Apple Watches and the Art of Standing for a Minute an Hour

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A few minutes ago I looked at my Apple Watch and it said that I had not stood for the last two hours so I got up and walked around until it said that I had stood this hour. The irony is not lost on me that a watch would tell me that I am not active enough.

The Apple Watch wants you to stand for a minute an hour for six to 18 hours per day. In theory this sounds like it goes without saying that the goal would be reached. In reality it’s not that simple.

I have found that I usually don’t stand for an hour or two when I write this blog post. I do stand. I often get up, and walk around, to get a drink, or because I’m distracted, and then I sit down. The issue is that I stood and walked around for 45 seconds or 50 seconds, rather than the required minute. The result is that despite my fidgety nature I can be told that I haven’t stood for three or more hours.

I find this to be both frustrating and ironic. I’m not good at sitting for hours a day. Even when I, and others cook it is often not counted as standing. I have seen people say "I just stood for half an hour preparing food and it’s when I sit down to eat that it tells me to stand for one minute".

I considered wearing the Apple watch on my ankle like some people do but don’t for one simple reason. The strap isn’t big enough for my ankle. The other reason is that I feel that a shock or movement in the wrong direction could result in my ankle being injured or broken. Years ago I read about how someone would let his arm hang vertically for a minute until it counted him as standing before resuming what he was doing.

It’s Good to Stand

The purpose of the Apple watch saying "Stand up, you’ve sat too long" is to encourage sedentary people to get up and move. It is accepted that sitting too much is bad for our health. Having said that, walking for a minute an hour is not the only requirement. So is walking at least fifteen minutes per day, and breaking a sweat. I beat both of these requirements every day. I beat the weekly goal every day.

Counting Daily Habits

I would like standing to consider overall exercise during the day. After a strenuous bike ride I don’t want to be told "You haven’t stood for an hour after burning 1200 kilocalories. I understand the theory behind the statement but it still frustrates me. It should look at the day’s exercise as well.

And Finally

I love to hate the standing counter. I see the value in telling sedentary people to stand more but I wish it was more intelligent, capable of deciding whether we’re active enough, without standing. If we’re standing to cook it shouldn’t generate a false negative. On Sunday i will definitely reach the standing goal with ease.