AW Use-Medical/Health

[Cnasty]

Hi everyone,

I have been diagnosed with a sleep disorder that is quite concerning and one of the goals is to lose 20-30 pounds and the physician I am speaking with specifically recommended a wearable as a tool that helps motivate and utilize to do so.

He also stated the AW has specific sleep tracking apps that may be able to track my progress and continue to motivate me throughout my goal journey to improve.

I had the first AW and really enjoyed it but then for looks only, I didn't care for it as a fashion piece if you will and sold it.

My goal is to begin a structured exercise program, utilize the sleep apps if there are any, and hopefully have the AW integrate into my life to assist.

Has anyone gone through this specifically or seen the AW as a great motivator for fitness goals and what have you used?

Thanks again as this is a great community and looking forward to some real world feedback on successes and tips as I begin this journey.

 

[exxxviii]

This depends a lot on you and what motivates you... are you motivated by the coolness and novelty of a gadget, are you motivated by interaction with others, are you motivated by seeing data and progress in the data, etc.

For example, when I got a power meter for my bike, just having the cool gadget motivated me to ride. I wanted to see my numbers and see progress in my power. Similarly, I use Strava, and I am motivated to post workouts and see my activity compared to my friends. In the above two examples, the social motivation is stronger for me than the gadget motivation.

The AW is a great gadget, and the rings are fun to fill. However, it is mediocre as a sleep tracker, and it has rudimentary social features and challenges. And, Apple's data analysis and visualization is basic.

So, if you are strongly gadget-motivated, and you can compromise on the strengths of the features and social, then the AW is good. If you are motivated by the social connections or data analysis, then the AW is weak.

 

[Cnasty]

This depends a lot on you and what motivates you... are you motivated by the coolness and novelty of a gadget, are you motivated by interaction with others, are you motivated by seeing data and progress in the data, etc.

For example, when I got a power meter for my bike, just having the cool gadget motivated me to ride. I wanted to see my numbers and see progress in my power. Similarly, I use Strava, and I am motivated to post workouts and see my activity compared to my friends. In the above two examples, the social motivation is stronger for me than the gadget motivation.

The AW is a great gadget, and the rings are fun to fill. However, it is mediocre as a sleep tracker, and it has rudimentary social features and challenges. And, Apple's data analysis and visualization is basic.

So, if you are strongly gadget-motivated, and you can compromise on the strengths of the features and social, then the AW is good. If you are motivated by the social connections or data analysis, then the AW is weak.

Good points and I would say 50/50. I love tech and gadgets and anything that can motivate me to work smarter such as an iPad Pro, apple pencil or whatever it is I am game for.

With this specific new diagnosis though just being motivated to use the AW for the workout part and see the result will be great but I also need consistent feedback on the sleep portion and progress given to show improvements.

I dont think the AW is at fault for that and think it will fit me great but I will probably need multiple devices or processes to achieve exactly what I am looking for.

 

[exxxviii]

Good points and I would say 50/50. I love tech and gadgets and anything that can motivate me to work smarter such as an iPad Pro, apple pencil or whatever it is I am game for.

With this specific new diagnosis though just being motivated to use the AW for the workout part and see the result will be great but I also need consistent feedback on the sleep portion and progress given to show improvements.

I dont think the AW is at fault for that and think it will fit me great but I will probably need multiple devices or processes to achieve exactly what I am looking for.

Look at either a Fitbit Charge 2 or Garmin vivoactive HR. Both of those do sleep tracking and reporting way better than Apple. Fitbit does infinitely better social motivation and challenges. Garmin is more water resistant and probably a little more sophisticated for fitness stuff. The other advantage of these is that the batteries last a long time, which makes them logistically easier for continuous wear and sleep tracking.

 

[BlueMoon63]

This depends a lot on you and what motivates you... are you motivated by the coolness and novelty of a gadget, are you motivated by interaction with others, are you motivated by seeing data and progress in the data, etc.

For example, when I got a power meter for my bike, just having the cool gadget motivated me to ride. I wanted to see my numbers and see progress in my power. Similarly, I use Strava, and I am motivated to post workouts and see my activity compared to my friends. In the above two examples, the social motivation is stronger for me than the gadget motivation.

