One of the main features the Apple Watch has to offer is the ability to track your daily activities and workout routines. The Apple Watch has a comprehensive set of health and fitness tools to help you keep track of your movement, reach workout goals, and get more activity into your life. One of Apple's main goals with the Apple Watch was to provide users with tools to keep them healthy, and the Activity and Workout apps on the Apple Watch are part of that effort.

If you've been a couch potato for too long, Apple Watch might be just what you need to motivate you to get moving and get healthy. The following video and tutorial will show you how to track your daily activities and how to monitor your workouts using the Activity and Workout apps.

Tracking Daily Activities

Activity Ring Apple WatchThanks to the motion sensors built into Apple Watch, it's always keeping track of your movement when it's on your wrist. Whether you are sitting around doing nothing, or participating in a decathlon, Apple Watch knows your movements and will keep you informed.

  1. Open the Activity app on Apple Watch.
  2. Swipe left to the "Move, Exercise, and Stand" screen and tap Get Started.
  3. Enter your personal information (gender, age, weight, and height).
  4. Turn the Digital Crown to set the information and tap to Continue.
  5. Tap Start Moving.
  6. Or, use the Apple Watch app on your iPhone to enter the information, under the "Health" section of the app.

Once the information is entered, Apple Watch will do the monitoring for you. When you take a brisk walk, run, or take a spin class, your movement heart rate data will be tracked on your Activity Rings.

The Move Ring
The Move ring tracks calories you've burned by moving. Depending on how regularly you get around, Apple Watch will adjust your goals. So, if you are fairly sedentary, a short walk up and down a few flights of stairs will help you on your way to filling in your ring. However, if you regularly walk 12,000 steps in a day, your Move ring will be harder to fill. During the setup process, you choose your typical level of activity to get a ballpark movement goal, adjust it manually if you wish, and then let the Apple Watch tweak things over time.

The Exercise Ring
The Exercise ring tracks how many minutes of brisk activity you have completed in a day. Brisk exercise means movement that gets your heart rate up. So, a leisurely stroll to your boss' office across the building does not count. However, if you were to skip to his or her office, you might make some progress on your Exercise ring.

The Stand Ring
The Stand ring is there to remind you that you need to move your body. Once per hour, Apple Watch will remind you to take a walk for a minute. Even if you are at a standing desk, you will be reminded. The idea is to get away from your desk for a minute, whether you are standing or sitting, and the Apple Watch wants to see you up and around in at least 12 hours of your day.

How to View Your Progress

Activity Rings Apple Watch iPhone

  1. Swipe up on the Watch face, then swipe to the Activity Glances.
  2. Tap the Glance to open the Activity App.
  3. Swipe to see individual activities.
  4. Swipe up on an activity or turn the Digital Crown to see the activity as a graph.
  5. Or, you can view the information on the Activity app on your iPhone. Some watch faces include Activity as a complication option, letting you see your miniature activity rings at any time and access the Activity app with a tap right from there.

How to View Activity Achievements

Activity Achievements Apple Watch
You will earn achievements for completing fitness goals, like working out every day of the week, doubling your daily move goal, and completing all of your activity goals for the entire week. You can keep track of which achievements you've earned in the Apple Watch app.

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Achievement tab.
  3. Tap an achievement to see your progress.

How to Manually Adjust Your Goals

Change your Move Goal Apple Watch
Apple Watch will update your goals every Monday based on your previous week's activities. However, you can manually change them whenever you like.

  1. Open the Activity app on Apple Watch
  2. Firmly press on the display screen until you see a prompt to change your move goal.
  3. Adjust your goal according to your realistic ability.

Controlling Notifications

Activity Notifications Apple Watch
Apple Watch will send you friendly reminders about your daily activities. If you'd rather not get notifications, you can turn some or all of them off.

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap My Watch.
  3. Tap Activity.
  4. Toggle the switches for each reminder on or off according to your desire.

Tracking Workouts

In addition to keeping track of your daily activities, Apple Watch will help you monitor your workouts. You can set specific goals based on length of time, calories burned, or distance. Once activated, Apple Watch will track your heart rate and movement and help you get through your workout.

