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Contranecdata: zero change. I am not motivated by numbers. On bad days I couldn't care less that the numbers are low, and it's good, otherwise it would add to t

Contranecdata: zero change. I am not motivated by numbers. On bad days I couldn't care less that the numbers are low, and it's good, otherwise it would add to the stress/depression that probably led to those in the first place. I don't mind it too much because it can visually show memorable anomalies in near past (like here I was ill, here I moved, here I had a fun day of walking), but I really dislike those "ring" gamifications when it tells me when I reached 10k taking me out of flow and making me realize I walked a lot. What worse, it taught me what 10k of steps feels like, which makes me measure where I am at during extended walks instead of being in the moment enjoying walking! What I really want is those non critical activity stats to be hidden in real time and only be available for like a month ago and earlier. In its current incarnation it feels like it's aimed at people who consciously make themselves do things instead of enjoying them, it's not healthy...

kaashif 3y ago
> it feels like it's aimed at people who consciously make themselves do things instead of enjoying them, it's not healthy... Needing gamification to exercise is sub optimal, but it's not that bad compared to just exercising less, which is the alternative.
- throwaway290 3y ago
  I'm not sure stress-forcing yourself to exercise to make the numbers is better compared to exercising less but sure it's probably individual.
  - debaserab2 3y ago
    I don't feel that way. I went through a pretty big exercise slump over covid and I bought an apple watch at the start of 2021. If you make your goals modest at first, the numbers will be easy to hit and every couple of weeks the fitness app will suggest you raise them - if you raise them each time it suggests, you'll eventually hit a manageable goal where you're spending 30-60 minutes exercising per day. The gamification aspect was really good for me to get off the couch and actually do something but now that I have good habits going I naturally enjoy the extra walk/yard work/gym workout. I don't really pay that much attention to my daily goals anymore, but if I look down and it's 4 PM and I see that I'm a bit short on today's exercise goal, I might consider taking the dog for a second walk or making an unplanned trip to the gym. It's not the end of the world if I don't make it, but it's pretty cool when the month ends and I get the "you hit your exercise goal every day for august" notification.
    - throwaway290 3y ago
      Glad it works for you!
rambambram 3y ago
> What I really want is those non critical activity stats to be hidden in real time and only be available for like a month ago and earlier. This is an approach I have also considered for an app of mine. All data close to now is saved in the database of course, but in no way visible before a week or so has passed. I think it makes one's connection with one's personal data healthier.
- throwaway290 3y ago
  Yeah. The problem though, I would rather it didn't use its own database and relied on Health APIs... so this feature would have to be implemented in Health APIs themselves, I suppose.

kaashif 3y ago

> it feels like it's aimed at people who consciously make themselves do things instead of enjoying them, it's not healthy... Needing gamification to exercise is sub optimal, but it's not that bad compared to just exercising less, which is the alternative.

throwaway290 3y ago
I'm not sure stress-forcing yourself to exercise to make the numbers is better compared to exercising less but sure it's probably individual.
- debaserab2 3y ago
  I don't feel that way. I went through a pretty big exercise slump over covid and I bought an apple watch at the start of 2021. If you make your goals modest at first, the numbers will be easy to hit and every couple of weeks the fitness app will suggest you raise them - if you raise them each time it suggests, you'll eventually hit a manageable goal where you're spending 30-60 minutes exercising per day. The gamification aspect was really good for me to get off the couch and actually do something but now that I have good habits going I naturally enjoy the extra walk/yard work/gym workout. I don't really pay that much attention to my daily goals anymore, but if I look down and it's 4 PM and I see that I'm a bit short on today's exercise goal, I might consider taking the dog for a second walk or making an unplanned trip to the gym. It's not the end of the world if I don't make it, but it's pretty cool when the month ends and I get the "you hit your exercise goal every day for august" notification.
  - throwaway290 3y ago
    Glad it works for you!

rambambram 3y ago

> What I really want is those non critical activity stats to be hidden in real time and only be available for like a month ago and earlier. This is an approach I have also considered for an app of mine. All data close to now is saved in the database of course, but in no way visible before a week or so has passed. I think it makes one's connection with one's personal data healthier.

throwaway290 3y ago
Yeah. The problem though, I would rather it didn't use its own database and relied on Health APIs... so this feature would have to be implemented in Health APIs themselves, I suppose.