The Apple Watch Rings Don’t Work for Endurance Athletes

The Genius of Apple Watch Rings

When the Apple Watch first came out, I was immediately impressed by the Activity rings. They were a simple but genius way to make sure people stayed active, and I still believe they're effective for promoting general fitness. For the average person, closing those rings each day can be a great way to stay on track. After all, staying active is one of the most important factors for maintaining good health.

However, when the Apple Watch first launched, I wasn't very active. I'd try to run or walk whenever I could and felt accomplished when I closed my rings, but my activities were random. I wasn't motivated by walking, and running wasn't my thing. Then, in 2020, I discovered cycling, and everything changed. Suddenly, I found a sport that clicked with me, and I started building a real habit around it.

Discovering the Limits of the Rings with Cycling

At first, my focus was still on closing my rings. Seeing 3-, 5-, or 7-day streaks was a huge motivator. But there were two things I didn't expect: how quickly my body would adapt to cycling, and how much more I wanted to do once I started riding regularly. I initially thought riding 5-10 miles would cover my fitness needs, but I was wrong. What started as a challenge quickly became routine, and soon enough, I was aiming for longer distances.

I remember talking to a neighbor who mentioned a 20-mile bike ride that left him exhausted. At the time, that seemed like a long-term goal for me. But after six months of consistent cycling, I completed that same ride and had energy to spare. What once felt impossible had become attainable.

By the end of 2020, I had logged 1,000 miles without even realizing it. I was riding multiple days a week, with distances like 20 miles on Wednesday, 25 on Friday, and longer rides on the weekend. But something started to shift: as my rides got longer, I began taking rest days more seriously.

That's when I noticed a problem with the Apple Watch rings. While the rings are great for ensuring basic activity levels, they don't account for the demands of endurance sports. The rings encourage daily activity, like a 30-minute walk, which fits the Mayo Clinic's recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week. But I was cycling 9-10 hours a week, far exceeding the minimum, yet feeling unproductive on rest days when my rings weren't closing.

Shifting Focus to Long-Term Goals

Eventually, I had to reframe my thinking. Instead of focusing on daily streaks, I shifted my attention to weekly and yearly mileage goals. I realized that for endurance athletes, full rest days are crucial for recovery, and closing my rings every day wasn't necessary. I stopped feeling guilty about taking days off and started focusing on hitting my bigger targets—like 75 miles a week and 4,000 miles a year.

This shift in mindset was a game-changer, and it's part of what inspired me to create Active Goals, an app that helps track weekly, monthly, and yearly performance. It allows me to stay motivated by long-term goals rather than daily streaks, giving me the flexibility to adjust my targets based on my life and schedule.

In the end, the Apple Watch rings are a brilliant tool for promoting basic fitness, but for those of us in endurance sports, they're not the full picture. What really matters is finding what motivates you and setting goals that challenge you without burning out. For me, that means focusing on miles over streaks—and that's how I keep pushing forward.