The Apple Watch Activity Rings are pointless

[smirking]

But they do do an awful lot to improve (even if only marginally) the health of the overwhelming majority of the people who use them. Even your friend … maybe she still won’t live to 75, but the rings are going to add at least a year or two to her life, and isn’t that alone worth it? Plus, there’s no shortage of people who started as couch potatoes who began closing their rings and then slowly, gradually developed an active, healthy lifestyle. For many, activity is addictive, and the watch is the “Want some candy, little child?” first hit that starts (and often propels) the habit.

This is such a spot on summary of the ideal way to view and use the rings.

 

[smirking]

I am 5'11 and very large (width wise). My wife is 5'1 - much smaller. I can walk at a good pace and my heart rate stays way below 120 bpm while her heart rate is often much higher for the same walk (trying to keep up with me). So her Apple Watch always counts exercise minutes on our walks while mine does not.

I believe 120bpm was the threshold for what the watch considers "exercise" minutes?

Since you bring it up, I'm curious how Apple Watch determines something to be exercise. If it's based just on HR, it would explain some of the quirks. People have different heart rate repsonse curves even after you control for general fitness levels.

 

[ssl0408]

I think the bigger question is why a senior citizen (62) is friends with a 22 year old?

 

[turbineseaplane]

I have a feeling that Activity Rings were built for office workers or a similar lifestyle.

1. Stand Ring: Office workers spend a significant portion of their day sitting. The most useful feature of this ring is the stand reminder. While standing for a minute earns you credit, most people actually stand for longer periods once reminded. For example, they might take a break to use the restroom or drink water.
2. Exercise Ring: The Exercise Ring is for activities that exceed a brisk walk. It uses the sensors and biometric data to determine whether the activity qualifies as exercise. While Apple Watch can count certain movements as exercise, it’s advisable to initiate a workout to ensure that the movement is credited.
3. Move Ring: This ring counts the calories burned during any movement, such as arm movements, reaching for a glass, bending to tie a shoe, or walking. It’s the most useful because it provides a more accurate representation of the effort you put into an activity. The fewer calories burned, the less you’ve moved, and vice versa.

Apple Watch is very basic. In my opinion, nutrition education is vastly more effective at achieving healthfulness.

Whoop, for instance, provides strain for exercise to show how much effort one puts into the workout. Apple Watch has training load, but again, it's basic. (Also keep in mind that the ring completion goals can be adjusted to be lower or higher.)

This Apple webpage provides some information on the Activity Rings.

I agree.
It's trying to encourage some activity in those who have been generally sedentary.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I think the bigger question is why a senior citizen (62) is friends with a 22 year old?

Wait until you hear about Bill Belichick's girlfriend

"The former New England Patriots coach, 73, began seeing Hudson, 24, in early 2023"

 

[Iwavvns]

how are you able to close your stand ring in two hours? the minimum you can set it to is 6.
do you sleepwalk all night? 😅

I didn’t really pay attention to that ring. I consider it closed the moment I wake up, it’s pointless anyway. As we have already proven, it has nothing to do with “stand”.. It has to do with moving about. And we already have a ring for “moving”. I have a feeling the stand ring is only there to take up space, otherwise activity watch faces would’ve looked kind of bare.

 

[Iwavvns]

Cheating rings is easy, but we know cheats don’t prosper!!

Yes, that is exactly why I think the rings are pointless. If you want to see how much physical activity or how physically fit you are simply look at your body in the mirror, your body is your true log. But that rubs people the wrong way so I’m sure if someone’s going to condemn me for it.

 

[Iwavvns]

No one asked about your background nor does anyone care. If you feel like you have to wear it like a badge to prove your point then maybe the problem lies with you.

Maybe.. let it go and move on? Why allow a total stranger’s opinion to ruin your day? People get offended because they allow the offense to happen, they put too much value and power in the words of a total stranger. Society needs to learn to stop doing that so that “being offended” would no longer be a thing.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Yes, that is exactly why I think the rings are pointless. If you want to see how much physical activity or how physically fit you are simply look at your body in the mirror, your body is your true log. But that rubs people the wrong way so I’m sure if someone’s going to condemn me for it.

I'm getting Colonel Stuart doing tai chi vibes from this.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Maybe.. let it go and move on? Why allow a total stranger’s opinion to ruin your day? People get offended because they allow the offense to happen, they put too much value and power in the words of a total stranger. Society needs to learn to stop doing that so that “being offended” would no longer be a thing.

