The Apple Watch has never been just another accessory which happens to compliment your iPhone. Since its first iteration, it has been widely used by Apple fans as a health and fitness tracker in their daily workout routine.
This comes as no surprise, considering that the Apple Watch comes built in with heart rate sensor, accelerometer, and gyroscope, while also being splash (Series 1) and water (Series 2) resistant.
This means that when you are taking it out for a workout, there won’t be a worry of damaging your watch due to sweat or rain, and you will be able to accurately track your steps, distance and hear rate.
In line with the coming new year, there’s a tendency for many to list ‘a healthier lifestyle’ in their resolutions, and Apple has a little game in store for Watch users.
The Apple Watch Challenge
Since midnight today, 28 December, Apple pushed out a global notification through the Activity app with their Ring in the New Year Challenge.
How you get to this notification is simple, just wear your Apple Watch and after 10 minutes, you will automatically get this notification.
Be warned though, this will only happen once, so be careful to not accidentally dismiss it.
You can view the accompanying Activity app on your iPhone to keep track of the challenge, and see what kind of achievements you will be able to unlock.
On the the Achievement tab in the iPhone Activity app, you can see all the unearned Achievements for the Ring in the New Year Challenge.
Tapping on an unearned Achievement will bring up a description on the type of activity required for you to earn it, and after which, you can use the built in iOS share-sheet to share your intentions to achieve specific tasks, all of which can be done through Messages, Mail, and even social media.
Once you closed all three Activity rings for a full week, you will then receive the Ring in the New Year Achievement!
Along with an earned Achievement in your Activity app, you will also receive special stickers that you can show off to your friends through the Messages app.
Say goodbye to aimless jogs round your block – Apple now lets you set targets through different activities, and you will even be rewarded for it.
Though it’s nothing tangible, just think of it as a Foursquare for exercising, and getting satisfaction through digital rewards can also be a morale booster for a healthier lifestyle.
