Blog

Walking, habits, and the data behind both.

Practical writing on step targets, streaks, and getting more out of the numbers your iPhone already collects.

How Many Steps Should You Walk During Menopause? What Two Real Studies Found

A 2014 study of 79 postmenopausal women found meaningfully less body fat at 12,500 steps a day, and a 2-year randomized trial built around a 10,000-step target produced real, measured weight and waist-circumference differences. The exact numbers, and how to actually hit them.

Tech

Does Jump Rope Count as Steps? What Your Apple Watch and iPhone Actually Track

Apple Watch has a dedicated Jump Rope workout type - but that doesn't mean your jumps show up as steps. Why a rope session reads nothing like a walking stride, and what Stepzy actually logs from it.

Tech

Does a Treadmill Count as Steps? What Your Apple Watch and iPhone Actually Track

A treadmill workout doesn't disappear from your step count - but holding the handrails can quietly stop your Apple Watch from counting it. Why the Watch and iPhone track a treadmill session differently, and the one habit that fixes it.

Tech

Why Does Your Apple Watch Count Steps You Didn't Take? (Phantom Steps, Explained)

A 2025/2026 IEEE study found a standard step-counting method was right just 10% of the time during activities like typing and driving - the rest were phantom steps. The real wrist-accelerometer mechanism behind it, and how to spot-check a spike.

Tech

Apple Watch and iPhone Show Different Distance for the Same Walk? Here's Why

Your Apple Watch mostly estimates distance from arm swing; your iPhone can pull in GPS instead - two different methods measuring the same walk. The real mechanism, per Apple's own documentation, and how to fix a genuine mismatch.

Tech

Does Pickleball Count as Steps? What Your Apple Watch Actually Misses

A pickleball paddle keeps your wrist from swinging the way a free walk does - the same mechanic a 2022 wrist-tracker study measured directly. Why your step count can crash after a session, what a 2024 pickleball-specific study found, and what Stepzy still shows regardless.

Tech

Does Walking Your Dog Count as Steps? What Your Apple Watch and iPhone Actually Track

A tight leash stops your watch's arm swing cold - the same mechanic that undercounts a stroller push. What a 2017 study and Apple's own guidance say about the gap, and how to get real credit for the walk.

Tech

Does Dancing Count as Steps? What Your Apple Watch and iPhone Actually Track

Dancing usually does register as steps from the accelerometer - but counting toward your Exercise ring is a separate, stricter bar. What actually decides each one, and how to get real credit for a dance session.

Motivation

How to Restart a Walking Habit After Falling Off Track

Falling off a walking habit is normal - restarting the wrong way is what actually kills it for good. A 2018 self-compassion study, and how Streak Skips and Adaptive Goals remove the two things that usually sink a comeback.