Exercise goal tracking

[emporiky]

I am new to the AW world (just got my S2 last week) and so far I love the activity features. There is just one thing I can understand - how is the AW tracking my exercise goal?

I am a relatively active person, but sometimes simply going to the supermarket or taking a walk is marked as part of my exercise goal.
Is that the case for anyone else?

 

[tromboneaholic]

The Watch seems to calibrate to your activity level. If you don't get your heart rate up very often, it will give you exercise credit more easily. If you wear it for a few brisk walks, it will start to ignore leisurely strolls...

 

[Clint1583]

How does it know your walking around the grocery and not on a hike? It doesn't, that's why any activity counts towards daily exercise as it should. Someone such as a Mail Carrier could easily hit their exercise goal simply by doing there daily job and not doing any "real" exercise.

And of course the AW base's your exercise goal's on the profile information you gave when you sent up your watch. You can manually change this if needed.

 

[Night Spring]

What Clint said. The Activity circle tracks your overall activity levels, including stuff like walking around grocery store. If you want to track just your more structured exercise, use Workout.

 

[tromboneaholic]

What Clint said. The Activity circle tracks your overall activity levels, including stuff like walking around grocery store. If you want to track just your more structured exercise, use Workout.

There actually is no single "activity circle". The rings measure different things, such as heart rate in addition to movement.

From reading and my own observations, the three activity rings seem to work like this:

Stand Ring: measures if you get up and move around at least once every hour. Don't move around for a whole hour? No progress. No heart rate? You might be dead, but you still get your stand credit for that hour as long as you move around for a minute.

Exercise Ring: varies by individual. Measures when your movement pushes your heart rate up beyond a certain point. It seems to become better calibrated over time so you need to make more of an effort to earn progress. If you lay around all day and your heart rate stays at 77 then walk to the store 15 min. each way, you might earn 30 min. exercise progress. Once the Watch starts measuring you on active days, it will require more to earn exercise progress.

Move Ring: Steps and Heart Rate are used to calculate calories burned. Burn more calories than you would if you were sleeping to earn progress.

 

[Night Spring]

Exercise Ring: varies by individual. Measures when your movement pushes your heart rate up beyond a certain point.

I just put my watch on a string and spun it around for a minute, and that moved the exercise ring. So it's not entirely dependent on heart rate. If you move vigorously enough, you get exercise credit regardless of heart rate.

 

[tromboneaholic]

I just put my watch on a string and spun it around for a minute, and that moved the exercise ring. So it's not entirely dependent on heart rate. If you move vigorously enough, you get exercise credit regardless of heart rate.

Interesting...

 

[Julien]

Unless you are running the Workout app HR readings are only taken every few minutes. Exercise Ring minutes recorded not using the Workout app would be accelerometer based.

 

[Long Run Nick]

Unless you are running the Workout app HR readings are only taken every few minutes. Exercise Ring minutes recorded not using the Workout app would be accelerometer based.

Of course, you can disable HR on the work out app, go run for 1hour, or whatever, and the activity circle will take the time you were running and add it to your activity minutes.
For me I have disabled the stand up thing and am not using the activity Watch faces or complications. I have found that my life style of running 40-50 miles a week, in addition to walking my dog 3-4x a day gives me more than any circle can show. As far as calories, one of the gifts of a very active lifestyle is counting calories and weight weight gain have never been an issue. Belive me, I know how fortunate I am.

 

[tromboneaholic]

Of course, you can disable HR on the work out app, go run for 1hour, or whatever, and the activity circle will take the time you were running and add it to your activity minutes.
For me I have disabled the stand up thing and am not using the activity Watch faces or complications. I have found that my life style of running 40-50 miles a week, in addition to walking my dog 3-4x a day gives me more than any circle can show. As far as calories, one of the gifts of a very active lifestyle is counting calories and weight weight gain have never been an issue. Belive me, I know how fortunate I am.

You can set a higher goal for each cycle. And there is a way to see when the cycles is complete and overlaps itself...

 

[Night Spring]

You can set a higher goal for each cycle. And there is a way to see when the cycles is complete and overlaps itself...

The only goal you can change is the active calories (red circle). Stand goal is fixed at 12, and exercise is fixed at 30 minutes.

 

[Long Run Nick]

You can set a higher goal for each cycle. And there is a way to see when the cycles is complete and overlaps itself...

I am aware of that, as you are with your trombone, I am a runaholic. Those circles were never in my life until 1 month ago, and hope to continue my addiction without the circles. I think they may be a motivator for folks to get and stay active. Over the years I probably needed a reminder to slow down, take more rest days,etc . Having averaged over 2,100 miles a year for over 40 years has me grateful and satisfied- even without the circles. Nick

 

[tromboneaholic]

The only goal you can change is the active calories (red circle). Stand goal is fixed at 12, and exercise is fixed at 30 minutes.

Good point. I had forgotten that.
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I am aware of that, as you are with your trombone, I am a runaholic. Those circles were never in my life until 1 month ago, and hope to continue my addiction without the circles. I think they may be a motivator for folks to get and stay active. Over the years I probably needed a reminder to slow down, take more rest days,etc . Having averaged over 2,100 miles a year for over 40 years has me grateful and satisfied- even without the circles. Nick

I do think the circles are meant as a motivator for the average couch potato. Maybe WactchOS 4 will increase the focus on the Watch as a fitness tracker and add the equivalent of "activity rings pro" or something...