Select a Workout Apple WatchStarting a Workout

  1. Open the Workout app, then tap the type of workout you will be doing, including running, cycling, rowing, and more. As you select workouts, Apple Watch will track your preferences and put the most used ones on top.
  2. Swipe left or right to choose a calorie, time, or distance goal.
  3. Turn the Digital Crown to set the number.
  4. When you are ready to start your workout, tap Start.

Pausing your Workout
You can pause a workout at any time by firmly pressing the display screen. Do this if you stop for any reason during your workout when you don't want things like your heart rate tracked. Tap Resume to continue.

Pause Workout Apple WatchEnding your Workout
To stop a workout early, or if you've gone past your goal and still wanted to do more, but now it is time to stop, firmly press on the display screen. Then, tap End. Turn the Digital Crown to view your result summary. Tap Save to keep the information or Discard to delete it.

Apple Watch's Activity and Workout apps are great for getting you motivated and keeping you on track. The Activity app on Apple Watch will show you your progress and allow you to fine-tune your daily activities in order to ensure that you keep moving and stay healthy.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

filmantopia Avatar
128 months ago
It's unfortunate that such detailed instructions are needed to understand and use some of the functionality of the Apple Watch. Apple used to pride itself on making UI's that were so simple and intuitive that no operating instructions were needed.

While undoubtably the best Smart Watch around, there are aspects of the UI that are more convoluted and complex than they perhaps ought to be.

But to paraphrase Steve, making things really simple is actually really hard.


Have you used the activity app? It's actually ridiculously simple. I can't imagine even the least tech savvy person not being able to figure it out in a matter of minutes.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DavidTheExpert Avatar
128 months ago
It's so disturbing to see that so much effort went in to writing and formatting this incredibly in-depth walkthrough of something so incredibly simple. All of these things are so easy for about 95% of users to figure out on their own, and for the rest there is plenty of information already on Apple's website.

Why is MacRumors publishing these kinds of articles, and why is every single one of them being published under the name "Lory Gil"? What is going on here? Is MacRumors under new management or something?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lk400 Avatar
128 months ago
It's unfortunate that such detailed instructions are needed to understand and use some of the functionality of the Apple Watch. Apple used to pride itself on making UI's that were so simple and intuitive that no operating instructions were needed.

While undoubtably the best Smart Watch around, there are aspects of the UI that are more convoluted and complex than they perhaps ought to be.

But to paraphrase Steve, making things really simple is actually really hard.

They are not needed.

This is MR generating clicks by writing random empty articles about basic functionality, playing off the people who haven't received their watch yet but wiang to read anything on the topic.

----------

I'm not usually one to track my fitness, but I love this app. I literally do nothing and get relevant notifications. Truly a case of "it just works".

----------



While this makes it seem hard to set up, it is not at all.

Exactly.

I'm waiting for the 2 page MR instructions on how to tell the time on the analogue style clock faces.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdmagoo1 Avatar
128 months ago
It's unfortunate that such detailed instructions are needed to understand and use some of the functionality of the Apple Watch. Apple used to pride itself on making UI's that were so simple and intuitive that no operating instructions were needed.

While undoubtably the best Smart Watch around, there are aspects of the UI that are more convoluted and complex than they perhaps ought to be.

But to paraphrase Steve, making things really simple is actually really hard.

Well Whilst I'm still waiting for mine to turn up I spent an hour yesterday in the Apple store playing around with the watch. After an hour I found the UI completely intuitive and easy to use. This post highlights what can be achieved using one of the many apps but from my one hour experience, this post is not needed. The user will figure all this out themselves.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doelcm82 Avatar
128 months ago
I dont know, $400+ dollars and a long list of instructions to get my watch to tell me what everyone should already know: get off your --- and move around!
But if you pay $400+ for that, the rest of the Apple Watch functionality comes absolutely FREE!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattopotamus Avatar
128 months ago
I'm not usually one to track my fitness, but I love this app. I literally do nothing and get relevant notifications. Truly a case of "it just works".

----------

It's unfortunate that such detailed instructions are needed to understand and use some of the functionality of the Apple Watch. Apple used to pride itself on making UI's that were so simple and intuitive that no operating instructions were needed.

While undoubtably the best Smart Watch around, there are aspects of the UI that are more convoluted and complex than they perhaps ought to be.

But to paraphrase Steve, making things really simple is actually really hard.

While this makes it seem hard to set up, it is not at all.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...