Activity Tracker doesn't track WORKOUTS? WALKING?

[AKRowdy]

Here's what I've noticed.

I set it to "other workout" twice now while having sex and it logs every minute of that (average heart rate of 90 last time). When I log an "actual" workout, such as an outdoor walk or an indoor stationary bike (average rate rate was 115 last time) it doesn't log it towards the Activity Ring, or if it does only 1 out of 20 minutes.

No idea why but it seems like if you actually specify the activity, at least for me, it won't count, but if you don't specify then it will fill up the circle.


No clue why this is happening.

 

[tivoboy]

Noob question here - how do you access the activity tracker app on the phone?

The activity app on the watch is functioning.

it should be showing up on your phone once you have ANY data in the activity tracker on the AW (it gets syncd), so try a search on your phone or go to the last open page and look there.

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Here's what I've noticed.

I set it to "other workout" twice now while having sex and it logs every minute of that (average heart rate of 90 last time).

you're doing it wrong, HR should be quite a bit higher.

 

[co.ag.2005]

question regarding the workout app. I do bootcamp workouts 3-4 days / week. I've read that putting the app on "other" doesn't really give a complete picture of the workout. Should I do indoor or outdoor run? I just want to get a complete picture of HR and calories burned (similar to what I get with my FitBit Charge HR).

 

[Robert M.]

I have the same problem. Did 33 minutes of indoor cycling, average heart rate of 108, and yet was showing ZERO minutes on the exercise circle.

So you can't tell me that 108 BPM is not exercising.

But same thing as OP - in the Activity App - it's showing ZERO minutes for exercise, yet on that same screen, I scroll down and see the 33 minutes of WORKOUT at average heart rate of 108 BPM.

It's gotta be a bug. Frustrating. I want my completed circle.

How the heck are people getting that exercise circle to move?

I've been doing indoor cycle everyday since the watch came out. It always counts my activity, it's only a few seconds off from my bike's computer.

Are you starting the exercise app, or just letting the watch track it by itself? I start the app before working out. But my average heart rate is 140 BPM.

 

[Julien]

I have the same problem. Did 33 minutes of indoor cycling, average heart rate of 108, and yet was showing ZERO minutes on the exercise circle.

So you can't tell me that 108 BPM is not exercising.

But same thing as OP - in the Activity App - it's showing ZERO minutes for exercise, yet on that same screen, I scroll down and see the 33 minutes of WORKOUT at average heart rate of 108 BPM.

It's gotta be a bug. Frustrating. I want my completed circle.

How the heck are people getting that exercise circle to move?

Depends on you age for the most part. If you are over 70 then 108 bpm is moderate exercise. If you are 40 then you would probably need to be at about 150 bpm to register. Here is a chart to use as a guide. You would probably need to be at least in the low intermediate aerobic (green) range to receive credit.

 

[AKRowdy]

it should be showing up on your phone once you have ANY data in the activity tracker on the AW (it gets syncd), so try a search on your phone or go to the last open page and look there.

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you're doing it wrong, HR should be quite a bit higher.

### that's what I thought, too! And then when I'm not doing anything in particular I'll check and it will be as low as 40, which I don't think is right either.

I live on a hill and twice now when walking up it I've checked and its 60 Bpms even though I'm breathing heavy.

I don't think the heart rate monitor is very accurate. I wear my watch prettying tight, too.

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCI1vsmKIH4

 

[Fireproof!]

I've been doing indoor cycle everyday since the watch came out. It always counts my activity, it's only a few seconds off from my bike's computer.

Are you starting the exercise app, or just letting the watch track it by itself? I start the app before working out. But my average heart rate is 140 BPM.

I specifically opened the activity app on my watch, selected indoor cycling, swiped over to "open" or whatever the non-goal setting was, and then tapped "start".

Depends on you age for the most part. If you are over 70 then 108 bpm is moderate exercise. If you are 40 then you would probably need to be at about 150 bpm to register. Here is a chart to use as a guide. You would probably need to be at least in the low intermediate aerobic (green) range to receive credit.

Image

Well - admittedly I wasn't way out of breath. I did get warm. I just assumed if resting was 70-80, then 100+ would be enough. I'm 46 by the way. Maybe I'll try it again and see what happens. I'll do a test. I'll do 5-10 minutes of "indoor cycling" and get my heart rate much higher. See if that registers. Then I'll try "other" for 5 minutes at a couple different average heart rates and see what registers.

 

[Fireproof!]

Okay - after your suggestions, and some quick testing, I do believe the Heart Rate level is the factor.

I did an "indoor cycle" workout for 10 minutes. This time average heart rate was 128 bpm. Got credit in the exercise ring for 9 of the 10 minutes (presumably because it took the first minute to get my heart rate elevated).

Then after that, I did an "other" workout for 5 minutes. Average heart rate was 120 bpm. That too gave me credit in the exercise ring for the full 5 minutes.

So there we go...

 

[Sparkeze]

Okay - after your suggestions, and some quick testing, I do believe the Heart Rate level is the factor.

I did an "indoor cycle" workout for 10 minutes. This time average heart rate was 128 bpm. Got credit in the exercise ring for 9 of the 10 minutes (presumably because it took the first minute to get my heart rate elevated).

Then after that, I did an "other" workout for 5 minutes. Average heart rate was 120 bpm. That too gave me credit in the exercise ring for the full 5 minutes.

So there we go...

So I wonder why I have 3-5 minutes of exercise each day when I haven't gotten my heart rate up...I walk a lot, but my walking is geared towards steps. Maybe those minutes of exercise reflect my moments of stress and anxiety?

 

[Fireproof!]

So I wonder why I have 3-5 minutes of exercise each day when I haven't gotten my heart rate up...I walk a lot, but my walking is geared towards steps. Maybe those minutes of exercise reflect my moments of stress and anxiety?

