SonyaIf we look for the silver linings over the past year, I would have to say the biggest one for me personally is that I’ve found my groove. I’ve been adding in way more fitness each week to the point where I feel blah when I don’t do some sort of work out on top of my daily walks. WHO AM I? For me, it’s always about having a variety. Â There are so many great options that I’ve been able to explore safely right at home. As mentioned in a previous post, I had discovered Apple Fitness+ which has offered up a mega dose of motivation — I mix it up weekly since there’s such a wide variety of workouts available. Since Apple Fitness+ is built around the Apple Watch, it has enabled me to track my activity, calories burned, heart rate etc. with whatever activity I’m doing. Â It’s given me more control as I go go go! while also having the option of a little competitive fun with friends as well. Â Big shout out to my friend in Barbados who keeps inspiring me to “close my rings” and sending her uplifting cheers and high fives every time I finish a workout!
Apple Fitness+ is introducing even more ways to make fitness welcoming and inclusive to all with brand new workouts geared specifically toward pregnancy and older adults, as well as several new Yoga, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), and Strength workouts for beginners. These workouts are designed to help users build confidence working out, no matter their fitness level, whether just starting out, trying something new, or getting back into exercise for the first time in a long time.
I’ve had fun with choreographed dance routines, cursed many times when I was doing planks, and easing my way into core workouts in the past few months so I look forward to checking out what’s new. Not the pregnant one of course.
The new Workouts for Pregnancy, Workouts for Older Adults, and Workouts for Beginners, as well as Yoga and Mindful Cooldown with Jonelle Lewis, HIIT with Anja Garcia, and the new Time to Walk with Jane Fonda, will all be available in Fitness+ on April 19.
Workouts for Pregnancy, Older Adults, and Beginners
Focused on helping women stay active during a healthy pregnancy and prepare for life with a new baby, the new Workouts for Pregnancy consist of 10 workouts across Strength, Core, and Mindful Cooldown. Led by Fitness+ trainer and mom-to-be Betina Gozo — who is joined by trainers and new moms Emily Fayette and Anja Garcia — every workout is a quick 10 minutes designed to accommodate any stage of pregnancy and any fitness level, and includes tips for modifying workouts using a pillow for comfort as the body changes. These workouts can be done on their own or mixed with Fitness+ weekly studio workouts, using the modifications shown in the series.
Workouts for Older Adults help users stay active at any age with a focus on strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and mobility. Led by Fitness+ trainer Molly Fox (don’t be fooled! You’ll still be challenged! I’ve been doing Molly’s workouts and she’s amazing and inspiring!), Â this series includes eight workouts where Molly is joined by other Apple Fitness+ trainers. Many of the workouts are done with a light dumbbell or just bodyweight, and others show modifications with a chair or against the wall. The workouts are all 10 minutes long and can be done on their own or with other Fitness+ workouts, using the modifications users learn in this program when needed.
To help more Fitness+ subscribers get started and gain confidence before trying the weekly studio workouts, new Yoga, Strength, and HIIT workouts will be available in Workouts for Beginners. I still consider myself in this category. Â For those who are just getting started, consider themselves a beginner, or are getting back into exercise after a long break, there are now even more workouts to choose from to help build strength, stamina, and flexibility. All the moves are low impact and easy to follow to help beginners feel comfortable doing basic exercises.
More Trainers and Workouts to Choose From:
Yoga and HIIT are two of the most popular Fitness+ workouts, and now new trainers are joining both of these teams. Jonelle Lewis is the newest addition to the Fitness+ trainer team and will be joining Molly Fox, Dustin Brown, and Jessica Skye for Yoga and Mindful Cooldown workouts. Jonelle has been practicing Yoga for over 15 years and has been a teacher, mentor, and educator for other yoga teachers for the past eight years. Her energetic teaching style and simple-to-follow flows will appeal to both beginners and seasoned yoga enthusiasts. With her love of hip-hop and R&B beats, she creates a playful and fun vibe, giving people space to be themselves and explore.
In addition to seeing Anja Garcia in the new Workouts for Pregnancy and her weekly Rowing workouts, users can now catch her in HIIT. Anja will be bringing her energy and passion to teaching HIIT workouts, along with Bakari Williams, Jamie-Ray Hartshorne, and Kim Ngo. Anja has an inspiring ability to coach with authority, vitality, and compassion. She brings more than 15 years of experience teaching workouts in gyms and online, in addition to being a busy mom and pediatric nurse in an intensive care unit.
Time to Walk with Jane Fonda:
Starting on April 19, and just in time for Earth Day, a new episode of Time to Walk featuring Jane Fonda will be available. The actor, producer, author, and activist talks about standing up to her fears and the power of taking action to fight climate change. Time to Walk is a new audio walking experience on Apple Watch for Fitness+ subscribers. Each episode has been absolutely inspiring. Listening to filmmaker Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) made my heart full. The day I walked and listened to his story I found myself smiling A LOT and my eyes were filled happy tears. My new mantra is “show up” thanks to him.
The series was created to encourage users to walk more often and reap the benefits of one of the healthiest activities in the world. Each original Time to Walk episode invites users to immerse themselves in a walk with an influential and interesting person as they share their stories, photos and music. I haven’t missed one yet.
