Health & Fitness Metrics Basics
Modern GPS watches surface a lot of health data. Here's a general, plain-language explanation of some common metric categories — not medical advice, and not a substitute for consulting a healthcare professional about your own health.
Heart rate
Most watches use a wrist-based optical sensor to estimate heart rate continuously, which is generally less precise than a chest strap but convenient for everyday tracking.
Sleep tracking
Sleep metrics are typically estimated from movement and heart rate patterns overnight, offering a general picture rather than clinical-grade sleep staging.
"Energy" or readiness scores
Many platforms combine several signals (like heart rate variability and sleep) into a single daily readiness or energy score, meant as a general guide rather than an exact measurement.
Heart rate variability (HRV)
HRV reflects the variation in time between heartbeats and is often used as a general indicator of recovery and stress, though normal ranges vary a lot between individuals.
These are general educational explanations of common wearable metrics, not medical guidance. If you have specific health concerns, or numbers that seem unusual for you, talk to a healthcare professional rather than relying on a wearable device alone.