This sounds like you're here to start fights and blame others for reacting to what you've said.

Am I off here?

 

[Iwavvns]

This sounds like you're here to start fights and blame others for reacting to what you've said.

Am I off here?

Yes, you are off. But that’s OK, I totally understand, a person and one can only say so much in a text-only medium. going out of our way to make everyone feel good and comfortable about everything we say is in no way beneficial to the human race. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it needs to be said and heard anyway. Should we be putting so much value into a total stranger’s words that we allow it to ruin our day? Or should we be able to listen to what people say and, if we find it offensive, let it go and move on? Which method is better for our well-being? No, I am not here to start fights, I am here to speak what I feel is the truth. If that offends some folks, then they can put me on ignore and I will happily accept that. The “let it go and move on” mantra was very popular in the 60s and 70s, when I grew up. Somehow the world got filled with easily offended people.

 

[11235813]

My Apple Watch basically thinks I'm exercising just by existing. I'm about to end my day right now with 80 minutes of exercise but I haven't done anything the whole day.
Years ago when I got my first watch it was hard to log exercise minutes. I remember missing my goal some days. Somewhere along the way something switched. Maybe it was an OS update I don't know. Since then my watch thinks I'm exercising by breathing.

 

[Iwavvns]

My Apple Watch basically thinks I'm exercising just by existing. I'm about to end my day right now with 80 minutes of exercise but I haven't done anything the whole day.
Years ago when I got my first watch it was hard to log exercise minutes. I remember missing my goal some days. Somewhere along the way something switched. Maybe it was an OS update I don't know. Since then my watch thinks I'm exercising by breathing.

I wonder if this is the result of your watch “learning” from your activity.

 

[BigMcGuire]

For me I have to swing my arms fairly aggressively and walk at a very rapid pace for it to count as exercise minutes without being in an exercise.

Or, I just start a walking workout and it'll count pretty much anything I do as long as I'm not walking super slow.

I asked an LLM: "No, the Apple Watch doesn’t automatically count a heart rate over 120 BPM as exercise minutes when not in exercise mode. The threshold for earning exercise minutes outside of a workout session isn’t solely based on a fixed heart rate like 120 BPM. Instead, Apple uses a combination of factors to determine what counts as exercise, primarily focusing on movement and heart rate data that aligns with the intensity of a "brisk walk" or higher, tailored to your personal fitness profile." and "The Apple Watch’s exercise tracking can be frustratingly opaque because Apple doesn’t publish exact thresholds, likely to account for individual variability."

 

[doogm]

Since you bring it up, I'm curious how Apple Watch determines something to be exercise. If it's based just on HR, it would explain some of the quirks. People have different heart rate repsonse curves even after you control for general fitness levels.

As I posted earlier today, Apple says they use your cardio fitness levels to determine what is brisk enough movement for green ring minutes. So it depends on age, fitness level, etc.

Heart rate is not considered unless you are running a workout, as the watch only checks heart rate every few minutes otherwise.

 

[azpekt]

In my opinion, the real problem appears to be you judging Jane and others based on your personal experience and expectations of what you deem to be acceptable fitness.

I think your rant is very judgmental and ill-conceived.

If his "rant" makes "Jane" move a bit more, I say it's constructive and well-intentioned.

 

[Dr Nobody Important]

I 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”.

It all depends upon how the settings for the rings are. You could minimize the time required to close each ring and therefore get no benefit from closing the rings. People should really make the rings a challenge to close and that is the intent of the closing the rings. Setting a low bar is not really helpful.

 

[Apple_Robert]

If his "rant" makes "Jane" move a bit more, I say it's constructive and well-intentioned.

Only if she asked for that kind of feedback.

 

[GrassShark]

Yes, you are off. But that’s OK, I totally understand, a person and one can only say so much in a text-only medium. going out of our way to make everyone feel good and comfortable about everything we say is in no way beneficial to the human race. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it needs to be said and heard anyway. Should we be putting so much value into a total stranger’s words that we allow it to ruin our day? Or should we be able to listen to what people say and, if we find it offensive, let it go and move on? Which method is better for our well-being? No, I am not here to start fights, I am here to speak what I feel is the truth. If that offends some folks, then they can put me on ignore and I will happily accept that. The “let it go and move on” mantra was very popular in the 60s and 70s, when I grew up. Somehow the world got filled with easily offended people.

