Apple’s Activity app (a.k.a. the Fitness app) is deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem, capable of storing tons of helpful data for you, your trainer, and even your doctor. The fitness app pairs especially well with an Apple Watch. The latest models have extensive sensors to keep track of your heart rate, steps counted, and even the oxygen in your blood. Tracking your numbers can help you get your resting heart rate down, your cardio heart rate up, and increase your calories burned, among other smartwatch-oriented goals.
There’s a small catch. To make sure the Apple Watch gives you the best data and tracks your progression, you need to set specific fitness goals for how active you are each day. The Activity App manages those goals, so it’s important to be comfortable adjusting your fitness benchmarks via the Apple Watch (even on Android) as you continue to improve. Here’s how to do it.
How to switch goals in your Apple Watch
Before you begin, make sure your WatchOS is fully updated and uses the latest version available to your Apple Watch Series model. This ensures you have access to the latest tracking features and UI, so everything looks its best. Apple is currently on the Series 8, but some features may be limited or unavailable if you have an Apple Watch that’s a few models older than that. These features started appearing with the Apple Watch Series 3, so most users should be good to go.
When everything’s up-to-date, log in to your Apple Watch and open the Activity app. Your homescreen may look different depending on the settings you choose and the apps you frequently use. Identify the Activity app by its set of three colorful rings. When the app opens, swipe up to access settings. Select Change Goals.
Apple takes you through the three “rings” of exercise that the app’s icon symbolizes. Each governs a different kind of activity, and you need to go through them one by one.
First is the Move ring, which stands for the number of active calories you burned for the day, the calories lost from moving around, working, or generally being active. Here, set the number of active calories you want to burn each day with the plus or minus signs and select Next. Remember, calories burned like this is only a part of the story. It’s also important to create a healthy diet designed for progressive weight loss if this is an important goal for you.
Next is the yellow Exercise ring. This shows what the Apple Watch detects as brisk activity via its sensors: moderate to vigorous exercise. It’s limited and doesn’t know if you are jogging, doing HIIT intervals, or something else (the Workout app is better for that). However, as long as you let your Apple Watch arm move freely, it should start tracking when you are jogging, running, or walking speedily to get your heart rate up. Set the number of minutes you want to work out this way (Apple suggests no less than 30) and select Next.
The third ring is the bluish-teal Stand. Here, the Apple Watch detects and shows how long you have been standing and actively moving around for at least a minute. Standing in the Activity app isn’t about burning calories or getting fit. It’s about regularly standing for a few minutes an hour, which is important in sedentary jobs where sitting a lot can increase cholesterol, blood pressure, and more. Apple recommends standing like this at least once an hour for 12 hours a day. Adjust your hours, and select OK.
Your Apple Watch lets you know when you’ve reached one of your goals and congratulates you for reaching all of them in a day. You can adjust them again as needed, look at goals over time, and even join competitions.
These tips will help you optimize your performance beyond the three major goals:
- Wrist detection must be on to measure movement and heart rate correctly. You can find this option in the Watch app under My Watch. Your Apple Watch also needs a snug, comfortable fit for the best measurements.
- Spend time in settings to change your notifications. For this step, go to your phone and select the Watch app. Find the list of apps you have on your Apple Watch and select Activity. Now you’ll see your notification options. You can mute notifications, enable reminders for activities like standing or goal completion, and more handy customization.
- It’s worthwhile to revisit the Watch app and go to the Health app to find Health details. A few basics about your weight, age, and height can make the Apple Watch more accurate.
- The Workout app on your Apple Watch offers more detail, but you can still use it to help meet your Activity goals. For example, if your hands are busy on a treadmill and can’t swing freely, you can log your exercise minutes by opening the Exercise app and selecting something like Outdoor Walk while you’re active.
Now you’re ready to hit those goals
The Activity app is ready to keep you updated on meeting basic daily movement goals and help you start burning calories. With the tips on notifications we provided, you can choose just how informative the app is, but it’s a good feeling to see the “all goals completed” notification pop up.
