Fitness Benefits of the Apple Watch
Getting Up to Speed Fast on the Apple Watch Fitness Functions
There’s something super exciting about purchasing a new Apple watch and having that explore to see exactly what it can do. The Apple Watch has a ton of features, many of which are based around the heath and fitness.
Getting straight to the functions with the biggest benefits can take time. This page zooms in on the key functions.
They include Heart rate, cardio fitness, and general activity levels – which are all discussed in their own sections below. I have also covered the social side of fitness with an Apple watch. The guide ends with a look at potential add-ons that can boost your fitness levels further.
Fitness Benefits on the Apple Watch #1: Heart Rate
You can check your heart rate at any time on an Apple Watch by using the dedicated app. Make this easier by adding this app to your watch face or add the heart rate app to the dock. There is also an option to add heart rate notifications. For example, you can be notified if your heart rate is above or below a set threshold, or you can be told if your heartbeat has an irregular rhythm.
When you are using the workout app, the watch will continuously measure your heart rate from the start until three minutes after the workout has ended.
This information is then used to help calculate how many potential calories you have burned. The Apple Watch will also calculate a daily resting heart rate, this done by correlating a series of background readings.
Keeping an eye on your heart rate when mid workout, walking and resting will give you a good indication of where your cardio fitness is at. During a workout, the standard measure for your maximum predicted heart rate is 220 minus your age. This means a 30-year-old should be reaching a maximum of 190 beats per minute. You can use your Apple watch to monitor your workouts and ensure that you maintain increased heart rate while exercising.
Apple Watch for Cardio Fitness
A newer feature on Apple Watches is the addition of Cardio Fitness, which shows a measure of your VO2 max. The VO2 Max is a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during your exercise.
This measure is considered to be a strong indicator of your overall current physical health. It is also correlated with your long-term health. This number will be between 15 and 80 and once again will change as you get older. The younger and more active you are, the higher that number will be.
Tracking Your General Activity Levels
While the heart rate and the VO2 give you accurate numbers to build on, monitoring your overall activity levels is a great way to boost your fitness. This is measured by the use of three rings:
- Move: This outer pink ring details how many calories you’ve burned so far in the day. Complete your daily move goals by burning those active calories (these are burnt by activities such as fitness activities, or even the act of standing).
- Exercise: The green ring tells you how many minutes of brisk activity you have completed on a given day.
- Stand: This ring tells you how many hours in the day that you’ve stood up and moved around for at least one minute. Do this for at least 12 hours in a day and you will fill this ring.
Social Fitness with an Apple Watch
One of the best aspects of an Apple Watch is that you can interact with other users. This allows you to share your achievements with your social circle and get to congratulate others when they have hit their own personal goals.
You could also use the social side to set up friendly competition, which is a fine way to encourage you to boost your fitness levels (who doesn’t want to beat their friends?)
Apple Fitness + Add On
Owners of an Apple Watch now have the opportunity to add Apple Fitness + to boost their fitness. This comes with a small monthly subscription, but you can try it out for free for three months first. This is accessed via the fitness app, and you’ll find classes such as yoga, Pilates, strength training, cycling and more once subscribed.
Benefits of the Apple Watch and Fitness: Wrapping Up
The Apple Watch is an incredible tool for those who want to boost or maintain their fitness levels. Being able to keep a close eye on activity levels, heart rate and VO2 levels throughout the day will give any user a clear idea of exactly where they are at. Use the watch for that social side with friends too and enjoy extra benefits with subscribed add-ons.
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