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How to Change Activity Goals on Apple Watch

Challenge yourself or set more realistic goals

By Daniel Nations Daniel Nations Writer University of Texas at Arlington Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, and other publications. He is a developer who has published apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play marketplace and Amazon Appstore; he also has worked as a data analyst and DB administrator. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 18, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section Change Activity Goals View Steps Taken in a Day Check Weekly Activity Summary Turn Notifications On/Off Check Activity Awards Start a Workout The Activity app on your Apple Watch lets you monitor how much you move, stand, and exercise throughout the day so you can reach your activity goals. The Move goal tracks calories burned; the calorie-goal default is determined by information you input, such as height, weight, age, and gender. The Stand goal default is set to 12 hours, and the Exercise goal is set to a default of 30 minutes. It's easy to customize and change your Activity goals at any time to make them more challenging or realistic. Instructions here apply to Apple Watch devices running watchOS 7 or later. In watchOS 6 and earlier, you could change your calorie-burning goal, but you couldn't edit your Stand and Exercise goals. LeoPatrizi / Getty Images

How to Change Your Activity Goals

The Activity app makes it easy to customize one activity goal or all three. Launch the Activity app on your Apple Watch. (The app icon shows three rings.) Scroll down and select Change Goals. Use the plus and minus buttons to adjust the daily Move goal by increasing or decreasing the calorie default. Tap Next when finished. Use the plus and minus buttons to adjust the daily Exercise goal by increasing or decreasing the minutes. Tap Next when finished. Use the plus and minus buttons to adjust the daily Stand goal. (The default is set to 12 hours, which is the maximum allowed.) Tap OK when finished.

How to View the Number of Steps You' ve Taken in a Day

The Apple Watch tracks steps and stairs climbed, but unlike the Fitbit and some other activity trackers, this is not its primary function. Instead, the Apple Watch applies this data toward your Move and Exercise goals. To check your current step and stair-climbing count, launch the Activity app on your Apple Watch, then scroll down to view your current total steps, total distance, and flights climbed.

Check Your Weekly Activity Summary on the Apple Watch

If you prefer a weekly breakdown of your activity, it's easy to access this information. Open the Activity app on your Apple Watch. Scroll down and select Weekly Summary. View a summary of the past week. Scroll down to see totals of calories burned, average daily calories burned, total steps taken, distance achieved, flights climbed, and overall active time.

How to Turn Apple Watch Activity Notifications On or Off

If you don't want to be prompted to work out, or if you turned off some notifications and want to reset them, it's easy to adjust Activity app notifications using your iPhone. Launch the Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch at the bottom of the screen. Tap Notifications, and then scroll down and choose Activity. Select Allow Notifications to permit standard Activity app notifications. Select Notifications Off if you don't want to receive any Activity app notifications. Alternatively, select Send to Notification Center to receive notifications without your watch buzzing you. This will display the red dot at the top of the screen alerting you to a notification, but you won't get a sound or haptic notification. To customize your notifications, toggle on or off your Stand Reminders, Daily Coaching notifications, Goal Completion notices, Special Challenges, or Activity Sharing Notifications. To customize your Breathe notifications and reminders, launch the Watch app on your iPhone and choose My Watch at the bottom of the screen. Tap Notifications, and then scroll down and select Breathe. Choose your Breathe notification permissions, and then toggle on or off individual Breathe notifications and reminders.

How to Check Your Apple Watch Activity Awards

The Apple Watch Activity app lets you earn awards for various personal records, streaks, and milestones. To view any current awards, launch the Activity app on your Apple Watch and swipe left to open the Awards screen. Tap an Award to view details.

How to Start an Apple Watch Workout

The Apple Watch Workout app makes it easy to track your workouts, with this data going toward your Move, Exercise, and Stand goals. The Workout app even tracks your heart rate during exercise as well as the number of active calories burned. Here's how to start a workout. Open the Workout app on your Apple Watch. Choose the type of workout from the list, such as Outdoor Walk or Outdoor Run. Your frequent workouts will be listed toward the top. Scroll down and select Add Workout to see additional workouts. Tap Other to add a custom workout. Tap Open Goal to begin your workout. A three-second countdown timer will appear, and then your workout tracking begins. To pause or end your workout, swipe right, and select End or Pause. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use Your Apple Watch How to Activate Your Apple Watch Step Counter Apple Watch vs. Fitbit How Does Apple Watch Measure Exercise? How to Add a Workout to Apple Watch How to Reset Your Apple Watch How to Close Apps on an Apple Watch How to Set Alarm on Apple Watch How to Connect the Fitbit App to Apple Watch How to View Apple Watch Activity on a Mac or MacBook 10 Best Apple Watch Fitness Apps of 2022 How to Unpair Apple Watch How to Delete a Workout on Apple Watch How to Turn Off Breathe on Apple Watch Is an Apple Watch Worth It? How to Use WhatsApp on Your Apple Watch Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies