Lord of three rings: Closing all rings on iWatch for 365 consecutive days — Benefits and How To Do (2022)

No, Apple won’t reward you with what would be a spectacular motivator — a “Perfect Year” badge — for recording 365 consecutive days of hitting your exercise goal yet.

However, if you set your mind and body to achieving it nevertheless, you will experience its multifarious benefits and realise that the goal is totally worth chasing. I recently completed the 365th day of meeting my exercise goal — at first, panting and aching, and then feeling moderately comfortable in this pursuit — and it has been a tremendously uplifting routine. I want to share with you how I feel after 365 days of keeping up with this routine and some tips to help you make progress in your fitness journey.

First things first: I undertook this challenge at the end of 2020 only because I was coming off the back of a sickness and earnestly needed to become fitter. I decided to take charge of having a healthier new year. The omnipresence of Covid meant I could not go to a gym or group class and surround myself with fitness equipment or an exciting new workout regime. While I pondered over how I would drag my unfit self to jog in the park every day, at the onset of 2021, my father shared with me an article (link below) that inspired a whole new routine.

A year of closing my rings: How my Apple Watch kept me moving all year | ZDNet

The article is about and penned by David, who closed all three rings on his iWatch for 365 consecutive days. I was impressed by his dedication and commitment, and I felt a surge of motivation. Also, at that time, this article was the only account of an experience of its kind that featured as a search result on Google’s first page. As I took note of how exclusive this group of year-round fitness goal achievers was, my interest in the pursuit to be fitter piqued upwards and onwards.

Benefits

1. Discipline: If you attempt to incorporate exercise in your daily routine, you will soon realise that without proper planning and commitment to a schedule, the routine is bound to fail. After having my fair share of planning wrecks, I have now settled into the habit of starting my day with some form of exercise, no matter how little. To be able to do that, I make it a point go to bed on time. I try to space out and schedule my work and chores in such a way that I can balance work with completing the rings.
2. Focus: If you are someone who juggles a lot of items at the same time, being aware of your surroundings as you take long walks can help a great deal in clearing your mind off clutter. You will get the chance to take a step back from whatever keeps your mind occupied, assess things with a fresh perspective, redirect your focus to what is important, and in turn, improve your productivity and ability to give your best.
3. Lifestyle change: Completing the rings has directed my mindset towards the upkeep of a fitness regime and adoption of other healthy habits. I feel inspired to go outdoors for a run on a wonderful day and hit the gym to do varied forms of workouts on other days. Further, as I am more focussed on health now than before, I have started eating more vegetables, drinking an adequate amount of water, and consciously exploring more ways of being healthy.

Tips and Tricks to help along the journey

And finally, some humble tips and tricks to help along the journey.

1. When there is no time constraint — Start off easy by going for long walks

I started off by going for ~45 minutes of leisurely walks both in the morning and in the evenings. I did this to explore new neighbourhoods, parks, and things to do in general. I would cover a minimum of 7 km on foot every day, with which I would close both my move ring and exercise ring.

2. When there is a time constraint — Try exercises of different intensities

Not on most days did I have nearly two hours to spare for exercise, so I started identifying an alternative format that wouldn’t take as long to finish. I turned to a regimen comprising weightlifting and running. 20 minutes of weightlifting or running allows you to burn as many calories as 45 minutes of walking does. I would start the morning with such exercises so I could complete roughly 50% of my ring by midday. And closing off the other half was easy with just a short 30 minutes’ walk at night. And now, I look forward to my walking time every day.

3. When you have low motivation — Incorporate exercises in your daily routine

I soon realised that I will not be able to keep the motivation to exercise every day and therefore, started taking up other activities that would supplement the achievement of my exercise goal. Cherry on the cake for me — I earned some bucks that supported my financial independence. I took up casual roles in the city that required me to commute via bicycle in the mornings and evenings. So, on the days self-motivation was low, my work schedule ensured I did not miss a day.

4. When you have high motivation — Have a partner

It is always fun to have a partner in crime. To share the same level of motivation and excitement for finishing three rings each day is amazing. Continuous pep talk and encouragement ensured that my motivation went back up even after dwindling. For me, that partner was my father, who btw will complete his 365 days next month. Find yours!

5. When you must improve motivation — Two birds with one stone

Attaching something tangible to my quest for ring completion was very helpful and rewarding. These included:

• Going for walks to supermarkets, especially during the lockdown — Got food + walk ring updated
• Cycling to work — Got paid + exercise ring updated
• Going for a long walk — Thought and planned items for the day + exercise and move ring updated
• Getting up to drink water — Took well deserved break from screen + made my back happy + stand ring updated

It has been a very satisfying journey to have reached this milestone and I hope reading this article gives you a bit more motivation to complete those rings.

Finally, if you are a bit of a gamer, your competitive spirit will kick in after few months and make this process more fun.