My Obsession with My Garmin
So, should I break up with my wearable?
I wear my Garmin every single day. Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my relationship with it—particularly my obsession with tracking everything.
At this point, tracking has become second nature. Steps, calories burned during a workout or run, hours of sleep—you name it, I track it. I’ve adopted the mindset of “If I can track it, I will” and, even worse, “If I didn’t track it, it probably didn’t count.”
Somewhere along the way, I started letting these numbers define my productivity and success each week. And while I know that’s not a healthy mindset, breaking free from it is easier said than done. In the long run, this kind of dependence on data can have more negative effects than positive ones.
So, should I break up with my wearable?
I know I’m not alone in this. Fitness tracking has become a major part of many people’s routines, with apps and wearables like Fitbit, Apple Watch, Strava, MapMyRun, and Nike Run Club all designed to help us stay on top of our goals. They allow us to see our progress, which can be incredibly motivating.
Personally, I love Strava—especially the feature that shows progress over the past 12 weeks. It paints a clear picture of consistency. When I was training for the Miami Half, I’d stress if I took a day or two off for recovery, feeling like my hard work was slipping away. But Strava helped me realize that rest days didn’t erase my progress; I was still showing up, still moving, still improving.
So, will I fully break up with my Garmin? Probably not. But I do want to be more intentional about why I use it.
Before strapping it on, I want to ask myself:
Am I using my Garmin to support my running and weight training consistency?
Am I using it to hold myself accountable during busy workdays, making sure I get in some movement?
One small step to relying less on my Garmin? Wearing my regular watches more often. (An easy win, considering they’re cute and have been neglected for far too long.)
If you find yourself struggling to break free from your fitness tracker, you’re not alone. And remember: just because you didn’t track your steps or calories one day doesn’t mean all your progress disappears. We are more than the numbers on our screens.
With love,
Sylvia
P.S. A personal update—I ran the Miami Marathon this Sunday! And my Garmin took a well-deserved break after those 21 km.
