When I had COVID, I was miserable, coughing constantly, and confined to bed for several days with severe brain fog. I barely remember anything from that time, except for waking up feverish to an Apple Watch notification. It informed me that I hadn’t made much progress on my activity rings and suggested a brisk 27-minute walk. “You can still do it,” it said. No, I couldn’t.
It wasn’t my fault I got sick, but my 85-day streak was broken anyway. Since then, I’ve dealt with shin splints, migraines, and multiple cross-country flights that make it difficult to meet exercise goals—valid reasons to prioritize rest or add flexibility to my schedule. Despite knowing better, I still felt disappointed when I chose rest over maintaining a streak.
So when Apple announced that rest days were coming in watchOS 11, I was overjoyed. I know I’m not alone in this sentiment; people have been requesting this feature for a long time.
With watchOS 11, Apple is adding features that create space for rest and recovery. The two I’m most excited about are the ability to pause Activity Rings and adjust goals based on the day of the week.
While streaks can be motivating, they can also teach you to ignore your body’s needs. When I was sick, I ignored my Apple Watch’s advice. I’ve had friends who dragged themselves out of sick beds just to maintain a streak. Others lowered their goals but felt guilty for “cheating.” Breaking a streak can feel like failing, even though it’s not true. A fitness tracker should help improve your health, and feeling like you can’t rest because of a streak is counterproductive.
Rest is essential for any effective fitness plan. Runners who don’t take rest days risk injury, and muscle growth happens during rest periods. Elite athletes use trackers like the Oura Ring or Whoop, which prioritize recovery and sleep.
Pausing rings is a great idea. In watchOS 11, you can pause rings for a day, week, month, or any needed period without affecting your Move streak. This eliminates the feeling of failure and acknowledges that it’s okay to rest, especially during vacations or family time. Taking breaks can help maintain long-term motivation.
Adjusting goals based on your schedule also helps beginners stick to a plan. Lowering your move goal on busy days and increasing it on weekends can make exercise more manageable. Automating this process in watchOS 11 makes it feel intentional, reducing any guilt about “cheating.”
Apple isn’t the first to implement these features, but that’s not the point. Improving your health is challenging, and having the flexibility to be imperfect helps. Everyone will face setbacks—it’s just a matter of when. When I broke my longest Move streak due to a traumatic event, it felt like being kicked while I was down. It took me two months to recover.
Looking back, I wonder if having the option to pause would have made things easier. Some fitness enthusiasts might argue that these features are a crutch for those lacking discipline, but I believe in fitting fitness into your life, not the other way around. This is a much-needed step in that direction.
