Apple is adding workouts for its Apple Watch-based Fitness+ subscription service aimed specifically at older adults, women who are pregnant, and beginners. And starting on Earth Day (April 19), actress/activist Jane Fonda will speak about climate change during a so-called Time to Walk episode for Fitness+ subscribers.
Fitness+, kind of Apple's answer to Peloton, launched back in December.
There will be 10 new 10-minute workouts for mom’s-to-be led by a Fitness+ trainer who is also pregnant, Betina Gozo (pictured above). According to Apple, the workouts are designed to accommodate any stage of pregnancy and fitness level.
The eight fresh workouts for the elder crowd focus on strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and mobility, Apple says, many of which you can do with a light dumbbell or bodyweight. These too are 10 minutes long.
Meantime, for fitness tyros, or people who are just getting back into exercise after a lengthy layoff, Apple’s Workouts for Beginners are said to be low impact and cover yoga, strength and HIIT (high-intensity interval training). Yep, these are likely to be the workouts yours truly will be trying.
The Time to Walk series, as the name gives away, is about encouraging people to walk more often. Beside Fonda, the series features the likes of Wanda Sykes, Anthony Ramos, Dolly Parton, Shawn Mendes, Uzo Aduba, and Draymond Green.
A Fitness+ subscription costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, or is included as part of the Apple One Premier plan for $29.95 per month, which also gives subscribers access to to Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+ and 2TB of iCloud storage. Apple One Premier subscriptions can be shared among up to six family members.
But anyone who wants to partake in Apple Fitness+ workouts must also have an Apple Watch Series 3 or later that is paired with an iPhone 6s, or iPhone SE.
You can stream workouts using an iPhone, iPad, or, what I’ve found is the best experience, on an Apple TV connected to a large screen television. You see your Apple Watch fitness rings on a corner of the screen, synced up with calories burned and your heart rate in real time.
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Photos courtesy of Apple.