My Apple Watch Won’t Let Me Cheat Anymore

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There’s a great article in The Atlantic about whether e-bikes spur users to higher fitness levels or actually downgrade their expectations. I wrote earlier this summer about how I manage my own e-bike use, which at the moment is purely recreational because I am afraid to leave it unattended, even with a bike lock, to run errands. They are just too hot a commodity in my city. 

 These lines in that article caught my attention: 

An e-bike sure seems like a way to cheat at exercise, even if it really facilitates it. That’s been my experience; the credit my Apple Watch gives me for “outdoor cycling” on my e-bike pales in comparison to the exertion I undertake at home on the Peloton. (Apple has added an e-bike-detection algorithm in this mode, which both underscores the fact that e-biking ain’t biking, and suggests that yes, in fact, it is.) 

I noticed the same thing with my Apple Watch on my Sunday morning rides. If I use the pedal assist to get up a big hill, I don’t get the same credit for exercise as when I am in manual mode coasting down a steep hill. This means to close my exercise circle, I need to peddle harder and for longer than I might on a traditional bike, which I get credit for every pedal stroke whether I’m working as hard or note. E-bikes are heavier than road bikes, so any gravitational resistance takes more effort. My heart rate shoots up at the slightest incline, which I rather like. 

I began using an Apple Watch the same time I started riding my e-bike, both being gifts I received for a big birthday. Damned if that device’s fitness tracker doesn’t make me do crazy things, like walk around the block five times at 9 p.m. with other lazy Apple Watch wearers just to keep a streak alive. I’ve also been known to cobble together enough exercise minutes walking in circles in my house or dancing in my bedroom. It seems to know what I’m up to and takes forever to knock off final minutes. And if I tell myself I’m not giving in, the effing watch keeps nudging me – sending me notes saying there’s still time to finish strong. As a result, I’ve exercised every single day since early March. Every. Single. Day. 

The most difficult metric to reach weekdays is often the hours standing. I kept it at the default 10 stand-ups per day, whereas the other measurements – movement and minutes exercised – get a bump every month or so. But I have a desk job that requires deep work, and neither are conducive to walking around on the hour, every hour. I turned that function off on my Fitbit, but I’m glad I didn’t do so with this watch. 

The truth is, I do need to stop working more often and give my brain a break and muscles a stretch. Or write a blog post that maybe does both. Or neither.

Photo of the midpoint on one of the neighborhood hills I do each Sunday (this is the easiest route). I believe I stopped for a water break and turned to take this shot.

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