New year, new resolutions.  If you received a shiny new Apple Watch from Santa, or simply want to make good on your new years resolutions, an Apple Watch is a great tool for tracking your fitness progress and encouraging you to stay active. The watch has a built-in fitness tracker that measures your workouts, tracks your daily activity, and helps you meet your fitness goals.

Here are some tips on how to use your Apple Watch to track your fitness success:

Set up your fitness goals

To set up your fitness goals, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and select the “My Watch” tab. Tap “Health > Health Goals.” From here, you can set your daily calorie burn goal, your exercise goal, and your stand goal.

• Daily calorie burn goal: This goal tracks the number of calories you burn in a day. You can set your daily calorie burn goal based on your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level. The Apple Watch will show you your progress towards this goal in the form of the red “Move” ring.
• Exercise goal: This goal tracks the amount of time you spend exercising in a day. You can set your exercise goal based on your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level. The Apple Watch will show you your progress towards this goal in the form of the green “Exercise” ring.
• Stand goal: This goal tracks the amount of time you spend standing in a day. The Apple Watch encourages you to stand up and move around for at least one minute every hour. The watch will show you your progress towards this goal in the form of the blue “Stand” ring.

Track your workouts

To track a workout, open the Workout app on your Apple Watch and press the “Start” button. Choose your workout type, such as running, cycling, or swimming. The watch will track your workouts and display your progress in the form of rings. You can view your workouts by opening the “Activity” app on your watch.

You can also download or use the MyFitnessPal app, which syncs to the watch and Apple Health app to integrate your movements and activities into the tracking of MFP.

Monitor your daily activity

The Apple Watch measures your daily activity, such as the steps you take, the distance you travel, and the flights of stairs you climb. You can view your daily activity by opening the “Activity” app on your watch. The app displays your progress in the form of rings, similar to the way it tracks your workouts.  I personally use an app called “Pedometer++”, which you can download from the app store, and have placed the activity complication front and center on my watch to see my progress on steps, floors and distance.  Seeing it front and center when I look at my watch helps keep me on track.

Use the “Activity Sharing” feature

The “Activity Sharing” feature allows you to compete with your friends and family to see who can be the most active. To use this feature, open the “Activity” app on your watch and select the “Sharing” tab. Tap “Add Friends” to invite your friends and family to join your activity sharing group. You can then see each other’s progress and compete to see who can be the most active.

Take advantage of the “Workout” app

The “Workout” app on your Apple Watch offers a variety of workouts, including running, cycling, swimming, and more. You can customize your workouts by setting your goal, selecting your workout type, and choosing your music playlist. The app also provides personalized coaching and encouragement to help you reach your fitness goals.

By following these tips, you can use your Apple Watch to track your fitness progress and stay motivated to reach your goals.