I use the active rings as estimations. I work out every week at the gym. I do housework, gardening, etc. I lost 50lbs in 3+ years. I know it work well if you allow your self
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Exactly, the rings are motivational and hopefully encourage some to be more active.I disagree the Apple Watch Activity Rings can be a great motivator for staying active and healthy.
Personally I’ve found my AW subsequently AWU to be very good.I’d argue that the watch is primarily a lifestyle device - which is often marketed as a fitness device.
However, it’s still simply not accurate enough to live up to the fitness marketing.
They are great for motivation! I pay attention to the Red and Green rings each day and make sure I've done the required amount, or more.
ok, then please give an example of what a good fitness tracker that exists now that's betterApple Watch is a horrible fitness tracker:
- The rings make no sense. And are almost impossible not to over archieve.
- Watch tracks walking heart rate both when just casually strolling and when doing a walking workout as the same metric.
- VO2 max is calculated in a strange way where it keeps fluctuating depending on if I do a zone 2 run for faster run.
- there is zero intelligence similar to what whoop and others offer where various health matrix’s are evaluated into a fitness score or similar.
Can’t believe watchOS26 fixes none of this.
Did I mention that I actually went to medical school? And served in the military as a combat medic? I do have some idea of what I’m talking about when it comes to physical fitness. Is it such a bad thing to try and bring this topic to light in the hopes that I might benefit others?
So what if you went to medical school and were in the military? That doesn't change the fact that the rings are just there to motivate people. They aren't perfect for every single person out there and just because they aren't doesn't mean they are useless.
Couldn’t have said any better. When you have a weak sauce, throw around names or hype up the cred.I've personally learned that anyone who leverages things like that to win a conversation or make a point instead of presenting valid information and evidence is not worth wasting much time engaging in a debate and discussion with.
What is the difference between just walking and a walking workout, besides intention?- Watch tracks walking heart rate both when just casually strolling and when doing a walking workout as the same metric.
Are you AI?Some feel the Apple Watch Activity Rings are pointless because they oversimplify fitness and may not fit everyone is lifestyle or health goals.
And the account is already suspended, after one post. A moderator closed their "find and cancel bot accounts" ring today, yay!Are you AI?
Excellent. This is the motivational speech I needed. Cheers! 🍻🤣Fun fact: beer is nowadays THE “HEALTHIEST” fizzy drink one can have.
This is an entertaining rant haha good jobI submit to you that the Apple Watch Activity Rings are pointless. Let me explain.
I purchased an Apple Watch series 10, cellular version, for the purposes of determining if I could leave my iPhone at home and just wear my Apple Watch when I’m out and about. So far it is working out perfectly, except that I find the Activity Rings horribly misleading.
The Stand Ring
I typically walk 10 to 15 miles per day with a 20 mile hike once per week - I’m ex-military and enjoy walking/hiking. I’m 62 years old, 145 lbs. and can lift 150 lbs. with moderate effort. I usually close all of my rings in the first two hours of my day. I have a friend, I’ll call her “Jane”, who brags that she also “closes her rings daily”. Jane is overweight and sits in front of the television most days. I visit her often and she typically stands for 60 seconds each hour in order to close her Stand Ring. Sometimes Jane uses this time to walk to the fridge to grab a Dr. Pepper and then to the cabinet to grab a candy bar or potato chips and then plops back down in front of the television. I have invited Jane to walk around the block with me but she needs several breaks, complains of “sweating too much” and that it “takes too much effort”. Besides, she says, “I close all of my rings so I’m being healthy.” She is 22 years old.
I have to ask, why was the Stand Ring even created? There is no way for the Activity app to know what is happening during this “stand session”, as seen above, so it shouldn’t even be seen as a health benefit.
We both close all of our Apple Watch rings daily, but which of us do you think has a good chance of seeing their 75th birthday. Think about it; exactly how many obese 75 year old people have you ever seen?
The Exercise Ring
I intentionally walk uphill because it requires more effort than flat terrain. Many times I notice my Apple Watch reporting that I have walked 4 or so miles, most of it uphill, but the Exercise Ring only reports 19 minutes of exercise for the entire walk. Now, someone please explain to me how a person can walk for 4 miles, most of it uphill, and only show 19 minutes of exercise for it. Four miles of walking usually takes me over an hour.
Is it really a challenge?
I see lots of people responding to various Apple Watch Activity Challenges with “easy peasy”, or “make it harder next time”. A challenge is defined as something that test’s one’s abilities. Is it really a challenge if it is so easy to complete? I remember one of the badges in the Apple Watch Activity app stating “earn this badge after completing a 5-minute workout.” A 5-minute workout?! One cannot even complete a proper warmup in 5 minutes, let alone an entire workout.
The best workout log
I was told years ago by a weightlifting trainer: “you can write down whatever you want in your logbook. But your body will log your true workout activity.” And he was right.
Conclusion
I’m fully aware that I can disable all health tracking on the Apple Watch. I did that last month and the watch seemed to burn through the battery life much faster. So, I reenabled the fitness tracking so I could go back to charging the watch every evening. Don’t get me wrong, the Apple Watch series 10 is a wonderful device for what it does. But, what about the people who think Apple know what they’re doing and rely on the Activity Rings for physical fitness?
Dear Apple: I really feel that this “close your rings” BS needs to stop.. it’s clearly pointless from a physical health perspective. Go spend four weeks with military basic training and you’ll learn the true definition of “physical fitness”.
I work at a standing desk and sit on a tall stool when needed, so I never close the stand ring on work days.
Among the benefits of WFH is setting up your workspace however you like, which helps offset some of the downsides, like forgetting how to engage in small talk or feeling disconnected from the world.Standing desk in typical office setting ..
Maybe Apple just thought that "Stand" was more appropriate than the more correct "Get Off Your Ass", and it takes up less screen space.The stand ring doesn’t register sit-ups, pushups or planks, at least it doesn’t for me, but those exercises are much better at circulating the blood and working the muscles than simply standing. Standing, in and of itself, is a poor metric where fitness is concerned.
I love me my Michelob Ultras.Excellent. This is the motivational speech I needed. Cheers! 🍻🤣