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What is a Monthly Step Goal?
Our Monthly Step Goal feature is a personal step goal you set and work toward over the course of the month, each month of the year. This feature is separate from any group challenges you may be participating in, and can be easily accessed from your MoveSpring dashboard! It also contains a monthly chat thread that allows you to message with other participants who have a goal set.
Note: If you do not see the option to set a goal on your dashboard, this feature may not be enabled by your challenge administrator at this time or may be unavailable based on your organization’s MoveSpring plan type.
Why set a Monthly Goal in MoveSpring?
With a Monthly Step Goal, you get to choose your own adventure by selecting the step goal you want to work toward. You can track your progress over time toward your own desired movement goals, regardless of if your organization is currently running a challenge or not.
You can adjust your goal as needed from month to month — increase the goal if you want to push yourself, or lower the goal during months you anticipate moving less.
The Monthly Step Goal feature is fun and engaging, and also fully optional. You can opt-in to use the feature by setting your goal for the first time.
Using the Monthly Step Goal feature
Setting your goal for the first time
If your organization has Monthly Step Goal enabled, you can locate the feature on your MoveSpring dashboard directly beneath the daily activity section. If you have not yet set a goal, you will see a prompt to set one.
Note that you have 10 days into the current month to set your goal for that month.
After the 10th, the current month's goals are locked, so you will be able to set your goal for the following month instead.
To set your goal for the first time:
Click the blue button to “Set Up Your [Month] Goal.”
On the mobile app, this will open a wizard with more information on the feature. Swipe to learn more until you reach the “Set my goal now” button, or click the “Skip” button in the upper right hand corner if you wish to bypass the explainer.
From here, you’ll see our handy calculator that makes setting your goal a breeze. Tap the drop down menu next to “daily steps” to pull up the goal selector, and choose the daily average number of steps you want to work toward. Note that your organization’s admin can manage the range that is available to you here.
The calculator will automatically display how many total steps you will need to reach that month in order to achieve the daily average you selected. You can tap back into the dropdown if you want to choose a new step goal, or click “Set Goal” in order to save your goal.
Congrats, you’ve set your goal! If it is before the 10th, you'll begin to see your progress towards your goal right away. If you set the goal for next month instead, you will now see how many days remain until the start of the next month. Once the month begins, you’ll be able to start making progress toward your goal.
Changing your goal
If you want to make adjustments to the goal you set for yourself, you can edit it anytime before the upcoming month begins and up to 10 days into that month. After 10 days, the goal will be locked in. You will only be able to edit your goal for the next upcoming month.
I set my goal for the first time, but want to change it before the month begins.
No sweat! Follow these steps to edit your goal:
Tap into Monthly Step Goal from the dashboard to open up the landing page.
Click the “Edit Your [Month] Goal” button to open up the calculator.
Use the drop down menu to select a new daily average.
The calculator will update automatically.
If your new goal looks good, click the “Set Goal” button to save your updates.
The month has started, but I want to change the goal.
Is it after the 10th of the month? If so, your goal is locked in for the rest of the month.
Is it before the 10th? Follow these steps to edit your goal:
Tap into Monthly Step Goal from the dashboard to open up the landing page.
Click the blue “Edit your goal” button to open up the calculator.
Use the drop down menu to select a new daily average.
The calculator will update automatically.
If your new goal looks good, click the “Set Goal” button to save your updates.
I want to change next month’s goal.
Your Monthly Step Goal automatically carries over from month to month, unless you edit the goal. Any edits to your goal for the current month will be automatically carried over to the next month. However, you can also edit next month’s goal to be different if you choose.
Follow these steps to edit a future month’s goal:
Tap into Monthly Step Goal from the dashboard to open up the landing page.
Click the forward arrow next to the current month to open to the next month.
Click the “Edit Your [Next Month] Goal” button to open up the calculator.
Use the drop down menu to select a new daily average.
The calculator will update automatically.
If your new goal looks good, click the “Set Goal” button to save your updates.
FAQs
What should my goal be?
There is no right or wrong goal to set for yourself, but we do have some suggestions for how to choose a goal that you will find engaging and achievable.
Find your baseline activity level. If you have been using the MoveSpring app for at least a couple of months, you can view your historical activity from your Profile. If you swipe to the Month view, you’ll see your Daily average under Steps. This number is a good starting point to understand your typical levels of movement.
Don’t know your baseline activity level? That’s fine! We suggest starting small and building up your movement over time. You could also try a test day — move the amount you normally would on an average day, and see how many steps you have at the end of the day, then use that number as a starting point.
Worried you’ll set the goal too high or low? You’ll have 10 days into the new month to adjust your goal as needed, so use that time as a trial period to see if the goal you set is going to work for you.
