I exercised for 45 minutes today, but the Watch & iPhone says 5 Minutes!

[HappyDude20]

I did an indoor walk today for 45 minutes but the watch itself states only 5 minutes of exercise in regards to the ring. Something is off and am wondering what the deal is. I’ve been exercising with the watch for weeks now and this is the first time I’m coming across this issue.

I’ll reset both devices and see if that corrects things and post back here but surely I can’t be the only one that’s come across this issue.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Did you manually start the workout? If not, that may be one of the reasons why it didn't register the full event. The other reason is if your heart rate didn't get high enough, its not going to be counted as a workout.

 

[xraydoc]

What did your heart rate get to? If mine doesn’t get near 100, it doesn’t get counted as a workout. My resting heart rate is pretty low, so I need to really work to get it up there. So for me, a gentle walk counts for only a few minutes regardless of how long I actually walked unless I get my HR up.

 

[HappyDude20]

Did you manually start the workout? If not, that may be one of the reasons why it didn't register the full event. The other reason is if your heart rate didn't get high enough, its not going to be counted as a workout.

i did manually start the workout, indoor run. My heart rate wasn’t that high however. I had no idea that if my heart rate wasn’t elevated that it wouldn’t count as a workout. Makes sense.

 

[Apple_Robert]

i did manually start the workout, indoor run. My heart rate wasn’t that high however. I had no idea that if my heart rate wasn’t elevated that it wouldn’t count as a workout. Makes sense.

If you want to increase your cardiovascular health, you have to get your heart rate up for a set amount of time. Otherwise, you are just moving slow and burning calories.

 

[HappyDude20]

If you want to increase your cardiovascular health, you have to get your heart rate up for a set amount of time. Otherwise, you are just moving slow and burning calories.

Probably the best advice I’ll read all week. Thank you.

 

[ChrisA]

I did an indoor walk today for 45 minutes but the watch itself states only 5 minutes of exercise in regards to the ring. Something is off and am wondering what the deal is. I’ve been exercising with the watch for weeks now and this is the first time I’m coming across this issue.

I’ll reset both devices and see if that corrects things and post back here but surely I can’t be the only one that’s come across this issue.

The watch detects "exercise" by monitoring your heart rate. But as you get in better condition your heart rate does not increase as much during mild activity as it used to when you were less fit.

Perhaps in the past, a simple indoor walk was enough to cause an elevated heart rate but now you might need to walk uphill or climb stairs to get the same heart rate. If I'm guessing correctly then this is a good thing. Step up your exercise program.

A good way to monitor your progress is to track your heart rate over a few weeks or months on the same activity. The Apple Watch can do this.

 

[mk313]

Instea of choosing run or walk, choose ‘other’ for the exercise type. That will count all minutes of exercise. While you’re still maybe not hitting 100 BPM for Heart Rate, it’s still motivating to get credit fro all the activity, at least at the beginning. I’d start there (if you’re just starting exercising) to build some motivation.

 

[Foxhound357]

i did manually start the workout, indoor run. My heart rate wasn’t that high however. I had no idea that if my heart rate wasn’t elevated that it wouldn’t count as a workout. Makes sense.

I do my hiking/fast walking treadmill workouts on the "Indoor walk" workout. My heart rate is usually around 130-145 and it will complete a 30 minute workout. Hope that helps.

 

[sdz]

You walked too slowly and your HR did not increase.

This can even happen when manually triggering a workout and it does not account the whole time to the green exercise ring.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Another way of looking at it was where you out of breath doing it? If not its not exercise. I walk as part of my exercise routine, but always at a fast pace. And as its out and about, some of it is uphill.

 

[NT1440]

i did manually start the workout, indoor run. My heart rate wasn’t that high however. I had no idea that if my heart rate wasn’t elevated that it wouldn’t count as a workout. Makes sense.

It sounds like you didn’t meet the criteria for a run, you might have been better served here by the explicit “walk” option, or Other.

 

[LeeW]

Excercise in relation to Apple Watch is all about heart rate. Raise it to around 75% of max for at least 1 min and it will count as 1 min of exercise. Raise it to 75% or more for 45 seconds and it won't count.

What the watch determines as your target heart rate varies based on personal info, so always ensure if you are losing/gaining weight for example that you ensure the health app is always up to date.

My wife goes on a 45 min walk and closes her rings no problem, two days each week she takes a friend who has a disability and cannot walk at a decent pace, on both days despite the same route she never closes her exercise ring.

 

[Foxhound357]

My wife goes on a 45 min walk and closes her rings no problem, two days each week she takes a friend who has a disability and cannot walk at a decent pace, on both days despite the same route she never closes her exercise ring.

Your wife can adjust her goals down to reflect the days she walks at that slower pace. That way she accounts for both her regular days and also the days she walks at a slower pace for her friend, but still closes her rings at the same time.

 

[LeeW]

Your wife can

Yes I know, I was highlighting that just because you are doing something it does not mean you are closing your rings. It's the effort, not the time.