At the end of February I was feeling pretty depressed. Suffice it to say, it’s been a long year (well, a decade, actually). I’m sure we can all relate, at some point, in some way.
The arrival of spring has helped. So he apple watch and diary applately.
I know February 28 was a difficult morning for me because of that morning’s entry in the Journal app.
“7:11am, woke up around 6:40. Stressful dreams. Lots of anxiety right now. Nervous and restless. Thankful for Rory.”
I also know it was the beginning of a change of season for me, weeks before spring replaced winter on the calendar, because of this entry.
“At 12:33, Rory walked me and Nova to the beach and back, 2 miles, 1 hour, very grateful. He also gave me a stress-relieving plush Pop-Tart, flavored with fudge ice cream, the closest thing to my cookies and cream preferences. Sweet boy. I love him more than he will ever know.”
I know it was a distance of two miles and that we had been gone for an hour, because my Apple Watch recorded the activity.
As for what made me invite my eight-year-old son and similarly aged dog for a walk on the beach, well, my brain felt like the new Fight Cloud emoji:
Walking helped a lot. The movement, the change of scenery, the effects of sunlight and all the senses that are illuminated by the experience. Everything helped. The movement also caused my son to talk a little more than usual, which I appreciated.
It was a good day. The next morning, March 1, a reboot occurred. Back to Fight Cloud emoji brain.
“7:27 am, been awake for an hour. Restless, but I think not as aggressively as yesterday morning. Charging Rory’s iPad from scratch. 52º, some windows, but not all, open. I can hear the birds singing.”
An hour later, the trend is going in the wrong direction.
“8:40am, starting to feel more ‘noise’ in my head, chest and throat. Hopefully we can walk again soon. Rory get up and look at the iPad after going over some word definitions. 62º now, closer to 70º in an hour.”
Fortunately, my son joined me in my attempt to hack my brain and take a walk, this time in a different direction.
“1:23 pm, I walked with Rory and Nova to the National Seashore park area, including a small trail behind the trees, picking up trash along the way.”
It helped, again.
“2:01 pm, I feel much calmer these days. I will continue to spend time outside with his Pop-Tart like he reminds me to do.”
A cold front early last week reminded me, in part, why I broke the movement habit in the first place.
It’s easier to bundle up inside than to layer up and go out when it really isn’t. have leaving home for any particular reason.
But reflecting on the Journal app and saying “yes, I’m on a walk” when my watch prompts me has connected the dots once again.
Apple’s Health app has also helped me connect some specific dots at a time when I might otherwise settle into old habits.
The Trends feature has offered encouragement now in the same way that the activity rings originally did for me.
Two or three weeks into this routine of just trying to shake the cobwebs out of my head and see a little clearer, I was especially encouraged by a notification: “Your average resting heart rate has decreased over the past 5 weeks.”
The chart shows a 5-week average of 46 compared to a 21-week average of 63 before that. I’ll take it.
For me, trends are exactly the right way to think about a lot of things right now.
Years ago, I used to run daily. I loved it. Running was the best medicine. But as I said at the beginning, it’s been a long decade. At some point, running became harder to achieve and, eventually, harder to enjoy.
I have no doubt that I will run again. Am still proud to complete Seven different half marathon races with the Apple Watch. First of all, I only started running as a way to test the watch.
But now is a different season in my life. For now, getting out and just logging a walk with the dog around the block at least once or twice a day is a win. On days when I have the energy and opportunity, staying out longer and going further is even more rewarding.
Unlike before, I’m not motivated by a daily streak or the goal of closing my rings. The very thought of maintaining a streak and trying not to break it irritates me.
This lap, I’m just trying to keep moving to feel better. The data collected by my Apple Watch and the information collected in the Journal app lets me know it’s working.
The movement moves me forward in the right direction and the trend is the momentum I am carrying.
As usual, apple watch It’s not what makes the difference, at least not on its own. Instead, it’s a really effective tool for finding ways to surface the right information when you’re ready to do so.
Carrying the stuffed Pop-Tart in my pocket and squeezing it occasionally doesn’t hurt either.
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