Hi
It is not necessary to record general daily activity - such as walking around the house - as a workout in order for steps to be registered and active calories to be recorded.
Once it has been set up, the Activity app runs continuously in the background, tracking results including steps taken and active calories burned.
Should you prefer to record a workout, be sure to choose the activity type that most closely matches your activity type. This enables your Apple Watch to use the most appropriate sensors and data sources when estimating results, including using tailored calorie calculations for certain activities.
For example, when tracking outdoor walking, running and cycling workouts, Apple Watch (first generation) and Series 1 models can access GPS data from the paired iPhone if it is taken along. Series 2 can use built-in GPS for the same purpose.
Your heart rate is also measured continuously when recording workouts, with the readings taken into account when estimating your results.
During general daily wear and when using the Workout app to record workouts when GPS data is either not relevant - such as for Indoor Walk workouts - or unavailable, the Activity app and, when relevant, the Workout app tracks your arm motion (measured by the accelerometer) when estimating results.
For the best results, allow the arm on which you are wearing your watch to swing naturally as you move around during general daily wear and to move as expected during workouts.
Calibrating your watch can improve the accuracy of estimations made by Activity app and Workout app. More information and instructions for calibrating your watch are available via the link below. The article also includes instructions for resetting existing calibration data and starting afresh. Resetting your calibration data will not erase your Activity history.
More information:
