Recently, I’ve had quite a few conversations with friends, family, and members about how to listen to your body when you’re training, especially if you use wearables like Whoop, Oura, Fitbit, Garmin, or Apple Watch.
These tools can be incredibly useful. They give us insights into things like:
- Sleep quality
- Heart rate variability
- Training load
- Recovery status
- Daily movement
Twenty years ago, most of this data was only available in sports science labs.
When I was studying at university, we spent whole modules in exercise physiology collecting this kind of information, monitoring heart rate, analysing breathing, checking blood lactate, running different test protocols… all to understand how the body responds to training.
Back then it took proper lab equipment, a team of students, and a chunk of time to pull everything together.
Now a watch can give us a version of that data in seconds.
So yes, wearable tech is incredible. And I’m definitely not saying we should stop using it. But I do think we need to be mindful of how we use it.
When the Device Becomes the Decision-Maker
Sometimes someone wakes up feeling okay, until they look at their sleep score and suddenly it’s “Oh… apparently I slept badly. That explains why I feel tired.” Except, they didn’t feel tired until they were told to feel tired.
It's like the number or 'score' has replaced the experience.
And for a lot of people I work with, this is familiar. Many have spent years:
- Following strict diet plans
- Ignoring hunger and fullness
- Pushing through fatigue
- Measuring progress through apps, calorie targets, macros, or tracking rules
So part of our work together is helping them rebuild trust in their own internal signals.
Because long-term health isn’t just about doing the right things. It’s about being able to feel and respond to what your body needs at that time.
And whilst wearables can support this, they can also easily become just another external authority.
My Own Experience With Wearables
I use a wearable myself. Personally, I track most of my workouts on my Fitbit. I find heart-rate and sleep data genuinely helpful. And if my energy is lower than expected one day, sometimes it’s useful to see that I didn’t sleep as deeply as I thought.
But the thing is, I always check after checking in with my body.
I wake up → move → notice → begin training → then look at the data.
Most of the time, the data just confirms what I already sensed.
Over the years, I’ve learned to recognise what kind of training day I’m having within the first couple of sets. Some days I feel like I’ve got the gears to really push. Other days are a grind, and I just don’t feel like I’ve got much in the tank.
So I listen to my body. If I’ve not recovered well, I might:
- Keep the weight but drop a set
- Keep the same number of sets but reduce the weight
Or simply aim to complete the session instead of beating the last one. Zoomed in, this might look like doing less, but when you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, I hope you'll see that’s consistency, longevity, and injury prevention.
And Here’s the Human Part
I’m not just a coach. I’m also a father, a husband, and a business owner. There are school runs, family commitments, work demands and days where life is simply full.
There’s no point in pushing myself to the edge in a workout if it means I come home exhausted and unable to show up for the people who matter most.
I use training to support the rest of my life, not drain it.
Some days I feel strong, focused and ready to take on the world. Other days, I’m held together by coffee, pure stubbornness, and the willpower to keep showing up.
Both are okay.
The important part is:
I don’t make either day mean anything about me. I respond to what’s there.
That’s the skill I want my clients to build too: Confidence in how to interpret what their body is actually telling them, without judgement.
A Simple Practice to Try
Check in with your body before you check your device. Ask yourself: How’s my energy? How’s my mood? How rested do I feel? What feels appropriate today?
Then, if you want, use the wearable to understand the why. Let tech support your awareness, not replace it.
Your body is still your most reliable guide.
If You’d Like Support With This
If you’d like to get better at tuning into your body, with your training, eating habits, or recovery, you’re welcome to come in for a free consultation.
No pressure. No hard sell. Just a conversation about where you are now and what you need.
Or send me a message if that feels easier.
