Gentler Streak on Apple Watch didn’t simply keep pushing us to our limit. Instead it did something revelatory – it encouraged us to have the self-compassion to tune into our bodies and take a beat when we needed.

By tracking our pulse mid-workout (with the help of Apple Watch’s optical sensors), Gentler Streak kept us in our optimal zone, helping to gauge when we were hitting the ideal stride and, just as important, nudging us when it sensed we could we go further – and when we were pushing too hard.

The app also understands that exercise takes many forms. There are more than 100 types to choose from, and all kinds of activities count – not just the usual running and cycling but also dog walking, household chores and gardening.

There are extreme sports too, such as wakeboarding and parkour, and options for wheelchair walk pace and wheelchair run pace.

Gentler Streak also keeps its eye on the bigger picture by displaying our fitness level each day. It’s all captured in the app’s Activity Path, which synthesises logged workouts, their intensity and how they impact overall fitness over time.

Apple Watch complications gave us that essential info at a glance; with a tap we could see suggestions for activities most ideal for where we were at that moment.

And sometimes the suggestion was simply to take it easy.

Set an Activity Status in the Gentler Streak iPhone app when you’re taking time off, or if you’re injured or feeling under the weather. The app’s Apple Watch complications will remove the activity measurement so you don’t feel compelled to be active when you should be recovering.

Gentler Streak’s developers designed the app’s mascot, Yorhart, as a welcoming figure. “Yorhart represents your heart and what it would say if it could speak to you at that moment. We wanted to avoid gender, race, age and cultural meanings, so it could speak to all,” says co-founder Katarina Lotrič.

After suffering from injuries and burnout, members of Gentler Streak’s co-founding team – Jasna Krmelj, Katarina Lotrič, Andrej Mihelič and Luka Orešnik – wanted to create a fitness app that respected the need for rest and recovery.