Google Health/Fitbit useless for an actual athlete?
So I’ve been using a Fitbit with Google Health and honestly the app drives me crazy.
I train seven days a week — strength training, MMA, running. And this app treats me like someone who just discovered that walking exists. Three steps? “Wow, great movement!” A 10-minute walk? “Amazing activity!” Bro, that’s not sport, that’s just existing.
And then there’s the whole step count obsession. The 10,000 steps thing is literally a marketing gimmick from 1960s Japan — it has basically no scientific backing. It was made to sell pedometers. I’m going to hit 10,000 steps anyway because I actually work out. I don’t need a notification telling me how proud the app is of me for that.
Here’s the thing though: the app does measure actually useful data — HRV, activity zone minutes, stuff that actually matters for athletes. But for those metrics? Barely any feedback. Nothing. But the moment I hit some arbitrary step count? The app loses its mind.
What really annoys me though: the app never tells you to get up and move when you’ve been sitting too long — it only cheers you on AFTER you’ve done something, even if it was the tiniest thing. Garmin for example actually nudges you proactively. Google Health just waits and then throws confetti at you for breathing.
And the AI Coach? Don’t get me started. I keep telling it: I’m an athlete and don’t need basic tips like “remember to eat after your workout.” But every single session it comes back with “WOW, EXTREME PERFORMANCE” for what is literally just my normal Tuesday training. I genuinely don’t know what it’s going to do when I’m in competition prep — probably explode.
My feature request: give us an athlete or expert mode. Let users decide whether they’re a casual person or an active athlete and adjust everything — notifications, coaching tips, metrics — accordingly. Other apps like Whoop do this already. It’s not rocket science.
Anyone else experiencing this or is it just me?