Apple Watch: Here’s how to reach your fitness resolution goals this year

Making fitness resolutions on every new year's eve has become a sort of ritual to most people all around the world. The enthusiasm will be at the prime level for the first few days, but over time, it becomes impossible to maintain the discipline. It is even tougher when there are lockdowns and have to balance work and home chores. Most often than not, the extended working hours make us break the daily routine and end totally burned out at the end of the day. This sometimes, particularly in those homes where both partners work, lose interest in making food at home and order food from hotels.

But, this may lead to a sedentary lifestyle having a bad impact on the body’s health and risk the early onset of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases even to those under-30 age group. Excessive work done sitting without any physical activity may also create mental stress too.

With gyms and parks closed or partly opened in most of the cities due to Covid safety restrictions, people have to make do with whatever little space at home to get the body fit and active. Here’s where Apple Watches come into play. They are the most advanced smart wearable in the market. Yes, they are a bit more expensive than others, but the heart rate sensor, fall detection, and other health tracking features of the Apple Watches, with timely alerts, have saved thousands of lives around the world.

If you have any of these—Watch Series 3, 4, 5, Watch SE, 6, or the latest Watch Series 7— you can get back to the pink of health in a few months. It comes several value-added native apps including— activity rings, Mindfulness (previously known as Breathe), respiratory rate, and cardiovascular health tracking that can help keep track of all the daily physical activities.

Firstly, make it a point, to wake up early. I know it’s difficult for many who had to work late in the night, but at least try to wake up three hours before you have to login into work on your laptop.

After getting up, freshen up and turn on the Focus mode (you can create personalised workout session via iPhone) on your watch and do exercises or yoga for at least 45 minutes at a stretch every day and ensure you complete the green-coloured exercise ring and at least half of the crimson-hued move ring. The blue stand ring can be completed over twelve hours of the day.

Apple Watch Series 7. Credit: Apple

If you need guidance on the type of exercise and yoga asanas that suits your body type, there are several fitness apps such as Nike Run Club, cult.fit and others on Apple App Store

The native activity ring is such an intelligent feature that tracks your movements and if it finds you are being idle for 50 minutes, it makes you stand or take a walk. This refreshes the mind a bit and gives much-needed physical exercise for the body.

Activity Rings on Apple Watch. Credit: Apple

Also, if the red move ring is not completed before midnight 12:00 am, it reminds the owner to take a brief walk or do some exercise to reach the day’s target. The suggestions never come off as nagging but motivate us to reach the goal for the day and keep the streak going for weeks and months. And, over time, we develop a strict discipline within the year. By that time, the body is certain to be in a good shape.

Users can set the move goal target. Just go to the Activity Rings app on the Apple Watch, scroll down to find the Change Goals, and set new calories target for the day.

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The Mindfulness app can help you destress from work tension during the day. You can set the timer and also schedule when it can remind you to use the app.

On your Apple Watch, go to Settings >> tap Mindfulness >> select either the start of the day or end of the day or even schedule a custom reminder. Similarly, users can set the duration of the session. For me, just two minutes of breathing exercise three times a day has worked wonders.

Cardio Fitness and Respiratory rate details on Apple Health app (screen-grab)

Furthermore, you can keep track of heart health too. Users can activate it on iPhone’s Health App. Go to browse section >> Heart >> Cardio Fitness. Users will be required to share their age, weight, height, and gender for accurate measurement. It will track the VO2 max, the maximum amount of oxygen, the body consumes while exercising.

Similarly, you can keep track of Respiratory and SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation levels; only in Series 6 and 7) and these too are available in the Apple Health app and see how many times you breathe per minute and know your lung health.

Besides the exercises, having a good sleep is very critical for both physical and mental health. Shwetambari Shetty, a renowned Bengaluru-based fitness expert concurs too.

Bengaluru-based fitness expert Shwetambari Shetty.

“Apple Watch is my workout buddy. My life literally revolves around the 3 rings. And apart from the rings that stand for movement, exercise, and stand goal, I depend heavily on sleep hours. Sleep is essential for my recovery from workouts and activity. If I haven't clocked 7 good hours, I skip my workout. So I ensure my watch is on while I am asleep. I check the number of hours, how I feel when I wake up, and then plan to head out for my workout,” Shetty noted.

Sleeping is the time when the body tries to heal itself and also repair the heart and blood vessels. Also, it helps the brain to prepare mentally for the work the next day. Most importantly, it aids in creating new neuron pathways in different parts of the brain to learn and remember information. Sleep deprivation increases the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even stroke, says the US-based National Heart, Lungs and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

And for tracking daily food consumption, Lifesum is a good option. In the app, users can enter meal details and get the calorie count. Similarly, you can check these three apps- MyPlate, Lose It! and Diet by GetFit.

There is also 8fit Workouts and Meal Planner, which offers complete guidance on exercise routines and food intake tips.

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