Yeah - that's a good question. Apparently you did something that met the criteria of "brisk". I wish we knew Apple's criteria.

This is all I've been able to find:
"The Exercise ring. This displays how many minutes of brisk activity you've completed towards a goal of 30 minutes. Every minute of movement that equals or exceeds a brisk walk, whether it’s working out or playing with your kids, counts toward your Exercise goal."

 

[Julien]

So I wonder why I have 3-5 minutes of exercise each day when I haven't gotten my heart rate up...I walk a lot, but my walking is geared towards steps. Maybe those minutes of exercise reflect my moments of stress and anxiety?

Don't think it is 100% HR driven. I believe it takes into account the accelerometer too.

 

[acosmichippo]

I agree. Yesterday I did 60 minutes on the elliptical with varying resistance my heart rate was definitely over 100 bpm the whole time (probably more like 150). Watch only registered 3 minutes of exercise.

edit:

I just checked the heart rate data in my iPhone's Health app. During the time of my workout (~3-4pm yesterday), there is NO heart rate data. But there is tons of other data for the rest of the day. I wonder if there was an issue with sweat preventing a good reading? I know for sure the watch was on snugly.

 

[co.ag.2005]

I agree. Yesterday I did 60 minutes on the elliptical with varying resistance my heart rate was definitely over 100 bpm the whole time (probably more like 150). Watch only registered 3 minutes of exercise.

edit:

I just checked the heart rate data in my iPhone's Health app. During the time of my workout (~3-4pm yesterday), there is NO heart rate data. But there is tons of other data for the rest of the day. I wonder if there was an issue with sweat preventing a good reading? I know for sure the watch was on snugly.

hmm. that's interesting. I have my bootcamp workout this afternoon which I will test the HR during sweat. My FitBit Charge HR did alright during these workouts but would sometimes stop recording HR or not get an accurate reading due to sweat.

 

[c2one]

Does it matter? You're still getting out and about.

It matters if I would want to see an accurate count, which I do.

One of the most touted features is the activity tracker and fitness app, if I go for a walk somewhere it would be nice to see, accurately, how many steps I took, the total distance and calories burnt.

 

[Erieg1]

Depends on you age for the most part. If you are over 70 then 108 bpm is moderate exercise. If you are 40 then you would probably need to be at about 150 bpm to register. Here is a chart to use as a guide. You would probably need to be at least in the low intermediate aerobic (green) range to receive credit.

Image

There needs to be a way to adjust this. I take beta blockers which lower my HR. I can run and my HR never gets above 110.

 

[zacheryjensen]

It works fine for me. Recorded walks two times, both counted towards my exercise ring. Did you actually save the walk at the end? I don't know what could be causing your problem, but, it's definitely not a general issue impacting everyone.

I'm going to guess user error here. Maybe misconfiguration, maybe failure to save the workout, I dunno. Just my sense of the situation.

 

[chiffchaff]

I think when you choose "other" it logs all your minutes regardless of heart rate. I remember Christy Turlington Burns (in one of her blog vids) saying when she does yoga, she makes sure to log it using "other" so she will get credit for it.

 

[moxxham]

I agree. Yesterday I did 60 minutes on the elliptical with varying resistance my heart rate was definitely over 100 bpm the whole time (probably more like 150). Watch only registered 3 minutes of exercise.

edit:

I just checked the heart rate data in my iPhone's Health app. During the time of my workout (~3-4pm yesterday), there is NO heart rate data. But there is tons of other data for the rest of the day. I wonder if there was an issue with sweat preventing a good reading? I know for sure the watch was on snugly.

Image

There is a bug that I have noticed. Occasionally the heart rate sensor won't work because the lights don't come on, therefore it can't take a reading. That's probably what happened.

 

[imaginex20]

I just went for a 10 min walk (didn't start a Workout), and I got credit for all 10 mins. My starting HR was 65 BPM and during the workout I got up to 90-105.

I was walking a little faster than I would normally walk.

 

[supun]

So two days in a row the exercise circle was slowly going up as I did very little exercise, like cleaning the house. I got full circles on those days from doing lawn work. So I have gotten complete circles.

The next day, I noticed it wasn't going up. I took a long walk, and it didn't go up. I then did an indoor cycle workout with a 140BPM heart rate, for 30 minutes, and it didn't go up.

Health recorded everything properly.

Has to be a bug.

 

[ItzAris]

it should be showing up on your phone once you have ANY data in the activity tracker on the AW (it gets syncd), so try a search on your phone or go to the last open page and look there.

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you're doing it wrong, HR should be quite a bit higher.

exactly

 

[John A]

I don't know where people are getting the info that it's heart rate related, but I think it's not.

My wife did another workout and her average HR was > 130 this time. Still didn't count it.

I think it's related to pace! Anything under 3mph seems to not count. It counts as a workout, but not the exercise ring.

(hers was 2.5 mph average, but on a big incline.....)

Maybe it SHOULD use HR, but I think it's depending on pace.

 

[Zxxv]

you walk to slow that is what's going on

********

what is hard for one is not for another. apple watch should know this.

 

[Zxxv]

I don't know where people are getting the info that it's heart rate related, but I think it's not.

My wife did another workout and her average HR was > 130 this time. Still didn't count it.

I think it's related to pace! Anything under 3mph seems to not count. It counts as a workout, but not the exercise ring.

(hers was 2.5 mph average, but on a big incline.....)

Maybe it SHOULD use HR, but I think it's depending on pace.

If it used heart rate it would know how hard the workout/exercise/task is.

Walking for someone on a path to recovery could be as hard as for someone running a marathon or climbing a mountain.

Apple watch should know this.