Google has teamed up with the AHA (American Heart Association) and WHO (World Health Organization) to revamp Google Fit, their fitness tracking app for smartphones, fitness trackers, and wearable devices.
The updated Google Fit uses a goal based system which reflect the AHA and WHO activity recommendations. These activity goals are simple: Move Minutes and Heart Points. By reducing your activity goals to these two new categories, Google is hoping to make it easier and less overwhelming to get people more active and improve their health.
When it comes to your health, it’s important to move more and sit less. Earn Move Minutes for all of your activity and get motivated to make small, healthy changes throughout your day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or catching up with a friend over a walk instead of a coffee.
Activities that get your heart pumping harder result in even greater health benefits. Heart Points give you credit for these activities. You’ll score one point for each minute of moderate activity, like picking up the pace while walking your dog, and double points for more intense activities like running or kickboxing. It takes just 30 minutes of brisk walking 5 days a week to reach the AHA and WHO’s recommended amount of physical activity, which is shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, improve sleep, and increase overall mental well-being.
So, as you can see, not only is it important to move but it’s also important to elevate your heart rate while doing so. When combined, you’ll earn Heart Points increase the number of Move Minutes achieved for daily activities and workouts.
Compatible with other fitness apps like MyFitnessPal, Endomondo, Strava, and Runkeeper, the Google Fit Android and Wear OS app updates will be rolling out this week.
What do you think about the updates to Google Fit? Do you use Google Fit or another fitness tracker? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
[button link=”https://www.blog.google/products/android/introducing-new-google-fit/” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Google Blog[/button][button link=”https://www.google.com/fit/” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Google Fit[/button]
