HEALTH
AM I THE ONLY ONE BEING BULLIED BY MY APPLE WATCH? story by Camille Graham photo by Carolina Watlington I used to sit peacefully on the couch, watching YouTube videos and
Smartwatch encourage wearers to meet certain step goals and
scrolling through my phone for hours on end. I’d think nothing of the
activity levels. The technology and goals may differ from watch to
days when I couldn’t make it to the gym or when I drove somewhere
watch, but the sentiment remains the same: Move when your watch
instead of biking. I was a happy little couch potato until my Apple
tells you to move. Is everyone as obedient to a time-telling personal
Watch came into my life.
trainer as I am?
I always loved the clean lines, usability and (absurd) status
When I asked 100 different smart watch wearers, there was a roughly
symbolism of Apple products. So when a friend offered to sell me
even split of obedient movers and watch-wearing rebels. Fifty-six
her brand new Apple Watch Series 4 for an incomparable low price, I jumped at the chance. I had no idea that I was buying a piece of wearable technology that would gently shame me into athleticism.
percent said they acknowledge but disregard their watches’ warnings – with varying degrees of guilt – while the other 44% said they always heed the moving instructions of their watch. With varying degrees of willingness, they find themselves walking laps around the office or doing
I wasn’t ready for the constant barrage of notifications reminding me
late-night jumping jacks to meet their exercise goals.
of my sedentary, couch potato lifestyle. Elias Bouyounes, a microbiology lab technician, says that his Let me set the record straight: I am not totally averse to exercise. I
smart watch has quickly made him more active, and he relies on his
love being around nature, and my ideal Saturday involves a hike
movement notifications during work. His Fitbit Blaze Watch pushes
around a lake or time spent exploring wooded trails. However, I have a
him to take about 250 steps an hour, a task he does his best to
hard time mustering up the same enthusiasm for a trip to the gym to
complete every day.
spend an hour on the elliptical. “It gives me a little firework show every time I reach ten thousand The hourly reminders ensure that I stand for at least one minute an
steps,” Bouyounes said. “I haven’t reached 20,000 steps yet so I don’t
hour for 12 hours, making me acutely aware of just how long I’ve been
know what happens, but I hear good things.”
stationary. While 30 minutes of exercise isn’t a lot to ask, it’s not something that happens accidentally. All of a sudden, I find myself
Like Bouyounes, I get excited for the buzzes and fireworks
jumping up when I get a notification, standing and power walking to
when I meet my activity goals. Although insignificant, it’s gentle
class rather than driving.
encouragement from my relentless, albeit a bit annoying, Apple Watch to be a little bit healthier and a little bit more active today. O&B
Apple users aren’t the only ones being told to move more. Other best-selling watches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch and the Fossil
orange&blue magazine
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