Your goal should be realistic and achievable, while still being motivating so you can push yourself to keep moving.
Consider the time of year. Many people find they achieve higher step totals during the spring and summer months than winter. We recommend considering how the weather and daylight hours will impact your step goal depending on the time of year. Don’t be afraid to lower or raise your goal with the seasons!
Are there any restrictions on the goal I can set?
Yes. Your goal must fall within the range provided in the selector. Your organization’s admin can manage the range that is available to you, so the minimum and maximum steps you can choose from might vary depending on your organization.
Note that your organization's admin can adjust the available goal range at any time on their end. If they make an update and the goal you had previously set falls outside of the new range, your goal will automatically update the following month to fall in line with the new range:
If your previous goal was lower than the new minimum, your next month's goal will be raised to the new minimum.
If your previous goal was higher than the new maximum, your next month's goal will be lowered to the new maximum.
Will I be able to update my monthly activity goal?
Yes, you will have the option to edit your goal before a new month begins as well as 10 days into the current month. Follow these steps to update your goal.
Do I have to set a new goal every month?
No, you do not need to set a new goal every month. If you’re happy with your current goal and decide not to update your goal for the upcoming month, your previous month’s goal will carry over automatically.
How do I make sure my steps are syncing?
When you open the MoveSpring app, follow the steps to sync your device. You should see your current daily activity totals populate at the top of your dashboard.
If new step totals were synced in, or if you manually add any totals, your Monthly Step Goal progress will automatically update on your dashboard.
To view more details on your progress, you can tap on your Monthly Step Goal from the MoveSpring dashboard to view additional stats on your progress so far, including a calendar view. In this view, you’ll see the following:
Orange unclosed rings represent days where your step total was under your daily average goal. The closer the ring is to being closed, the closer you were to reaching the goal.
Solid orange circles represent days when you reached or exceeded your daily average goal.
Grey circles represent days where you did not sync to MoveSpring, and no totals were recorded.
You can tap on a specific day to pull up an overlay showing the total number of steps you reached that day.
Can I count movement other than steps?
If your organization has the activity converter enabled, you can use it to enter your time spent performing non step-based movement (such as cycling, yoga, or wheelchair pushes) and convert that to the equivalent step total!
Totals that are synced from your device and totals that are added manually or via the activity converter will all count toward your Monthly Step Goal progress.
Who can see my goal?
Only you can see your goal.
Your organization’s account admins will be able to view your overall goal progress as a percentage (ex. 85% goal completion for September). They will not be able to see the actual goal you set, only your overall progress toward the goal.
How is my monthly step goal scored?
Your goal is calculated in 2 ways. First, you set your daily average. We chose averages instead of a daily goal so that you can have some days were you push yourself more, and other days where you can rest — all of your activity averages out over the duration of the month. We find that this approach is both flexible and sustainable.
You can also view your progress by seeing the total number of steps you need to reach in a month to achieve your daily average. This number is the average you chose multiplied by the number of days in the month, and can help you visualize if you are on target for your goal or not.
When are my scores finalized each month?
You have until the 5th of the following month to ensure your totals are accurate in the previous month. For example, if July just ended, you will have until August 5th to ensure your July scores are accurate before they are finalized.
If any totals are missing or inaccurate, please reach out to our customer support team with a detailed description and screenshots of what you’re seeing as soon as possible before your scores are finalized.
How do I see past progress toward my goal?
When you are on the Monthly Step Goal dashboard, use the arrows next to the month to toggle back and view previous months’ data.
You will see if you hit your goal for that month or not at the top of the screen:
Note that you will only be able to view data as far back as the first month that you set a goal.
You can also view general historical stats by scrolling down. Here, you can view the year at a glance and see how many months you hit your goal.
The bright orange bar indicates your daily average for that month.
The dark red bar indicates any amount you achieved over your daily average.
The light orange bar indicates any amount you missed your daily average by.
The check mark indicates what your daily average goal was, if you reached it.
You can also tap on a specific month to pull up an overlay showing the total number of steps you reached that month, as well as what your goal was.
How do I opt out of my monthly step goal?
You can opt out of monthly step goals at any time by following these steps:
Click on the three dots in the upper right hand corner of the Monthly Step Goal landing screen:
After tapping this icon, you'll see the option to click "Opt out of Monthly Step Goal"
You'll see a warning that asks you to confirm that you would like to opt out. Click "Yes, proceed" to remove your goal.
Note that if you opt out of the feature, any progress that had been scored for the current month will be removed and you will no longer have a goal set for any future months. You will need to set a goal again in order to begin participating in the feature again.
Have additional questions or need help with syncing?
Please contact our support team. Happy stepping!