This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Monitoring Walking and Running Distance
Tracking distances and duration for walking and running are two of the most common features found on fitness trackers and fitness/health apps. These features are easy to find and inexpensive. Some apps even show you the route you walked on a map. The American Heart Association says “Walking for as few as 30 minutes a day provides heart health benefits.” You don’t need a gym membership, and walking is a great way to get you started on your quest to become fit. If you’re an avid runner, training apps and devices can help incrementally increase your distance so you can be ready for that run.
Most of the resources discussed in this section can be used with or without fitness trackers. Take a look at these options to get you started on your search for the right resource for you.
Apple Health App
The Apple Health app can track your walking and running distances with or without a fitness tracker. Just strap on a sports armband with your iPhone, and then go. The Health app uses your iPhone’s built-in motion sensors to track your walk or run.
Follow these steps to get started on an iPhone 5s or above.
Open the Health app, and tap Health Data.
Tap Fitness.
Tap Walking + Running Distance.
Tap Show on Dashboard to the On position. Green should be showing.
Tap Dashboard to view your Walking + Running data on the main screen, and then start running or walking. You do not have to be in the app for this information to be captured. The Health app is able to detect which activity you are performing.
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Fitbit
The Exercise mode on most Fitbit trackers lets you collect detailed information on your workout, much how like a car’s odometer works. Put your tracker in Exercise mode and go for a run. When you complete your run, sync your tracker to your phone or computer and view the new Workout entry that has been added to the Fitbit app Dashboard. The entry provides a summary of your exercise, including distance covered.
Google Fit
Google Fit makes it easy for you to track your walking and running distance, and more, with or without an Android Wear device. If you have an Android Wear watch with Google Fit preinstalled, you can track your walk or run strictly on your wrist. You get the most from Google Fit when the app is installed on your mobile device, including advanced graphs, maps, and fitness data like calories burned.
Follow these steps to track your walk or run just using your smartphone with Google Fit.
- Open the Fit app, and then tap the plus button.
- Tap Start activity.
- Tap Walking or Running. Walking was chosen for this example.
- Tap Start to begin your walk and view your route on a Google map. You can then tap Pause, and tap Stop to see a summary of your workout.
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S Health
S Health makes it easy for you to track your daily activities. Whether you are an avid runner, walker, or beginner to both, S Health trackers can help you set milestones and even motivate you using a voice guide. Want to work up to a 5k run? S Health helps you to get there in a regimented, carefully crafted program to help you achieve that goal. S Health is currently available for Android devices, but not for Apple (iOS) devices.
Download and install the S Health app. The following steps show the app on an Android phone.
- Open the S Health app, swipe to scroll down to the bottom of the screen, and then tap Manage Items. Note that the tracker for running appears by default onscreen.
- Tap Walking to the On position. The toggle switch turns blue. Notice the various trackers that are available.
- Tap the arrow to return to the previous screen. The Walking tracker appears onscreen. The Running tracker appears onscreen by default.
- Tap Start for the Walking tracker or the Running tracker. The Walking tracker was chosen for this example. S Health pinpoints your location on a Google map.
- Tap the plus sign to change the distance target.
Tap the musical note icon to listen to music while taking your walk.
Tap More to hear audio notifications at selected times during your workout, including duration, distance, and other information.
Tap Start and begin tracking your walking activity. A countdown starts, and then your activity begins. A Pause button appears, allowing you to pause the exercise. When you are done, you can tap Stop to end the activity and view a summary of your workout.
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Copyright © Samsung. All Rights Reserved.
Track your walking activity using the Samsung Gear S2.
Withings Activité Pop
The Withings Activité Pop is a fitness tracker with the timeless look and style of a refined analog display. If you are looking for a highly capable fitness tracker with the feel of a classic watch, the Withings Activité Pop may be just what you’re looking for. It tracks sleeping stages, swimming, and also walking and running distance, speed, and calories burned. The watch uses an analog activity hand that goes from 0% to 100% to monitor progress toward your goal(s). It has an accompanying app named Health Mate that suggests easy changes to encourage you to walk more. If you are walking, swimming, or running, there isn’t anything you have to do to start the tracking process. Activité automatically detects surges in activity levels and logs it as running. Set the goals you want to reach in Health Mate and just begin. The Health Mate app is available for Android and Apple (iOS) devices and can also use the sensors in your smartphone to track activities without the tracker. Visit withings.com to learn about Withings products and features.
Download the Health Mate app, join Withings, set up your device, and then follow these steps, which show you how to monitor walking and running activities using the Withings Activité Pop watch and the Health Mate app on an iPhone.
- Tap the Health Mate app to open it. The default Timeline screen opens.
- Put on your Withings Activité Pop watch.
- Go walking. The Withings Activité Pop uses sensors to automatically determine that the activity you are engaged in is walking.
- Tap Goal and make sure your Activité Pop is close to your smartphone so that it syncs. Your walking data appears and the activity hand on the watch moves toward completing 100 percent of the default 10,000 steps goal.
- View your walking data in the app.
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