Funny how "letting it go" was the mantra back when people were cool with casual racism, smoking on planes, and ignoring mental health entirely. Maybe the world didn’t become overly sensitive, but instead it just got better at noticing things worth fixing and calling them out.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Yes, you are off. But that’s OK, I totally understand, a person and one can only say so much in a text-only medium. going out of our way to make everyone feel good and comfortable about everything we say is in no way beneficial to the human race. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it needs to be said and heard anyway. Should we be putting so much value into a total stranger’s words that we allow it to ruin our day? Or should we be able to listen to what people say and, if we find it offensive, let it go and move on? Which method is better for our well-being? No, I am not here to start fights, I am here to speak what I feel is the truth. If that offends some folks, then they can put me on ignore and I will happily accept that. The “let it go and move on” mantra was very popular in the 60s and 70s, when I grew up. Somehow the world got filled with easily offended people.

I see how you disagreed with me in the first sentence and then proceeded to prove me correct with every sentence after that.

I do hope you figure out this stand ring thing, if only so I'm unlikely to see such posts.

 

[Momof2.1107]

Mine helped save my life! I was in a motorcycle accident and it alerted my wife and emergency services while I was still unconscious. I might not have died without it, but it undoubtedly helped get EMS to me faster than without it.

Mine saved my life as well. I suffered a pulmonary embolism and passed out and lost consciousness. It called 911 before my fiancé and Amtrak employees knew what was going on. Now I wear it all day except for the 30 minutes to an hour it’s charging.

 

[Dble07]

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?

Unless that was a mistype you are looking at it wrong. “You” don’t benefit other people with this information, the information benefits them… maybe. Aside from that, if this is your honest take on the use of the rings I urge you to research some of the answers to your questions. One example, is your interpretation of it logging exercise. Now I don’t know you, and I am not speak to your specifics. But the watch logs exercise, without you starting a “workout” on the watch, as activity that maintains a raised heart rate above a certain threshold. Now maybe you are just fit enough that the “exercise” you are saying you are doing is in fact not by those standards. Maybe you are not giving yourself enough credit for your fitness level. Again this is just one example of where maybe you are speaking too soon, and while ill informed.
Now I do halfway agree with some of your thought. It is a very slippery slope for some, not the apple execs though, to treat the rings the way your “friend” does. It is false sense of security and truthfully an ignorance solely on their part. You can not, or at least should not, base your assessment of a design on their ignorance.
Truth be told I find the majority of you post to be a combination of cockiness and jaded outlook. I applaud and appreciate your sacrifice and service to our country. I am saddened by what it, or other life experiences, has done to your view of yourself and the world around you. Stay humble friend….

 

[Larsvonhier]

It’s purely to get you standing up every hour. Here’s how Apple defines it:

Close your Stand ring by getting up and moving around for at least 1 minute during 12 different hours in the day​

And thus, how can OP claim to close that ring in the first two hours of a day?
Clearly either made up or some weird setting gone wrong.
Regardless of being ex mil and medic.

 

[P_Watt]

Yes, that is exactly why I think the rings are pointless. If you want to see how much physical activity or how physically fit you are simply look at your body in the mirror, your body is your true log. But that rubs people the wrong way so I’m sure if someone’s going to condemn me for it.

here is a short answer. Determine what your daily average move calories is, add 100 to it, then change your goal for that new target. That is the point.

 

[mandopicker101]

I’ve found Apple Watch to a useful prompt towards daily activity. I have my metrics set up at a level that counteracts a largely Work From Home routine. As in, I need to put in a bit of effort to close the rings.

Surely this is its genius? Here we have an accessible, mass appeal device that nudges people towards a more active lifestyle. It isn’t the pal for a hardcore athlete (Garmin? Wahoo? Polar?) although if you buy in to Fitness+ it can be (I use Strava, Garmin and Zwift for tracking performance data on rides and runs). That said, I think it’s best role is a tool to prompt Regular Joes and Joannas who might not be so mobile/active.

Being able to look at my Watch (a humble SE 2) during a long mid morning call at work and feel prompted to go for a run or session on Zwift during lunch is a great way to counteract simply doomscrolling my time away.