How is the exercise ring calculated?

[Rogifan]

I went for a walk this morning, just a little over 3 miles. Partially I was walking in the snow as sidewalks hadn’t been plowed yet. Right before walking I started an outdoor walk in the workout app on my watch yet my exercise ring says I only exercised 25 minutes. How is that ring calculated and why would a walk that lasted over an hour only log as 25 minutes of exercise? Because of the snow I wasn’t walking as fast as usual but I burned more calories and I definitely could feel it more in my legs when I got home. The exercise ring seems to be a bit misleading.

 

[Night Spring]

Yeah, in this case, you may have gotten more exercise credit if you hadn't been running a workout. When you run a workout, the watch tries to calibrate the exercise calculation to the type of workout you specify. So if you run a walking workout, it'll credit you almost entirely for how fast you are walking -- it won't care how much snow you had to crawl through.

 

[Rogifan]

Yeah, in this case, you may have gotten more exercise credit if you hadn't been running a workout. When you run a workout, the watch tries to calibrate the exercise calculation to the type of workout you specify. So if you run a walking workout, it'll credit you almost entirely for how fast you are walking -- it won't care how much snow you had to crawl through.

It credited me for 25 minutes when my walk lasted an hour. It should better explain what the minutes actually mean. I didn’t know you could fill up the exercise ring without starting a workout.

 

[Night Spring]

It credited me for 25 minutes when my walk lasted an hour. It should better explain what the minutes actually mean. I didn’t know you could fill up the exercise ring without starting a workout.

"The Exercise ring shows how many minutes of brisk activity you’ve completed, whether you’re just moving at a fast pace or doing a specific workout in the Workout app. All at once or a little at a time, you can earn Exercise minutes however it works for you."
https://www.apple.com/watch/close-your-rings/

You can also pick Yoga, Taichi, or any of the workouts in the Other category, and you'll get credited for the exact minutes you run the workout.

 

[Abazigal]

I think it’s based off your heart rate. So if your fitness is at a certain level, it’s possible that your watch wouldn’t recognise your walking as exercise if it doesn’t think you are being sufficiently exerted.