Now that we stay at home as much as possible, it is difficult to fill the Activity rings of your Apple Watch. iPhone gives tips on how to get that done.
Filling Apple Watch rings at home
If you travel a lot, you quickly fill the three Activity rings on your Apple Watch unnoticed. For example traveling back and forth to the train station, walking stairs and so on. Then, at the end of the day, a short walk or workout to close the rings may suffice.
If you are house bound, that is a lot more difficult. Especially the green Training ring can be quite a challenge when you are inside. Still, there are plenty of options. We explain how to fill the rings honestly, but also how you can cheat a little.
Stand: the blue ring
This is the easiest ring to get, because you just have to stand and walk for a minute regularly. It becomes difficult if you stay in bed for too long, or sit at the computer or television for hours on end, but there is no reason why you cannot be at home at least twelve times a day if you can otherwise.
Do you still have difficulty with it? Then find an extra reason to stand for a minute. Tidy something up every hour and put it in the right place, or clean a small area of your house. Or, for example, do a short series of stretching exercises to keep your body supple.
Extra tip: try one from your desk or table standing desk to do with some boxes or books!
Cheating: You can hold your arms up for a minute and wave.
Movement: the red ring
You can fill this ring in many ways, as long as you move. Dance while cooking, work with a vacuum cleaner or mop, play with the children and so on. If you are a bit diaper set, you basically only have to move your arm. Brushing your teeth also works to close the last part of the ring.
Lower your goal: The Move ring is the only ring for which you determine the target. If you are stuck at home, it really doesn’t matter to lower that goal a bit. Then you have a more realistic number of calories to work towards. You do this by going to the Activity app on your Apple Watch and pressing and holding the rings. Then choose ‘Change movement goal’ and choose your new goal.
Training: the green ring
The most difficult ring to fill during quarantine is the green ring. This stands for Training and asks for an increased heart rate during thirty minutes of exercise. The ring fills up when you walk briskly, but that doesn’t work when you’re at home.
There are of course several options for this. For example, you can purchase a cardio machine such as an exercise bike or cross trainer, but you need to have both money and space for that. Take a look at the Work-out app for inspiration. There you will also find yoga, dancing, pilates or tai chi. And if you want to get an affordable and easy to store fitness equipment at home, then a skipping rope is enough. Skipping ropes is even a separate workout on the Apple Watch!
Cheating: Do you want to close the ring, but not get off the bank? Then you can choose ‘other’ as a workout. Then your ring fills without you having to do anything.
More about the Activity rings
Still confused about the Activity rings? iPhoned explains how to use the Apple Activity app. Do you need more motivation? Then challenge your friends to an Activity competition.