Fitness trackers and health wearables have become ubiquitous—worn by roughly 50% of Americans, from Oura Rings to Garmin watches to Fitbits.
But are these devices actually making people healthier, or just more anxious?
That’s the question fitness coaches Mason and Audrey tackle after abandoning their own tracking devices—despite once being obsessive users.
Their experience reveals an uncomfortable truth: more data doesn’t always equal better health.
Jump to:
- When Tracking Becomes Obsession
- The Illusion of Control
- When Data Creates False Narratives
- The Gamification Problem
- Accuracy Issues You Should Know
- Pattern Recognition Over Daily Fluctuations
- Who Actually Benefits From Tracking?
- Start With Steps
- The Subtraction Principle
- Don’t Outsource Your Intuition
- The Seasonal Approach
- Bottom Line
When Tracking Becomes Obsession
Audrey’s relationship with fitness tracking bordered on compulsive. She maintained a 700-day streak on MyFitnessPal—logging every morsel for nearly two years straight.
Mason recalls a memorable date night in Chicago when he noticed something peculiar on Audrey’s wrist: a Michael Kors watch layered with a step-tracking device underneath.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Even if I was dressed up, even if we were going to dinners, I didn’t want to take it off because I would miss steps. It’s almost like if it didn’t log it, I didn’t actually hit those steps, you know?
For Mason, the Oura Ring dictated his entire emotional state each morning. A poor sleep score would convince him he was more exhausted than he actually felt.
If I didn’t get enough REM sleep or I didn’t sleep above like 7 hours, in my brain, I would tell myself that I’m more tired than I already am because the score would start to dictate exactly how my mood was going to be.
The Illusion of Control
Wearables promise certainty in an uncertain world. They offer concrete numbers, detailed breakdowns, and actionable insights.
But according to Audrey, that sense of control can be misleading—especially for people already taking good care of themselves.
The critical question: Does the data actually change your behavior, or just create anxiety?
For many users, tracking becomes an end in itself rather than a means to improvement. Mason and Audrey were already training consistently, eating well, and prioritizing sleep before wearing their devices.
The trackers didn’t improve their habits—they just added stress.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
It didn’t change whether we were going to still work out four times in a day or go for however many walks we typically go for, whether I was going to get in bed at 8:00 versus 9:30.
When Data Creates False Narratives
Audrey experienced this phenomenon during a period of severe sleep anxiety. Night after night, she struggled with insomnia—not from poor habits, but from anxiety itself.
Checking her Oura Ring each morning only amplified the problem. Low readiness scores reinforced negative thought patterns, creating a vicious cycle.
Seeing my sleep score and my readiness score day after day just be so low—it wasn’t like I was going to bed late intentionally or wasn’t taking care of myself. It was anxiety. For me to just look at the scores, this isn’t even benefiting me.
The data became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Bad score equals bad day—even when her body felt otherwise.
The Gamification Problem
Fitness trackers intentionally gamify health metrics. They encourage users to “beat” previous scores, close activity rings, and compete with friends.
While competition can motivate some people, it creates unhealthy dynamics for others.
Audrey noticed this pattern among coaching clients who would share their Oura Ring scores in group chats—turning recovery into a competitive sport.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
I would almost try to beat the score. It’s this gamifying thing and like a competitiveness, but I don’t know how much competitiveness with something like that is really useful.
The problem intensifies when people tie self-worth to arbitrary numbers generated by algorithms that don’t fully understand human complexity.
Accuracy Issues You Should Know
Beyond psychological concerns, wearables have significant accuracy limitations—particularly around calorie expenditure.
Many devices overestimate calories burned, leading users to believe they have more dietary wiggle room than they actually do.
Audrey specifically warns clients against relying on calorie burn data from trackers.
A lot of people will look at the calories burned and think they burn 3,000 calories. Unless you’re 6’4, 240 pounds, you’re not going to be burning that many calories and it’s going to be very inaccurate.
