My fitness tracker is a secret weapon against my chronic illness

A chronically ill person with long Covid, POTS, and mast cell activation syndrome describes how they repurpose fitness tracking devices not to exercise more, but to 'pace' — an energy management technique that balances activity with rest to avoid crashes. After a severe post-exercise crash in 2023, they learned to use trackers to monitor exertion and do less, which has significantly reduced debilitating episodes over three years.