The real truth about exercise and TMI

March 4, 10:59 AMMinneapolis Fitness ExaminerMalia Frey

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Minneapolis Fitness Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Photo by Mateusz Skuza

Athletes are blessed with technology that provides every imaginable piece of data during workouts. Heart rate, rpm, distance in yards, kilometers or miles, minutes per mile, miles per minute, time in zone, time above zone, time below zone, comparisons to previous workouts, the list is endless. Exercisers can also choose the ways in which they receive the data. My Nike+iPod talks to me in a sexy male voice, my Garmin Forerunner beeps an alarm if my heart rate signals a deviation from my selected heart rate range and both devices talk to my laptop which can then send the data around the country to compare and talk with other athletes. Is it just me, or does this seem like too much information?

The upside to the information onslaught is that exercisers have tangible feedback about the effectiveness of their workouts. If they are working hard without seeing results, it is easier to look at real data and find out what the problem is. Often, an athlete thinks they are working out more than they really are, or may not be achieving the intensity that they need to improve speed and post faster race times. Weight loss may not occur because physical activity is too short or too intense to burn fat. Numbers don't lie and having real data to evaluate takes the guesswork out of achieving fitness goals.

But the downside to the data dump is that we are overloaded with numbers that don't reflect the intangible benefits of our efforts. Yesterday, after a longish run, I unstrapped my iPod and scrolled to the Nike+iPod screen which showed that I ran 7 miles at a 6:18 pace. I was devastated. Trust me, if those results were accurate I would have been elated, but the the fact is that I couldn't run a 6:18 pace for seven miles if my life depended on it. I was disappointed because I wanted the satisfaction of seeing my results, those neatly categorized value laden numbers which validate my efforts. I knew the numbers on the screen were wrong so I felt shortchanged.

So often I've seen athletes (and I've been one of them) cross the finish line at a race, excited and proud of their accomplishment only to wallow in self deprecating analysis hours later when they face the computer screen displaying online race results. As competitors it is natural that we notice who finished in front of us, and that we compare our numbers to the highest possible standards. But if this process limits the satisfaction we enjoy for getting in the game in the first place then the numbers aren't helpful, they are just TMI, too much information.

The best part of a workout is the hour or so afterwards when we swim in endorphins and bask in well earned satisfaction. Keep those moments sacred and leave the numbers for later. And if like me, you find yourself addicted to a device for results, take it off and leave it at home. There is plenty to love about exercise that you will never find by looking at a screen.