Do You Need a Fitness Tracker?
Why Your Nervous System Might Be Your Best Guide
I’m Nahid, “the nervous system whisperer” an Author and somatic movement educator. I’ve been teaching for twenty years and help clients move out of burnout, anxiety, stress and trauma-related. The Soothe Programme now comes with a payment plan, if you want to find out more sign up to a FREE webinar “Breakthrough Burnout” on the 23rd April - click here to register.
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Hello, how are you doing this week? It’s so good to see the sunshine today. I’m holding Rewire Your Brain & Brunch: Cultivate a Resilient Nervous System at The Elder Press Cafe by the river in Chiswick. it’s one of my favourite cafes. It’s on the 12th June at 10.30 am - 12 pm. A light brunch, a talk and discussion, practical strategies that you can implement right away, you’ll also receive a signed copy of my book, Soothe, the book your nervous system has been longing for. Tickets are £27 I’d love to see you there - click here to book.
In our technology-driven world, fitness trackers have become nearly ubiquitous. From simple step counters to sophisticated devices monitoring heart rate variability, sleep quality, and recovery metrics, these wearables promise to optimise our health and performance. But in this quantified fitness revolution, we might be overlooking our most sophisticated biological feedback system: our own nervous system.
Fitness trackers offer compelling benefits: they provide objective data, establish baselines, track progress, and can motivate consistent activity. For many, seeing those steps accumulate or watching their resting heart rate decrease over time provides tangible evidence of improvement.
However, our growing dependence on external validation through numbers and metrics comes with potential downsides.
Stress Amplification
Ironically, devices meant to improve health can sometimes undermine it. Many users report experiencing anxiety when they fail to hit arbitrary targets like 10,000 steps or optimal sleep scores. This phenomenon, sometimes called "metric fixation," can trigger stress responses that negate the benefits of exercise itself.
A poor recovery score first thing in the morning might prime you to feel fatigued all day, regardless of how you actually feel. This nocebo effect can be powerful, when we expect to feel suboptimal…we often do.
Disconnection From Internal Cues
Perhaps the most significant drawback is how tracking can distance us from our innate bodily wisdom. When we outsource awareness to devices, we may stop listening to the subtle signals our nervous system provides naturally.
Dr. Robert Schleip, a leading fascia researcher, suggests that "our proprioceptive system If we learn to listen."
Your Nervous System: The Original Biofeedback Device
Your autonomic nervous system constantly monitors and adjusts to internal and external conditions, registering everything from hydration levels to emotional stress. This system operates through two primary branches:
Sympathetic nervous system (freeze-fight-or-flight): Activated during stress and intense exercise
Parasympathetic nervous system (repair-rest-and-digest): Dominant during recovery and relaxation
Unlike fitness trackers that provide delayed feedback, your nervous system offers real-time information about your readiness for activity and need for recovery.
Learning to Listen to Your Body
Developing body awareness takes practice but offers lasting benefits beyond what any device can provide:
Simple Nervous System Check-Ins
Morning readiness: Before checking your phone or fitness app, notice your energy level, muscle tension, and mental clarity
Breath awareness: Is your breathing shallow and rapid (sympathetic) or deep and slow (parasympathetic)?
Heart rate perception: Can you feel your heartbeat? Is it calm or racing?
Training According to Nervous System Feedback
Instead of pushing through fatigue because your training plan demands it, try adjusting workout intensity based on your nervous system state:
High energy, good recovery: Proceed with planned training
Moderate fatigue: Reduce volume or intensity
Significant fatigue: Consider active recovery or rest
When Trackers Can Help
This isn't to suggest fitness trackers have no place in a healthy lifestyle. They can be particularly valuable for:
Beginners establishing consistent habits
Athletes requiring precise training loads
Identifying patterns not easily perceived (like sleep disturbances)
Medical monitoring for specific conditions
The key lies in using these devices as tools rather than authorities. Let your tracker inform your decisions without overriding your intuitive sense of wellbeing.
The Middle Path: Informed Intuition
The most sustainable approach might be what performance coach Brad Stulberg calls "informed intuition" - using objective data to calibrate and enhance your subjective experience, not replace it.
Try periodic workouts without any tracking devices - to reconnect with how movement actually feels rather than how it's quantified. You might be surprised by the freedom and joy that returns to your fitness routine.
In our quest for optimisation through technology, we risk overlooking the sophisticated biological feedback mechanisms we already possess. Your nervous system provides personalised, real-time data tailored specifically to your unique physiology and psychology.
While fitness trackers offer valuable insights, true health intelligence involves integrating external metrics with internal awareness. By learning to recognise and respect your body's signals, you develop a relationship with your health that no algorithm can replicate. One based on presence, attunement and the intelligent wisdom already within you.
Is your fitness tracker a help or a hindrance?
The next Prioritise Your Attention: 8-Week Somatic Course
I’ve designed an 8-week somatic movement course to work with your brain to reclaim attention and develop the mind-body connection necessary for deep focus.
Each week builds upon the last, creating a comprehensive approach to embodied presence. You can join at anytime to practise the recorded sessions or wait until the next live cohort on the 10th June.
Live Sessions: Tuesdays, 7:00-8:15 PM, June 10 th 2025 for 8 weeks
Format: Online (recordings available within 24 hours)
Price: £250
The next Soothe Day Retreat in London is on Saturday 17th May - come and feel what ease feels like in your body. You’ll learn principles of soothing your system each time but also fresh perspectives for brain and body movement based on research, what clients are going through, and what is happening in the world. Book into the day retreats throughout the year to counter your busy life. Nab your spot here.
The Soothe Weekend Retreat on 10th - 12th October at The Quaives, a lovely retreat space in Kent, 51 minutes from St Pancras. I’ve already sold the cottages and the rooms in the main house. Rooms still available:
Dorm: 3 beds in the scandi-style dorm @ £650 pp
3 minutes drive up the road staying at The Tor Spa
3 x ensuite rooms 5 minutes car drive away @ £1150 pp
Don’t forget we are meeting on Sunday 13th at 5 pm GMT for our monthly live, can’t wait to see you! Sign up as a paid subscriber to unlock the link below.
Have a lovely weekend.
Stay human,
Nahid x
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