I’ve Used the Oura Ring for Two Months and Here’s How It’s Helped Me (It’s on Sale!)
I’m always trying to optimize my life, mostly to middling results. I’ve read a dozen of books about productivity, tried the Pomodoro method, and have always been intrigued by digital organizers and trackers. I’ve owned a Fitbit and a Garmin running watch, but neither stuck and got relegated to a drawer after a few months of use.
But after a particularly painful half-marathon in April, I decided my training methods weren’t working and I needed some help. I was feeling overtired (yet also not sleeping well) and my body just hurt. A running influencer I followed on Instagram swore by the Oura ring, so I decided that it might be worth trying out to see if it made a difference.
The Oura Gen3 Heritage ring, which I chose, usually comes in at $399, but right now it’s on rare sale for Prime Big Deal Days and $50 cheaper.
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What is the Oura Ring Gen3 Heritage?
The Oura Ring Gen3 Heritage is a wellness tracker. It tracks your heart rate, oxygen levels, body temperature, steps, movement, stress, sleep, and other biometrics. It has sensors on the inside of the ring, which lightly graze up against the bottom of the finger you wear it on. You can wear the ring on whatever finger you choose (I personally opt for my ring finger), though the Oura ring has its own sizing metrics, so you should really get a sizing kit before ordering. You can get one on Amazon and get $10 toward your Oura ring purchase.
Despite looking like a heavier ring, the Oura is really lightweight and crafted out of titanium, which means it’s non-allergenic and water-resistant. The Oura is compatible with 40 different apps, including Apple Health, Google Health Connect, Natural Cycles, Flo, Strava, and more. You can also manually record activities (i.e. boxing and dancing). The Oura app itself costs $5.99 a month after a month-long free trial.
Why I Love the Oura Ring Gen3 Heritage
The reason why I think the Oura app is a step above other fitness trackers is because it analyzes all of your data for you to paint a picture of how you’re doing. After a few weeks of monitoring my biometrics, it created a baseline for me. That baseline, of course, changes slowly over time, but it tells me how I’m dealing with stress, how I’m sleeping, and if I’m overdoing it when it comes to working out.
When I wake up, I check my sleep score and then my readiness score (which I’ve taken a screenshot of above). It says that I’m ready to take on a workout, which is great news because I have a run scheduled tonight.
Overall, I’ve become more aware of what it feels like when my body feels good and when it hasn’t recovered very well (especially alcohol’s effect on my heart-rate). My legs and shoulders don’t feel too sore after an intense workout anymore and some of the stiffness in my back is gone, because my body is getting enough recovery time. It’s also allowed me to give myself some grace, which I am admittedly bad at. It shows my stress throughout the day, and sometimes I tell myself to take deep breaths and be more mindful of what it’s doing to my heart-rate. I’ve also learned the importance of going to bed around the same time consistently.
Plus, so many of my friends have complimented this ring, thinking it was just a piece of jewelry I have. I have the gold Heritage ring, which is unfortunately not on sale. I’m not constantly checking my app or getting buzzed to move out of my chair, which I found annoying when I had a Fitbit. Overall, I think it’s the best fitness tracker out there and I recommend it to everyone — get it while it’s on sale.