Apple is rolling out a series of new heart health resources to support users’ health journeys in the US. Additionally, the Apple Heart and Movement Study is sharing preliminary lifestyle trends analysed over the past year.
Marking Heart Month, Apple is offering custom compilations across Apple Fitness+, the App Store, the Apple TV app, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books.
“We’re strong believers at Apple that if you can empower people with information about their health, you can change the trajectory of their well-being,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer.
“Keeping your heart healthy requires a holistic approach — something we’ve focused on since the first generation of Apple Watch with the inclusion of activity and workout apps, in addition to heart rate. Today, people of all ages can use our products and services to learn more about staying healthy, work toward their personal goals, and have a lot of fun along the way.”
To help Apple Watch users stay motivated, Apple is offering a new Heart Month Activity Challenge to help people of all fitness levels put their health first by completing 30 minutes in their Exercise ring on February 14 to earn a special award.
Also starting February 14, to help users earn the award and stay active, Fitness+ will feature a special section of 30-minute energizing workouts that will motivate users to get their weekly minutes of exercise.
On the App Store, users can find a collection of apps that help them take care of their cardiovascular health by providing valuable insights into their heart rate and activity levels. Apps like HeartWatch (Tantsissa), Gentler Streak (Gentler Stories), and Zones (Flask) can empower users to optimize their fitness and overall wellness by accessing personalized workouts, monitoring key heart rate metrics, and tracking health vitals.
Apple Books is offering a collection of titles that focus on heart health, including books on heart science, emotional well-being, and healthy eating. For viewers, the Apple TV app is featuring a collection of movies and shows on heart disease, heart science, and healthy living. And on Apple Podcasts, listeners can find a curated group of popular podcasts on the Browse tab featuring medical experts that help listeners learn more about their health and the steps they can take to improve overall, fitness, mindfulness, and well-being.
For customers looking to upgrade their Apple Watch in February, Apple is offering extra savings in the US, Canada, UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the UAE on Apple Watch trade-ins.
New Apple Heart and Movement Study Updates
In a new preliminary analysis of activity data shared from the Apple Heart and Movement Study, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in collaboration with the American Heart Association and Apple, found that after analysing more than 18 million workouts logged using Apple Watch during the pandemic, study participants relied on getting their activity minutes in by walking, cycling, and running the most.
They also found that participants ages 65 and older were actually more likely than their younger counterparts to stay on track, meeting their goal of at least 150 minutes of activity per week. Across genders and ages, participants with above-average Cardio Fitness levels averaged more than 200 minutes of activity per week, while those with high Cardio Fitness averaged more than 300 minutes of activity per week.
As his team learns more about the science behind these trends in activity and how they relate to cardiovascular fitness, Calum MacRae, MD, PhD, principal investigator of the Apple Heart and Movement Study, cardiologist, and professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, highlighted,
“Much of what we know about activity and cardiovascular fitness is based on small studies with limited metrics and few data on trends over time. The Apple Heart and Movement Study is collecting ongoing detailed information on activity and health from a large number of participants using Apple Watch, which offers researchers an ongoing estimation of Cardio Fitness, an established measurement of cardiovascular fitness.
Through this study, we’re able to analyse the interaction between activity and Cardio Fitness and follow trends in ways that were not previously possible. We anticipate that exploring physiology at this scale with such a rich research data set will shed light on wellness and maintaining health.”
People can learn more about the Apple Heart and Movement Study by downloading the Research app from the App Store. Apple is also collaborating with additional research institutions to conduct heart health studies to explore how Apple Watch can help drive even greater scientific discoveries. They include the Heartline Study and University Health Network’s Heart Failure Study.
Tools for Staying Heart Healthy
Apple Watch users can better understand their own heart health and be alerted of potential irregularities to discuss with their physician with insights from powerful tools like the ECG app, irregular rhythm notifications, high and low heart rate notifications, and Cardio Fitness levels.
For those just getting started with exercise and looking to live a healthier day, Fitness+ offers Workouts for Beginners across workout types like Strength, HIIT, Yoga, Pilates, Dance, and Core. Trainers also demonstrate modifications in each workout so there is always someone to follow no matter a user’s ability, and workouts or meditations can be as short as 5 or 10 minutes, so it’s easy to get started.
Walking is one of the healthiest activities in the world that can be done anytime, anywhere, with benefits like stress relief and improved cardiovascular health. On February 14, the latest episode of Time to Walk, an inspiring audio experience on Apple Watch designed to encourage people to get active by walking more often, will feature Georges St-Pierre, a former mixed martial arts champion widely considered one of the greatest in the sport.
Fitness+ will also introduce a new episode of Time to Run, an audio running experience designed to help users become more consistent and better runners, inspired by the iconic neighbourhoods and running routes of San Francisco.
