Why I Stopped Using a Fitness Tracker

from Fitbit to Casio

I was anxious. I put my fitness tracker away. In a drawer. Out of sight, out of mind.

I had recently started base training for the New York City Marathon in 2024, more than a year away, and about nine years after my last marathon. I have completed three marathons in my life and, while I was never great at marathon running, I was slow and steady and got the job done.

So, when I started going out for some base building run/walks I noticed something I hadn’t experienced in my previous training cycles: I kept looking at my wrist every few minutes.

The Fitbit

I love my Fitbit Charge 5. This is not an article bashing the brand or model. In fact, I am grateful for the Fitbit for telling me when I needed to see a doctor.

A little over a year ago I got an alert from my Fitbit indicating that my heart was in arrhythmia and that I needed to see a doctor. I went to the ER and a few weeks later I was in the hospital for a procedure. Luckily, by that point, I was no longer in need of medical intervention and the arrhythmia resolved on its own.

Due to this heart event, though, I became somewhat obsessed with the data the Fitbit provided. I tracked resting heart rate, beats per minute during exercise, sleep data, running pace, and so on. Like most obsessions, I didn’t even realize I had one.

Marathon Training

When I started baseline marathon training a few weeks ago, I was fond of my data. For my races I build a training plan on a spreadsheet and take notes about each day in a notebook. The spreadsheet tracks my success on the plan and is easy to edit and adjust when necessary, and my notebook tracks daily data and helps me find patterns to inform any adjustments.

What I didn’t realize is how much time I spent looking at my watch on the runs. One day, on a run, I realized that I was processing data every couple of minutes. When I tried to ignore the watch the next day, I noticed that the alerts about my heart rate kept me looking at my watch.

I changed the settings so that it wouldn’t alert me to heart rate changes. I kept looking. At work over the next few days I noticed myself looking at the data on the watch face throughout the work day.

I realized then that I had a screen/data dependency disorder.

The Universe Speaks

Around the same time, I happened upon an article about elite athletes ditching their smart watches and fitness trackers. The article mentioned the new watch of choice for some of these runners: old Casios.

A little over a year ago we got a Casio W219H for my middle school son. A basic blue digital watch that had the features he wanted: tells time, sets an alarm, and has a stopwatch. He’s on the cross country team so the watch has been around and then some.

I called out to him to ask him to bring down his watch. Perplexed, he handed me his watch. Besides some of the lettering rubbing off, the watch was in great condition. So, I ordered the same one in black.

The Casio W219H

For $18.23, Amazon shipped me my new watch in a couple of days. I became obsessed immediately.

Scratch that. I was already obsessed. However, the difference was that now I was surprised by how little data I was receiving.

I noticed that I kept checking my wrist every few minutes. And, that noticing came with a new understanding: the only information you’re going to get is the time and date.

The Pros

The watch has the very basics.

• It tells time, in 12 and 24 hour format.
• It tells you the date.
• It sets a daily alarm.
• You can set an hourly alert.
• The watch has a stopwatch that allows you to check lap splits.
• It has a good amber light for the night.
• The buttons are protected from accidental pressing but are easily accessible.
• The display is easy to read from various angles.

The Hourly Alert as Time Management Tool

Of the few functions the Casio offered, the hourly alert has been the most surprising. I turned on the hourly alert to play around with the watch features. What I found was that the hourly alert served as a fantastic time management tool.

The hourly beeps alerting me to the beginning of each hour, I realized, helped me reflect on which activities seemed to pass the time quickly and which activities seemed to slow time down. The hourly alerts also served as a public reminder to my colleagues and friends that it was time to move on — as most meetings are set to start on the hour.

Anxiety Reduction

Less surprising, but definitely relieving, is the overall reduction in anxiety. In the couple of weeks since my switch from fitness tracker to basic digital watch, I have noticed my general anxiety has diminished.

There is a certain sense of relief that comes with processing less data. I no longer think about what heart rates mean or how many steps I’ve taken or what my paces is. Let me clarify, I think about it, but the thought vanishes immediately without the data staring back at me.

For Now

I have emphasized on my running journal Instagram account, that this new phase of back-to-basics watch use is for now. I am still a data nerd. I would still like to use data in my practice. However, for now, I am focusing on re-learning how to run by feel, or effort.

Running by feel was something I did back in 2004 when I first started running and training for my first marathon. Back when all I had was an analog Swatch watch that kept time. Between a basic training plan, an analog watch, and my perceived effort, I completed my first marathon. In fact, that’s how I completed my first three marathons.

My Recommendation

I will always recommend doing what works best for you. I am grateful to my fitness tracker for alerting me to a health situation. I am also mindful of how obsessed with data I became.

My recommendation, whether using a smartwatch, fitness tracker, or basic watch, is to be attuned to what your body says. Never lose the sense of running by feel. Being mindful while running is just as important as the data you record.

Christian Alberto Ledesma has completed three slow marathons in Maryland, New Jersey, and the Twin Cities. He is ramping up his training for the New York City Marathon in 2024 with his trusted Casio. For now.

Christian Alberto Ledesma — About the Author