the watch fails to understand is that sometimes you just need a day to sit on your couch, having a Harry Potter movie marathon without being bombarded by notifications telling you that you aren’t as active as you were yesterday. It’s not necessary to work out every day, especially if you’re doing intense exercise and pushing yourself to your limits. You should listen to your body and avoid going past its capabilities, according to Healthline. 

Closing your rings doesn’t need to apply to every single day. In fact, there are some days where it may be more beneficial to not hit that goal — when you’re sick, you didn’t sleep well or you had a strenuous workout the day before. Don’t let a watch bully you into working out. Allow yourself time to rest, knowing it’s okay to leave those rings unfilled.