The takeaway: These numbers shouldn’t dictate nutrition decisions. Metabolism is far more complex than any algorithm can capture.
Pattern Recognition Over Daily Fluctuations
If wearables do have value, it lies in identifying patterns rather than obsessing over daily variations.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
One bad night of sleep isn’t catastrophic. Five consecutive nights might signal a genuine problem requiring attention.
This principle applies equally to body weight, which naturally fluctuates day-to-day based on hydration, sodium intake, and digestive timing.
Mason and Audrey still weigh themselves regularly—but focus on weekly trends rather than daily numbers.
If you can take a step back and look at the pattern instead of the daily fluctuations that are bound to happen, that is where you can get more use out of it.
Who Actually Benefits From Tracking?
Wearables aren’t inherently bad—they just aren’t universally beneficial.
Tracking may help if:
- You’re working toward a specific goal (fat loss, athletic performance, fertility tracking)
- The data actually changes your behavior for the better
- You can view numbers without emotional attachment
- You’re establishing baseline healthy habits
Tracking may harm if:
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
- You’re already consistently training and eating well
- The data creates anxiety or obsessive thoughts
- Daily scores dictate your mood and energy perception
- You’re outsourcing your body’s natural intuition
- The device stays dead or unused for days at a time
Start With Steps
For those new to tracking, Audrey recommends starting with the simplest, most actionable metric: steps.
Unlike sleep quality or metabolic rate, step count is binary—you either hit your target or you didn’t. There’s minimal room for misinterpretation.
Research consistently links daily step count with longevity. The average American gets only 4,000 steps daily—well below optimal levels.
Aiming for 8,000-10,000 steps provides a concrete, achievable goal with genuine health benefits.
Steps is a great one to start with because it’s easy to track. Most wearables have them and you can kind of build from there.
The Subtraction Principle
Audrey references a powerful concept from entrepreneur Chris Williamson: “Sometimes in order to pick something up, you have to put something down.”
Adding health habits requires capacity. If your schedule is already maxed out, something needs to go.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
Examples of subtraction for addition:
- Cut evening wine to improve sleep quality
- Reduce Netflix time to create morning workout space
- Eliminate obsessive data checking to reduce anxiety
This approach prevents the overwhelm that sabotages most New Year’s resolutions—where people try changing everything at once.
Don’t Outsource Your Intuition
Perhaps the most valuable insight from Mason and Audrey’s experience: wearables should inform decisions, not dictate them.
Your body provides signals independent of any device. Hunger, energy levels, mood, performance—these internal metrics matter more than algorithm-generated scores.
Audrey learned this lesson through her tracking obsession, which severed her connection to physical intuition.
Use the data to help inform your decisions, but don’t completely outsource your intuition because that is where I found myself and that is what ended up causing more harm than good.
Mason, naturally more intuitive, never developed the same dependency—illustrating that personality type significantly impacts how people interact with tracking technology.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
The Seasonal Approach
Rather than permanent commitment, consider seasonal tracking.
Use wearables intensively when working toward specific goals, then take breaks to reconnect with body awareness.
This prevents the burnout and anxiety that comes from years of continuous monitoring—especially when you’re no longer pursuing concrete objectives.
Both Mason and Audrey now embrace what they call a “seasonal break” from tracking, with no immediate plans to return.
Bottom Line
Fitness trackers and health wearables are tools—nothing more, nothing less.
They work brilliantly for some people and create problems for others. Success depends on self-awareness, specific goals, and emotional relationship with data.
If you want something simple that actually works, this is one of the most effective tools I’ve used to build strength, conditioning, and endurance without needing a full gym setup.
- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
The real question isn’t whether tracking is good or bad. It’s whether the information genuinely improves your health behaviors or simply creates an illusion of control while generating anxiety.
As Mason and Audrey discovered after coaching over 2,500 women, the most important metric isn’t captured by any device: your ability to listen to your body and respond accordingly.
Let data inform your choices. Never let it dictate your life.
