At the end of February I was feeling very weak. Suffice it to say it’s been a long year (well, ten years, really). I’m sure everyone can relate at some point, in some way.
The arrival of spring helped. So there is Apple Watch and magazine programlately.
I know that February 28 was a difficult morning for me, because from that morning I entered the Journal program.
“7:11, woke up at 6:40am. Stressful dreams. High anxiety right now. Nervous and anxious. Grateful for Rory.”
I also know that this was the beginning of the season change for me, weeks before spring replaced winter on the calendar, according to this entry.
“At 12:33, Rory walked me and Nova to the beach and back, 2 miles, 1 hour, so grateful. She also gave me a stress-relieving plushie Pop-Tart, buttercream cookies. Sweet kid. Love her more than you’ll ever know.”
I know it was two miles and we had been walking for an hour because my Apple Watch recorded the activity.
As for what prompted me to invite my eight-year-old son and my dog of the same age for a walk to the beach, my brain felt like a new Fight Cloud emoji:
The walk helped a lot. The movement, the change of scenery, the effect of the sunlight, and all the sensations that light up from the experience. They all helped. The move also made my son a little more talkative than usual, which I appreciated.
It was a good day. It reset the next morning, March 1. Back to the Battle Cloud emoji brain.
“7:27, I’ve been up for an hour. I’m restless, but not as aggressive as I was yesterday morning. Charging Rory’s iPad from scratch. 52º, some but not all windows open. I can hear the birds singing.”
An hour later, it’s leaning in the wrong direction.
“At 8:40 I started feeling more ‘noise’ in my head, chest and throat. Hopefully we can walk again soon. After going over some word definitions, we get up and look at the iPad. It’s 62º now, approaching 70º in an hour.”
Fortunately, my son joined me in my attempt to break my brain and walk, this time in a different direction.
“1:23 p.m. Rory and Nova went to the National Seashore park area, including a small path behind the trees, picking up trash along the way.”
It helped again.
“It’s 2:01 p.m., feel better. I’m going to keep hanging out with her Pop-Tart because she reminds me.”
The cold front at the beginning of last week reminded me in part why I got out of the moving habit in the first place.
It’s easier to pack in than out when you’re not actually stacked there is leaving home for any reason.
But being reflected in the Journal app and saying “yes, I’m walking” when asked for my watch connected the dots again for me.
Apple’s Health app also combined a few special points for me while I was able to get used to my old habits.
The Trends feature now offers encouragement, just as the Action Calls did for me initially.
As I spent two or three weeks trying to shake off the cobwebs in my head and see a little more clearly, I was particularly encouraged by one 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 will take
Trending is the best way for me to think about a lot of things right now.
Years ago I used to run every day. I loved him. Running was the best medicine. But as I said at the opening, it’s been a long ten years. At a certain point, it became more difficult to run and consequently more difficult to enjoy.
I have no doubt that I will run again. i still proud to complete Seven different half-marathon races with Apple Watch. I started running primarily just to test the watch.
But now it’s another season in my life. Right now, getting out and walking a dog around the block at least once or twice a day is a win. On days when I have the energy and opportunity, it’s more beneficial to stay out longer and go further.
Unlike before, I’m not motivated by daily consistency or the goal of wearing my rings. Just the thought of maintaining a lane and trying not to break it makes me kind of nervous.
This commute, I’m just trying to keep moving feel it the better. The data collected by my Apple Watch and the insights collected in the Journal app tell me it’s working.
Movement keeps me moving in the right direction and trend is the momentum I ride.
As always, Apple Watch it’s not what makes the difference, at least not on its own. Instead, it’s a really effective tool in finding ways to get the right idea when you’re ready.
Carrying a plush Pop-Tart around in my pocket and giving it a squeeze every now and then doesn’t hurt either.
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