Tech Tip – Staying Fit is Good Advice for Any Leader. Apple Fitness+ is a Solid Option
Image from Apple Insider
Getting fit or exercising more is probably on many people’s resolution or goals list for the year. However, as we enter February, I am equally certain that many people have crossed that off their list and said they’ll try again next year. And so goes the yearly tradition of resolutions falling by the wayside after only a short period of time. If only there were an easier way to get some guidance on getting started and building a habit around getting your body in motion.
Enter Apple Fitness+. I was very interested in seeing how this would turn out from the moment they announced it in the fall of 2020. Fitness+ is a service from Apple that works in conjunction with your Apple Watch. The definite downside is that you have to have an Apple Watch for it to work. But for those who do have the watch, it works extremely well. It may be one of the best features of the watch itself, in my opinion.
What is Apple Fitness+
As I mentioned above, Apple Fitness+ is a service from Apple that brings professional trainers to wherever you are. It works with your Apple Watch for tracking your activity, but plays on your iPhone, iPad, or AppleTV. The trainers have workouts of varying lengths in several fitness categories, including treadmill, cycling, strength, yoga, rowing, dance, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), core, and mindful cooldown. Within each of these categories, you can choose different workouts of lengths that suit your needs. They range from ten minutes to forty-five minutes. I find this to be a nice range, especially on the low end. It does not make you feel as though you have to dedicate extended periods of time to an exercise routine.
Apple has made fitness about the music as much as anything else. They have blended their music library with the fitness aspect to make this something for everyone. The workouts, while segmented by time, are also sorted by genre of music. If you like working out to country music, there is something for you. If you want the latest hits or a throwback to the 80s, also something for you. In many ways, they have eliminated most of the excuses people would have for avoiding a workout. It is about as easy as it can be to choose to start an exercise routine.
Getting Started
It does not take much to get started. The Fitness+ service is located within the Apple Fitness application installed on every iPhone. If you want to use it on your iPad, you will need to download the app first. The Fitness app has always tracked your movement and was an easy place to see your day-to-day activity, it too worked best when paired with an Apple Watch, but even without it, you could track your steps and see some fitness information. When paired, it provides data around your daily stand, move, and exercise goals.
There is now a new tab at the bottom of the app that presents Fitness+, where you can access the workouts. The different activity areas are located across the top of the app, and additional information can be scrolled through to review many different options.
The app itself will feel familiar if you are a user of the Apple Music app. The sections and organization of the home page feel very similar to Music and even iTunes. This is a place where you can see many things tailored to your needs and suggest ideas for you to try. I wish this page was a little more customizable, so I wouldn’t have to scroll through so many things to get to workouts I have downloaded or selected to use in the past.
If you are just getting started, there is a section titled ‘For Beginners.’ These are workouts for people who have likely never done trainer lead sessions before (include me in that list) and are short, basic workouts that anyone could do. I have found the trainers to be very friendly and approachable to get started. They are not over the top in pushing you too hard. In these courses, they encourage you to get started and take it at your own pace. It is clear that Apple has these set up to get you connected to the ecosystem in a simple, comfortable way. They offer suggestions on the step-up options once you have mastered the beginner levels. There is a beginner session for almost every category that workouts are offered for. I will be curious to see if they continue to add more sessions to this area or if Apple tries to push people further into the other workout areas quickly.
Finally, for every session, Apple has set up other trainers in the workout to provide alternative versions of the moves being demonstrated. The main trainer generally presents the average worker for a user. On either side of the trainer is one of the other trainers showing a more advanced version of the moves and one that shows alternatives for someone that may be just getting started. For example, in Yoga, the advanced trainer may be taking the bends and stretches much deeper. The other trainer might be demonstrating what those same moves look like using yoga blocks for people just getting started or that have restrictions in the movements they can make. They have made these as accessible as possible to any user.
Using Apple Fitness+
Using the app itself is fairly intuitive. I expect they will make some improvements over time. My biggest request would be to have a quicker way to get to any workouts I have saved. Right now, that is all the way at the bottom, and you have to scroll through everything else to get to it. Beyond that, I find the workouts compelling and motivational. I have not tried all the different types of workouts. Rowing would be a challenge without the equipment and dance…well, I am just not going there. Even if no one is watching me, I know it would not be a pretty sight. If you do not have access to a treadmill or stationary cycle, those would not be options either. All of the others can be done with either no equipment or very basic equipment. Even the strength workouts could be done with a simple set of dumbbells that can be picked up at Target or Walmart. Apple does now list some of the equipment they use, but I’ll save you some time and just say they are premium. But, it is fun to look at what a $10,000 treadmill can do. If you’re training for the Olympics, this might be for you.
There are plenty of reviews that you can check out to get a more in-depth look at what Apple Fitness+ is and how it works. If you have an Apple Watch, I would recommend giving it a shot and jumping in. For many of us in retail, we have limited time available, or we are traveling to a point where it can be difficult to find time or options for staying fit. Apple Fitness+ solves many of those obstacles. Even a five-minute mindful cooldown is a good way to stretch in the morning and clear your mind. Every other workout has ten-minute options, and as I mentioned, most do not require special equipment. A ten-minute HIIT session could be done in almost any hotel room (although the people below you might wonder what you’re doing.)
Home exercising took on a new level of interest throughout 2020 while everyone was stuck in lockdown or gyms were closed. Apple’s Fitness+ offers another excellent way to keep your body moving and stay in shape without large investments of time or money. The trainers offer a myriad of personalities and movements — there should be something for everyone here.
What are you doing to stay fit and keep your body moving this year?
Other Options
If you do not have an Apple Watch or just don’t want to use it, here are a few other options you can check out to get some exercise and stay in shape.
Nike Training Club – 185 free workouts you can do anywhere. Integrates with Apple Watch and others.
IFit – Integrates with several pieces of equipment, but also offers workouts without any equipment or options for equipment not linked to their brands.
7-Minute Workouts – As the name implies, short workouts you can do almost anywhere.
Daily Workout Apps – different selections of workout apps, many with free options on all mobile platforms. They also have a YouTube channel to get free workout options.
Join other retail leaders in continuing their development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com. SUBSCRIBE today to receive FREE leadership tips directly to your inbox and monthly newsletters that provide many tools to help further develop your leadership skills all at no cost. JOIN NOW!
No spam ever – just leadership goodness.