I’ve been wearing WHOOP for over two years, and it has genuinely helped me achieve my fitness goals. From understanding my sleep and recovery to knowing when I should push harder or take a step back, WHOOP has become something I rely on almost every day. But after spending some time with the Pulse Ring, I realized that there was one thing my fitness wearables weren’t really helping me with: being present.
That’s what makes Pulse different.
Instead of giving me another score to look at or another metric to understand about myself, Pulse is designed to simply remind me to pause. The ring uses subtle vibrations throughout the day to bring your attention back to the present moment, whether you’re working, walking, sitting at your desk, or simply going about your day. And after wearing it, I realized that sometimes I don’t need more information about myself. I just need a reminder to slow down.
What Is the Pulse Ring?
The Pulse Ring is a mindfulness-focused wearable designed around a very simple idea: helping you become more aware of the present moment. Unlike WHOOP, Oura, or other smart rings that focus heavily on tracking things like sleep, recovery, activity, and heart rate, Pulse takes a completely different approach. It isn’t trying to measure every part of your day. Instead, it uses haptic vibrations as a physical reminder to stop for a moment and bring your attention back to what you’re doing.
The idea sounds incredibly simple, and honestly, that’s what initially made me curious about it. We already have enough devices constantly collecting information about us. Our phones track our screen time, our watches track our workouts, and our smart rings track our sleep. Pulse doesn’t really add another layer of data. Instead, it tries to change what you do with your attention.
The ring works alongside the Pulse app, where you can access different experiences such as mindfulness, focus, meditation, and soothing sessions. But the interesting part is that you don’t have to constantly interact with your phone for the ring to do its job. Pulse is designed to work as a screen-free reminder, which I think makes a lot of sense for a product focused on mindfulness.
Why I Tried It
After wearing WHOOP for more than two years, I’m very comfortable with tracking my health and fitness. I know how my sleep affects my recovery, I know how much strain I can handle, and I have a pretty good understanding of how my habits affect my performance. But I started realizing that understanding yourself better doesn’t necessarily mean you’re living more intentionally.
I could have a great recovery score and still spend an hour mindlessly scrolling on my phone. I could finish a run feeling great and immediately start thinking about the next thing I needed to do. Even while working, I would sometimes find myself switching between tabs, checking messages, opening Instagram, and then realizing that I had completely lost focus.
That’s where Pulse caught my attention.
It wasn’t trying to replace WHOOP, and I don’t think it should. WHOOP helps me understand my body, whereas Pulse is trying to help me become more aware of where my attention is going. For me, that made the two devices feel completely different rather than competitive.
What Actually Happens When You Wear It?
The basic concept behind Pulse is that the ring gives you a subtle vibration that acts as a reminder to pause. There isn’t a complicated process you need to follow every time it happens. You simply feel the vibration, take a moment, and bring your attention back to the present.
At first, I honestly thought I might ignore it.
We’re surrounded by notifications all day, so the last thing I wanted was another device constantly interrupting me. But the vibration feels different from a phone notification. It isn’t asking me to open anything or respond to something. There isn’t an app waiting for me or a notification that needs to be cleared. It’s simply a small physical reminder on your finger.
And that distinction became more important the more I used it. If I’m working and I feel the vibration, I might take a breath and realize that I’ve been sitting hunched over for the last 30 minutes. If I’m walking, it might make me notice my surroundings instead of thinking about the next thing on my to-do list. Sometimes it simply makes me stop for a few seconds before continuing with whatever I was doing.
None of these things are revolutionary on their own, but that’s not really the point. The value comes from how often we forget to do them ourselves.
Does It Actually Make You More Mindful?
I think it’s important to be realistic here. Wearing a ring isn’t suddenly going to make you a more mindful person. Pulse is a reminder, not a magic solution. If the ring vibrates and you immediately ignore it, nothing is going to change. The value comes from what you do after the reminder. You have to actually take that moment to breathe, refocus, or simply become aware of what you’re doing. But that’s also why I think the concept works.
We don’t necessarily need another app telling us how to become mindful. Most of us already know that we should take breaks, spend less time on our phones, focus on one task at a time, and slow down occasionally. The problem is remembering to actually do it. That’s the problem Pulse is trying to solve.
Pulse Ring Discount Code: ARUJ20 to get 20% Off
Get 20% Off on the Pulse Ring
If you want to try the Pulse Ring yourself, you can check it out on the official Pulse Mindfulness website.
You can use my code ARUJ20 to get 20% off on the Pulse Ring.
You can learn more about the Pulse Ring and get yours from pulsemindfulness.com.
Final Thoughts
I still wear my WHOOP, and I don’t see Pulse replacing it. WHOOP has helped me become better at understanding my body and achieving my fitness goals. Pulse has helped me become a little better at something completely different: stepping away from everything else and focusing on the moment. And maybe that’s what I like most about it. It doesn’t try to tell me more about myself.
It simply reminds me to pause.
You can use my code ARUJ20 to get 20% off on the Pulse Ring.