In 2017, I tested out the Apple Watch for several months. One big limitation, I discovered, was that it didn’t acknowledge my rest days. Rest days are essential for building muscle, but the Watch’s goals don’t really acknowledge that.

It’s not like Apple hasn’t known about this problem; I’m not the only person to write about it. And the last time I did, I received emails like, “Hey, you know you’re not supposed to lie on the couch on rest days, right?” Yes, but unless I’m deliberately incorporating hills, I don’t usually break 100 bpm when I walk, and the Watch doesn’t read it as exercise.

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