When Apple held their keynote they introduced the new iPad, iPad mini, Apple Watch Series 7, and iPhone 13.
READ MORE: TLDR; Here’s Everything Apple Announced At 1 am Last Night
However, despite all the cool new devices, the announcement that excited me the most was Apple Fitness+.
In a nutshell, it is a subscription service that gives access to an ever-growing library of guided exercise and meditation programmes.
It was first launched in eight countries. In the second wave of the launch, on 4 Nov, Malaysia was added to the list. Since then I have been closing my rings by —hitting my movement, exercise, and standing goals every day.
The Equipment
To get started with Apple Fitness+, you’ll need 4 things. These are essentials:
- A subscription (for up to five people per account).
- Monthly — RM19.90.
- Annually — RM119.90.
- As a part of Apple One Premier.
- Space to workout in.
- An Apple device with a display — like an Apple TV, an iPhone, or an iPad.
- Apple Watch — The device Apple Fitness+ is centred around.
Although optional, I think a workout or yoga mat is a must as well. It is used in almost all workouts.
However, some workouts use dumbbells and resistance bands.
Apple Fitness+ also has specialised programmes meant to be used with exercise equipment like a treadmill, a stationary bicycle, and a rowing machine.
For my setup, I have a workout mat and a pair of old 3kg dumbbells.
Apple Fitness+ – How The Subscription Changed My LIfe
Everything about Apple Fitness+ was new to me. I don’t go to the gym and I don’t work out. The most exercise I get is walking in a mall. So this challenge was an adventure for me.
Do you know the feeling when you open a streaming service and you don’t know where to start or what to watch?
That is exactly how I felt when I launched Apple Fitness+ for the first time. I was overloaded with options.
It took me a while to find Workout For Beginners in the programme’s section.
There you’ll also find Meditations for Beginners, Workout for Older Adults, Workout for Pregnancy, and the Get Ready For Show Season workout programme with Olympic Gold Medalist Ted Ligety and Anja Garcia.
Warming Up
In the first week, I completed the beginner workout programme. In that time I did all the workouts at least twice.
Of course, every part of my body was protesting. I have not exercised regularly in a while.
Every muscle in my legs, arms, neck, and core were sending petitions in the form of aches to encourage me not to continue. But it was a normal part of getting back into the active lifestyle.
Workout for beginners consists of three strength exercises, three high-intensity interval training workouts (HIIT), three yoga sessions, and one core exercise in the programme. Each session ranges from 10 to 20 minutes.
Each workout has a lead trainer who gives instructions and motivation while demonstrating what to do.
The trainer on the left will show an easier variant of the exercise, and the trainer on the right increases the difficulty.
On the top left side of the screen is timer and health stats, and on the top left side are the rings.
I find the combination of the trainer’s kind words, the stats and the rings, more often than not, help me complete an exercise session.
After every workout session, I’d do a Mindful Cooldown. It’s a five to 10-minute stretching and meditation session which is a part of Apple Fitness+.
Mindful Cooldown feels like cheating since it is relatively easier and still fills up the rings, but trust me, you’d want to do them. It’ll reduce the pain and aches you’ll feel the next day. At least it did for me.
Hitting The wall
Sometime during the second week, I began to try workouts outside of the Workouts For Beginners programme.
Although sore all over, I felt nimbler, I felt stronger, I had the confidence, and I thought I knew what I was doing.
I didn’t. I overworked some parts of my body and I didn’t know or understand most of the moves, poses, and workout instructions.
It felt like the difficulty suddenly ramped up. I couldn’t even finish some workouts.
What I did wrong was thinking that I need to do the workouts from episode one — the workouts are listed with episode numbers.
What I should have done was use the filter feature where I can pick a trainer, how long I want to work out, the type of music I want to hear, the equipment I have, and most importantly which part of the body I wanted to focus —which is usually the part of the body that I worked out the day before.
I also realised that every workout is standalone —which means I didn’t need to follow the episode numbers — and that it’s alright to watch a move or pose before following along.
It’s For The Mind As Well
I admit that there are a few features in Apple Fitness plus that I rarely use or don’t use at all.
I couldn’t try any of the workouts that require large exercise equipments because I don’t have them.
