Best Fitness Wearables for Runners & Lifters in Durham, NC

We get asked about wearables constantly—Apple Watches, Oura Rings, Whoop bands, Garmin watches, and now AI-powered options like the new Withings ScanWatch 2. With so many devices (and so much marketing hype), it’s easy to feel overwhelmed trying to decide what’s actually worth it.

Here’s the truth: the data is only as good as what you do with it.

At our clinic here in Durham, NC, we see patients and athletes who use wearables for everything from recovery after surgery, to training for races, to optimizing sleep and stress. These tools can be powerful—when you know what metrics matter for your goals.

What Each Wearable Brings to the Table

Apple Watch

• Best for all-around use and easy integration with your phone.
• Useful for step counts, heart rate, activity minutes, and sleep basics.
• For runners: integrates with apps for pace, cadence, and zones, though not as detailed as Garmin.
• Dr. Christopher's personal choice for ease of use and appearance.
• Personal use history - I was bad at charging the device, so the battery life was a problem for me.

Oura Ring

• More discreet, great for sleep tracking.
• Highlights HRV, body temperature, resting pulse, sleep stages, and readiness scores.
• Best for recovery-minded people who want less screen time.

Whoop Band

• Designed for athletes.
• Strong emphasis on strain, recovery, HRV, and sleep performance.
• Subscription model, but useful for accountability if you like detailed feedback.
• Personal use history - I did not like the need to wear an actual watch in addition to the whoop after some time.

Garmin

• The go-to for runners, triathletes, and data lovers.
• Excellent for pace, cadence (SPM), HR zones, GPS accuracy, and advanced metrics.
• Not as sleek as Apple or Oura, but a powerhouse for endurance training.
• My personal choice for increased battery life and reduced "phone-like" capacities. I don't want to respond to text messages from my phone! 

Withings ScanWatch 2

• Newer on the scene with an AI-powered edge.
• Focuses on heart rate, sleep, body temperature, and activity trends.
• Good option for people who want a more holistic, health-monitoring approach.

The Metrics That Actually Matter

No matter which device you choose, here’s what we track most often with our patients and athletes in Durham:

• Step counts → great for building baseline daily activity.
• Heart rate & HRV → reflect recovery, stress, and readiness.
• Resting pulse → simple but powerful measure of cardiovascular health changes.
• Sleep → not just length, but consistency, bed/wake times, and stages.
• Runner-specific data → pace, cadence (SPM), and HR zones help progress safely, or improve performance.
• Lifter-specific data → time under tension, HR response, and recovery trends.

The key is using these numbers to progressively increase activity—not to punish yourself for a “bad” score. Data is just data. It becomes valuable when you use it to make decisions about training, recovery, and overall health.

Our Holistic Approach

At The Obstacle Doc in Durham, NC, we help patients and athletes use wearables as objective tools—not judgment. Whether you’re returning to activity after an injury, chasing a new PR, or simply wanting to improve your energy and sleep, we’ll help you focus on the metrics that matter.

If you’re thinking about investing in a wearable, ask us first! We can help you choose the right device for your goals and show you how to use the data in a way that supports your health—not stresses you out.