Haven’t posted much here. It’s been a busy week. But more to come soon on some other topics. Maybe I’ll even do two separate posts in a day? I don’t know; we’ll see.

I’m excited to now have an Oura Ring! Initially I wanted to stay in the Garmin ecosystem, but I realized different tools are better for different things. For illness detection, sleep, and stress tracking, Oura is objectively superior. Having a symptom radar that might be able to notify me in advance of getting sick was quite the selling point! For logging outdoor physical activities, tracking running stats, and the like though, Garmin is objectively superior. It’s no different than having a Mac versus a Windows PC, or a wrench versus a screwdriver. It’s nice to have both tools in the toolbox.

I didn’t want to drop $300 on an Oura ring, but when I learned that I was able to use my MERP debit card (medical expense reimbursement plan) which basically functions as a pre-tax HSA/FSA type of thing, I decided to go for it! Better yet, annual subscriptions for Oura, and for apps like Headspace are also now eligible! (Not to mention the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor I heard had syncing issues for those already with watches, for what that’s worth, and the only true value add would have been skin temp, which the Oura ring tracks).

At first it was a bit of a hassle being between sizes. The sizing kit is misleading as the plastic sizers stay on your fingers better than a metal ring. I was between size 10 and 11, and initially bought 11, and after some hassle, got size 10 instead. I learned it’s better to erring on the smaller size based on your index finger, even if your fingers are more swollen in the morning, and your knuckles aren’t super knobby. I also got a basic inexpensive silicone ring protector too.

I look forward to seeing stats as they improve these next weeks!