The AW is a great gadget, and the rings are fun to fill. However, it is mediocre as a sleep tracker, and it has rudimentary social features and challenges. And, Apple's data analysis and visualization is basic.

So, if you are strongly gadget-motivated, and you can compromise on the strengths of the features and social, then the AW is good. If you are motivated by the social connections or data analysis, then the AW is weak.

There are a few good sleep tracking apps. Pillow is solid and can also use a combination of the Watch and iPhone to do a pretty good job at tracking and breaking down your sleep and patterns. Sleep Watch is another if you do not want to remember to start and stop and has greatly improved.

Neither app has any real impact on battery at all. With Pillow and AW2, 8 hours of sleep takes the battery from 100% to 93%. Sleep Watch is minimal at 95% since no app needs to be run.

I think the Apple Watch is solid for the beginner to intermediate not concerned with fitness community that wants the same device for fitness and everyday life that looks good casual and with a suit. There are a few apps that allow you to break down your workout and heart rate tracking and target zones.

I love the Apple Watch because it does more than enough for beginner to intermediate while at the same time looking good and fitting under a fitted dress shirt and quick change bands. Being able to run with only the Apple Watch tracking GPS and using Bluetooth headphones and not dragging your phone along is a plus. Going swimming and taking a shower and then a quick change to a leather band or link bracelet all from the same device sets it apart.

 

[Cnasty]

There are a few good sleep tracking apps. Pillow is solid and can also use a combination of the Watch and iPhone to do a pretty good job at tracking and breaking down your sleep and patterns. Sleep Watch is another if you do not want to remember to start and stop and has greatly improved.

Neither app has any real impact on battery at all. With Pillow and AW2, 8 hours of sleep takes the battery from 100% to 93%. Sleep Watch is minimal at 95% since no app needs to be run.

I think the Apple Watch is solid for the beginner to intermediate not concerned with fitness community that wants the same device for fitness and everyday life that looks good casual and with a suit. There are a few apps that allow you to break down your workout and heart rate tracking and target zones.

I love the Apple Watch because it does more than enough for beginner to intermediate while at the same time looking good and fitting under a fitted dress shirt and quick change bands. Being able to run with only the Apple Watch tracking GPS and using Bluetooth headphones and not dragging your phone along is a plus. Going swimming and taking a shower and then a quick change to a leather band or link bracelet all from the same device sets it apart.

Fantastic feedback from both of you. I think even with the AW I will need further things to really get my health to where it needs to be but from a motivation standpoint the AW is a great start AND it offers flexibility to utilize some sleep apps and fitness prowess.

I think I am going to cheap though with just the silver aluminum as it seems to go with a lot of bands and better with suits. SS is a little too flashy for me.

 

[Type4O]

I got my AW2 specifically for workout and sleep tracking. I use the Activity watch face so the rings are big and right there every time I look at the watch. It has definitely helped me keep my workout routine going.

I use an app called Pillow for sleep tracking which works well. I also use HeartWatch which gives a good picture of your heart rate throughout the day and during the night as it reads the data Pillow writes to the Health app. I have mild sleep apnea and have had issues with heart palpitations so I can see when my heart rate spikes. I can then try adjusting different things to see if I can counteract that. The Breath app has helped when it happens during the day.

I tried Fitbit before and generally it's a decent device but as soon as I started my workout, and I sweat a lot when I workout, it just stopped reading my heart rate, consistently. My AW has only done that twice in a month and that was because the watch slipped down my arm and was sitting on bone. I just adjusted my strap and it doesn't happen anymore.

The AW is pricier than Fitbit, but I definitely don't regret getting mine.

 

[BarracksSi]

Two apps that made more of a difference to my fitness are LoseIt! and the P90X app (plus the DVDs). Both predate the Watch (and in the case of LoseIt!, I started using it way back in 2009).

The AW is a nice addition, and it's extensible via third-party apps, as you can tell from the other posts. Definitely worth trying out. Good to see that your doctor knows about the AW's potential, too.