Intensity Minutes: What Is That Symbol on Your Garmin?
That lightning bolt icon tracks Intensity Minutes — a scientifically-backed health metric that matters more than step count. Here's what it means and how to hit your goal.
Day 13: Intensity Minutes Explained
"What is this weird symbol on your Garmin?"
If you've seen a lightning bolt or a small graph icon and wondered what it tracks — that's Intensity Minutes. And it's arguably the most important health metric on your Garmin.
What are Intensity Minutes?
Intensity Minutes are Garmin's way of tracking how much moderate and vigorous activity you're getting each week. They're based on guidelines from the World Health Organisation and American Heart Association.
The recommendation: at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week (or 75 minutes of vigorous activity).
How they're counted
- Moderate activity (e.g., brisk walking, easy cycling): 1 minute = 1 intensity minute
- Vigorous activity (e.g., running, HIIT, hard cycling): 1 minute = 2 intensity minutes
So a 30-minute run gives you 60 intensity minutes. A 150-minute power walk gives you 150. Both hit the weekly goal, but very differently.
Why it matters more than steps
You can hit 10,000 steps by walking slowly all day — minimal cardiovascular benefit. Intensity minutes require your heart rate to be elevated above a threshold (typically 70% of max HR), which is when the real cardiovascular adaptations happen.
How to adjust your goal
- Garmin Connect app → More → Health Stats → Intensity Minutes
- Tap your weekly goal to customise it
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