Stop the Watts – Are You Missing the Point?

A good friend of mine is obsessed with data. He would argue it’s a healthy obsession and suggests data is critical and closely linked to improved performance in sport. While I appreciate that quality data can assist, my cycling and past in triathlon exploits have been driven by a healthy understanding of self before data.

Having had the pleasure of training with legends of triathlon such as Jason Shortis, I learned and adopted methods based on gut feel and listening to the mind and body. Tools for measuring performance have certainly advanced quickly in recent years and I’m gradually converting to smart trainers and the world of Zwift.

The real data nuts out there will even argue that measure of fatigue, sleep and emotions etc can be tracked. It’s certainly has been interesting to observe the switch from ‘old school’ training methods towards scientifically backed training and racing methods.

But are we missing the bigger picture?

When did you last ride without a Garmin or cycling computer? Perhaps it’s your cycling friends that frantically upload images to socials in chase of likes? It seems we’re more concerned about how doughnuts look on Instagram rather than the conversation held with friends while eating the doughnut.

Whether you’re directly or indirectly involved in this behaviour, Adam Alter suggests we need to ‘demetricate’ during exercise. What does demetricate mean? No, it’s not getting rid of the metric system in this particular context. Demetricating (might be making up words now) is about getting back to the enjoyment of exercise and putting data or screens aside, even if it’s for a session or two each week.
A keen runner himself, Adam is an academic and author who predominantly focuses on judgment and decision-making and social psychology. He was first introduced to demetricating during exercise by a friend that places tape over his watch when running. The intent of this is to get back to the joys, feeling, and emotions of running… being in the moment.

The benefits of demetricating, or reducing screen time are overwhelming. During the past few weeks, my data-loving friend and I have partaken in a little experiment whereby we can’t use a phone, cycling computers or smart watches to measure our activity. We took it another level and installed free apps such as Moment and Quality Time to track and restrict phone usage.

The results were outstanding, yet not surprising. Improved relationships, better conversations, decreased anxiety and a greater sense of happiness just to name a few. The best bit of this trial? Since introducing some tech and screen time back into exercise, my watts have improved!