The Apple Watch has long been recognized as a vital tool for monitoring health and fitness. Recent features introduced in watchOS 11 have made it easier than ever for users to achieve their health goals. Here are the highlights.
Establishing Daily Apple Watch Goals for Your Health, Including Rest
Initially, the Apple Watch featured three Activity rings with fixed criteria.
To complete all your rings, you were required to achieve 30 minutes of exercise and 12 standing hours each day. Modifications were only available for the Move ring.
Over the years, watchOS has allowed adjustments to the Exercise and Stand goals as well. However, it was only in the last few months, with the introduction of watchOS 11, that significant changes were made to the Activity rings.
Now, you can take rest days and sick days without penalty. Your Activity rings can have personalized goals for different days of the week.
With watchOS 11, you can ‘pause’ your Activity rings for one or more days, allowing you to miss closing them without ruining your streak.
Additionally, you can modify your daily objectives for, say, increased activity during the workweek, while taking a more relaxed approach on weekends.
Here are two reasons these changes to the Apple Watch can assist you in reaching your health aspirations:
- Maintaining streaks can serve as a strong motivator for sustaining healthy habits.
- Goals should be realistic; otherwise, discouragement may lead to quitting.
I’ve personally experienced these concepts in my journey with the Apple Watch. Here’s how.
The Importance of Apple Watch’s Health Enhancements
My record for the longest streak of closing my Move ring is an impressive 285 days.
It was an exhilarating experience until I contracted COVID and found it challenging to even get out of bed for several days.
The impact of losing my streak, coupled with the realization of how long it would take to establish a new high score, greatly demotivated me. I soon fell out of the routine of closing my rings daily.
The feature to pause my goals would have been invaluable, helping me get back on the right track much more quickly.
Moreover, I often faced difficulties in staying consistent because, historically, the Apple Watch treated every day uniformly. It never felt right to me that after a high-movement day, I was still expected to meet the same goals the following day.
Now, I can plan to have intense exercise days on Fridays, for example, and then keep it lighter on Saturdays without feeling pressured by my Apple Watch.
Have you noticed improvements in sticking to your health goals thanks to these changes on the Apple Watch? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
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