Apple is expanding the range of cardiovascular fitness that can be measured in the Apple Watch. From today, the health app will classify users as having “high,” “above average”, “below average” or “low” cardio exercise. Low doses will trigger the announcement.
The watch monitors fitness through a metric called VO2 Maximum, which is the amount of oxygen your body uses during movement or exercise. The Apple Watch has already been monitoring users’ average and high VO2 highs during exercise. This update expands its scope and allows users to see their positions as they walk around, not just as they work.
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Apple claims that it can monitor the maximum level of VO2 by using watch sensors such as a heart rate monitor and accelerometer. Typically, VO2 max is calculated using special equipment in a laboratory when one is exercising on a treadmill or other equipment.
“The Apple Watch now brings low cardio fitness levels directly from a clinic to a user’s wrist, so people have more insight into how to improve their long – term health through daily activity,” said Apple CEO Jeff Williams. News release.
Wearing a watch is definitely less time consuming than going to a lab, but it may not be accurate. Studies comparing the Garmin and Polar smartwatches to a regular lab test found that the watches were disabled by about 5 percent. Apple did not say how well the watch compares to traditional, medical VO2 maximum measurement methods.