New to Activity? Start Here.

Doing what you enjoy instead of what you think you “should” do is the key to sticking with it.
Published September 28, 2017

Have you taken a long walk for fun—not just for “exercise”—and been surprised by how good you feel while doing it? Do you notice how tension and stress leave your body when you dance to your favorite song?

It makes sense: Studies show that moving more can boost self-esteem, mood, and sleep quality. It can also reduce your risk of stress and depression.1, 2 And, of course, it helps you lose weight and keep it off!

Making activity a part of your life

  • Find something you like to do. If you have fun being active, you’ll do it more often.  Consistency is key to creating a lifelong habit.

  • Set reasonable and specific goals. Why?  Setting goals helps you stay motivated – as long as they’re not unrealistic. (Studies show that you’re more likely to keep at something if you meet smaller goals along the way.3) You don't want to set a goal to run a marathon when you haven't ran in years... Try planning to jog around the block twice a week.


    How a FitPoints goal can help

    We help you set a personalized  FitPoints goal based on your current activity level. FitPoints measure any and all activities you do–from steps to swimming, to “activity in disguise” like gardening.

    Every day you'll get feedback on how many FitPoints you've earned towards your goal. It’s dynamic, so we’ll keep track of your progress and make suggestions if we think you’re ready to take it up a notch. (No pressure; you can always choose to stay where you are.)



    Why keep track of activity?

    Just like with tracking SmartPoints, tracking FitPoints helps you become aware of how active you are. Plus, research shows that tracking your activity and sticking to your goals can increase the amount of physical activity that you do.4




    How to track FitPoints

    You have a couple of options:

    1. Enter your activity manually in My Day.

    2. Sync a fitness device and let it do the tracking for you!

    Though we encourage physical activity for its own sake, you also have the option of swapping earned FitPoints one to one for SmartPoints—one of the many tools that keep the plan flexible, livable, and customized for you. 

    If you want to swap FitPoints for SmartPoints, you'll need to change your settings in the WW app:

    • Go to your profile in My Day (in the upper right corner)

    • Tap the orange wheel in the upper right corner

    • Tap Food Settings

    • Choose Swapping, then choose which method works best for you. 

    To change on weightwatchers.com:

    • Go to your profile in My Day (in the upper right corner)

    • Click Settings

    • Open the Food tab and scroll down to Swapping

    • Choose the method that works best for you