Most Apple Watch users know the device is wonderful for tracking all kinds of activity. Dedicated tracking for dozens of sports inspires movement.

I closed my Apple Watch rings every day for a week, but we all need a little motivation. I started noticing the Fitness app’s underappreciated limited-edition challenges.

My Apple Watch Ultra recently acquired the Earth Day Challenge badge. I had to workout for 30 minutes or more with the Apple Watch’s fitness tracking or a suitable third-party app.

Limited-edition challenges earn badges that are only available for a short time. The Lunar New Year challenge gives you a few weeks. Some, like the International Women’s Day Challenge, are one-day only. New limited-edition challenges can be found in the Apple Watch Activity app or the iPhone Fitness app.

Gamification goes far.

Most challenges require 20–30 minutes of workout. Some badges, like the Yoga Day Challenge, require tracking a specific activity.

Trying new sports is fun. To get my International Dance Day Challenge prize, I danced to an Apple Fitness Plus dance workout, which looked like I had two left feet, but I liked breaking up my training routine.

This is a great way to try new things and get active on days you didn’t expect to. Gamification helps.

Badges stay in your rewards library. Your monthly challenges, movement records, and sport-specific badges are in your awards library. Badges follow you to new Apple Watches like the Series 8. From 2019.

In my four-ish years of Apple Watch activity, the badges for limited-edition challenges are my favorite lesser-known feature and source of inspiration.

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