I also haven’t done the Artist Spotlight (workout based on an artist’s music), Guest Trainer Series workouts, or go on long walks with Time to Walk (an audio workout with famous and interesting people) yet.
However, I have tried Meditation and I have learned a great deal from it about gratitude, acceptance, focus, managing feelings, and a whole lot more.
In It For The Long Haul
After more than three weeks of working out with Apple Fitness+, I feel great. I learn my limits, work within it, and at the same time pushing it further every day.
Maybe it is all in my head, but I feel that my clothes fit better, I feel more confident in my own body, and I am motivated to continue closing my rings.
But in the end, I feel that Apple Fitness+ is missing one major feature. Perhaps Apple will include recipes into Apple Fitness+ in the future.
The Apple Watch Series 7 – Bigger Does Mean Better
What makes Apple Fitness+ unique is its use of the Apple Watch to track your stats and progress.
For this, I used an Apple Watch Series 7.
When it was launched, Apple touted its four new features: the large display, its durability, health innovations, and faster charging.
A Bigger Face
That larger display didn’t seem like much during the keynote. Apple describes it as 20% larger than the Apple Watch Series 7.
This is one of those features that you have to see in person to appreciate. The larger display makes a huge difference. Every interface element is just a little larger and notifications are just a little easier to read.
Made Tougher
I can’t vouch for how tough the Apple Watch Series 7 is because I don’t dare to damage an RM1,899 smartwatch.
But it does survive my profuse sweating, occasional dips in the water, and whenever I accidentally bump it into something —wood, metal, and concrete.
Apple says the Apple Watch Series 7 has a tougher crystal —that’s the glass protecting the display. It is also IP6X dust resistant and it is WR50 water-resistant, that’s more than what the Series 6 had.
Health Features
Thanks to WatchOS 8, the Apple Watch Series 7 can do whatever the Series 6 can. Which is a lot.
From monitoring your oxygen level to taking ECGs, and from taking phone calls to replying to messages. It does almost everything.
While working out with Apple Fitness+, the Series 7 syncs your vital statistics like calories burned, heart rate, and total time spent working and displays it on the screen.
As you work out —and do daily activities— the three rings representing your movement, exercise, and standing goals begin to close.
Completing those rings and doing various workouts will nab you medals in the Fitness app. It is motivating and rewarding.
I set my goals (rings) to burn 450 calories, do 30 minutes of exercise, and stand once per hour every 12 hours, every day.
Faster Charging
The Apple Watch is meant to be worn every day and all the time. So, for those who only charge the watch once a day or every two days, the fast charging feature — which only works with the included charger — is very useful.
On the other hand, I tend to charge the Apple Watch intermittently throughout the day, for example, when I shower. So, the battery on my Series 7 is topped off all the time.
The only time I almost ran out of battery was when I put the watch on the charger but forgot to flip the power switch to the adapter.
Apple Watch Series 7 Tips
The Apple Watch Series 7 comes in two sizes, two casing materials, eight casing colours, and six-band styles in all the colours of the rainbow.
Pick the watch size, casing material, and colour that suits your style and budget. But when it comes to bands I’d recommend the Solo Loop or the Sport Band if you are planning to work out wearing the Apple Watch and especially if you want a band that has low maintenance.
The Apple Ecosystem – Why It’s More Than Just A Follow Along Workout Video
Apple Fitness+ is so integrated with the Apple ecosystem, it gains features the more Apple devices you have. It gains more features the more friends with Apple devices that you have.
For example, you can use Apple Fitness+ on a big screen with Apple TV at home, or at the park with an iPad.
Want to focus on the workout and listen to the playlist? Put on a pair of AirPods Pro or AirPods (3rd generation) — because they are water resistant.
If you have friends with an Apple Watch, you can compare activities and exercises, even compete to see who can close their rings.
However, if your friend also has an Apple Fitness+ subscription, you and your friend can workout together remotely and compete on who is working out the hardest during a session.
All in all, the barrier to entry for Apple Fitness+ is pretty high. It is great for someone who is already into the Apple ecosystem.
However, if just want to work out, having to purchase an iPhone and an Apple Watch on top of a subscription is a big ask.
