Not all movement has the same effect on health. While general activity is beneficial, research consistently shows that only sustained, moderate-to-intense exercise meaningfully reduces the risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. That’s why the app goes beyond simply recording movement—it evaluates how the body is moving and how much effort is involved.
Using sensors and location data from the user’s smartphone, the app detects physical activities such as walking, cycling, or swimming. These activities are then categorized into three intensity levels: Light, Moderate, and Intense. The classification is based on several factors, including duration, consistency, and the overall nature of the movement. As a result, 30 minutes of low-effort walking does not count toward goals in the same way as 30 minutes of moderate or intense exercise.
In addition to automatically detected activities, users may also choose to log exercises manually—such as swimming in a pool or indoor cycling. When this happens, the system uses both the selected activity and the reported intensity level to estimate its contribution. In some cases, the recorded activity time may appear higher than what was manually entered. This is intentional, as the system accounts for more than just time—it considers effort and other physiological factors that impact health outcomes.
To maintain accuracy, the app filters out low-effort, incidental movements—such as walking around the house or doing light chores. While these actions involve some motion, they do not meet the clinical threshold for activity proven to improve health.
While all movement is acknowledged and tracked, only activity that reaches at least moderate intensity is counted toward the user’s daily and weekly goals. This approach follows the guidance of both the CDC¹ and the American Diabetes Association², which recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity to help reduce health risks and improve long-term outcomes.
1 CDC Source
2 American Diabetes Association Source