Many people find fitness trackers and smartwatches a useful tool for increasing their activity levels. But I have an energy-limiting illness, so often when a device is sending me notification after notification telling me to increase my step count, move more, strength train and try harder to reach the goals it sets for me, my body is telling me to do the complete opposite: move less, conserve energy and for heaven’s sake stop picking up heavy things.
After my diagnosis in mid-2024, several years (and several fitness trackers) into my career as a fitness writer, I had to learn a whole new set of skills: pacing, establishing a baseline and recognizing the warning signs my body sends telling me to slow down. I had read a bit about pacing and my doctor had given me a handy leaflet explaining the concept of spoons—a metaphor used by the disabled community to illustrate physical, mental and emotional capacity—as units of energy. In some ways, a lot of the principles were similar to those I applied to strength training or running—never overload yourself beyond 5-10% of your baseline or you’re likely to become ill.
