When I purchased an Apple Watch
I was more interested in seeing notifications from my phone than I was
the Watch’s activity feature. Sure. I’d probably try them out, but I’ve
been a FitBit user for years, and didn’t see the Apple Watch as really
something that could provide me with a much different experience as far
as tracking runs and walks, my primary workout choices.
Now after a few months I’ve found the Activity and Workout apps
on the Watch to be two of my favorite Apple Watch features. I’m still
wearing my FitBit everyday, but I tend to focus more on the readings I’m
getting from the Watch than I am my FitBit. Here are a few things I’ve
learned from using the two side-by-side for a few months.
Exercise is Different Than Being Active
One
of the biggest revelations I think I’ve had over the past few months is
that all those “Active Minutes” I’ve been so proud of with my FitBit
aren’t actually all that active. My workouts are predominantly long dog
walks.
On a day like today, for instance, My FitBit has 80
active minutes registered for me, which is roughly the length of the
two longer walks my dog and I took during the day. The Apple Watch;
however, thinks that only 5 minutes of my movement today was something
that qualified as “Exercise.” That’s a big difference.
Truth
be told, I’m walking at a fairly slow pace on these walks (likely an
18-19-minute mile), so I’m not really doing anything I’d consider
strenuous exercise. It’s interesting that the two devices register the
same movement in such dramatically different ways.
The Apple Watch is a Coach
This
was something I’d obviously seen in the demo videos Apple put out, but I
didn’t quite understand the usefulness of it until I started using the
Watch everyday. With the Apple Watch you can set a calorie goal each
day, a number you intend to reach through movement. As the day
progresses, the pink circle in the Activity app gradually closes.
When
I first set the Watch up, I picked 700 calories as my goal. As a fairly
active person, it seemed like a reasonable goal to me. As it turns out,
burning 700 calories takes a bit more effort than I thought, and I
missed the goal more than I hit it that first week.
What was
interesting was the Apple Watch’s reaction to that failure. The
following Monday it suggested a much lower calorie goal as something for
me to try. I hit it every day that week, and then the following Monday
the Watch suggested something slightly higher. Now a few months later,
my daily goal has topped 800 and I’m hitting it every single day. The
Apple Watch gradually scaled things up from week to week, making what
was once an impossible goal now something I do on a normal basis.
That’s
a huge contrast from my FitBit. With that, I can set a step goals and
see how far I am from achieving it, but it’s up to be as far as
determining what’s realistic in terms of goals. As it turns out, my
fitness goals are all fairly unrealistic, so I’ve really enjoyed having
the Apple Watch gently push me along and make helpful suggestions on what I could conceivably accomplish.
Stand Up
As
a full-time writer, I spend the majority of my day glued to a computer
screen. I’ve really enjoyed the gently reminder from the Watch to stand
up during the day. When I first got the Watch, that notification was
coming in every hour like clockwork. Now, I’ve trained myself to get up
and move around during the day. I definitely feel a bit healthier and
more productive during the work day because of it.
Standing is
also one of those goals that I missed fairly consistently the first few
weeks I had the Watch, but now I reach my goal almost every day.
I Miss Competition
One
thing I miss with the Apple Watch is competition. With FitBit, old
coworkers and I routinely have competitions where we try to outstep each
other during the weekend or on a specific day. There’s currently no
social element to Apple’s Activity app, so there’s no way for me to
involve my friends in my workouts. I’d love the opportunity to challenge
buddies using the Watch. There’s nothing like a friendly competition to
motivate you to get out there and move!
source: abput.com
