One thing that always bothered me about the Apple Watch is that, rain or shine, in sickness or in health, it forced me to close my rings. It didn’t matter if I had Covid-19, shin splints, or was in a dark place mentally. It pushed me to be a “better” version of myself, as long as that improvement didn’t involve a day off. But with watchOS 11 (which hits public beta today), I feel like my Apple Watch is finally giving me a break.
That’s largely down to a trio of new features: the new Vitals app, the Training Load feature, and the ability to pause Activity rings. I raved about the latter right after WWDC, but after spending some time with the developer beta, I’m convinced these are the smartest fitness updates Apple has released in years.
The Vitals app and the Training Load feature are technically two different things, but in practice they go hand in hand. The Vitals app contextualizes a set of metrics: heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, and sleep duration. These are all recovery metrics, which are typically included in other apps as a readiness score, except Apple's version doesn't give you a single score. Instead, it shows you whether your metrics are “typical” or “atypical.” If two or more metrics are out of range, you'll get a notification and some possibilities for how to adjust. because Certain metrics are outdated.
The training load feature is also straightforward. It compares and visualizes your seven-day exercise load to your 28-day exercise load. Based on that, you can see whether you’re well below, below, stable, above, or very above your usual activity levels. The feature breaks this down not only by overall activity, but also by individual activity types (i.e. running, pilates, cycling, etc.). After a workout, you can also rate your perceived exertion level. For popular workouts, like running, the feature will automatically set your exertion level. (You can edit it manually if you don’t agree, which I did on occasion, though it’s generally accurate.)
It's been nice to have both features for the past month, although like most updates in watchOS 11, they're a bit passive. For example, I haven't received a single vital signs notification because, well, all my vital metrics have stayed within their typical range. Good for me for being consistent! This isn't a bad thing – it's not necessary. want to receive frequent notifications. What's more, having a quick snapshot of “is everything okay?” is helpful when you're undecided about whether to speed up or take a rest day.
That's also the benefit of Training Load, especially for people who are just starting out with exercise or training. I'm experienced enough to know that my current Training Load is a bit skewed because I took a whole week off from training while on vacation (right around the time I downloaded the beta). However, is A helpful visual reminder for me when I'm way over my 28-day baseline, that I can take a rest day. One rest day won't set me back.
Apple isn’t doing anything we haven’t seen from Garmin, Polar, Oura, Fitbit, Whoop, or any other health and fitness tracker over the past five years. Rather, Apple’s take makes these concepts easily digestible for beginners. It’s also less data overload for burnt-out athletes. Combined with the ability to pause rings or customize your goals based on the day of the week, you have a much more flexible fitness tracking experience on the world’s most popular smartwatch. That’s a big deal.
Ultimately, these features make the Apple Watch’s fitness tracking platform more personalized, which seems to be the main theme of watchOS 11. Rather than a blanket approach of always doing more, you can make alternative choices based on your actual day-to-day circumstances. I’m still trying out a ton of other watchOS 11 features, but as far as notable fitness tracking updates go, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how they’ve encouraged me to be kinder to myself.
My main complaint is that Apple still doesn’t tell you to take a rest day. You have to infer that from phrases like “recover as needed if you start to feel drained” or “you’ve been at or well above the previous range for 14 days.” I also lost a couple nights of Vitals data because I had to charge my watch overnight — a reminder that battery life and charging schedules remain the Achilles’ heel of smartwatches. But overall, that’s still a lot more sustainable in the long run for most people than the previous blanket approach of “always doing more.” Maybe in watchOS 12, my Apple Watch will finally intimidate me into putting my feet up on the couch. But for now, baby steps are still steps in the right direction.
