Apple Fitness+ Unveils New Workouts and Strava Challenge
▼ Summary
– Apple announced updates to Apple Fitness+ and Apple Watch activity features, including a New Year award for closing all Activity Rings for seven consecutive days in January.
– A “Quit Quitting” Strava challenge in January rewards users who log 12 workouts with an Apple Watch badge within the Strava app.
– New multiweek “Make Your Fitness Comeback” programs for Strength, HIIT, and Yoga launch on January 5, with each week building on the last.
– Fitness+ Artist Spotlight returns with workouts featuring music from KAROL G and, starting February 5, Bad Bunny, while new Time to Walk episodes launch January 19.
– Data from the Apple Heart and Movement Study shows Apple Watch users significantly increase and sustain exercise levels in January and through spring, with over 60% boosting activity by more than 10% early in the month.
Apple Fitness+ is kicking off the new year with a suite of fresh features and a special collaboration designed to keep motivation high. The updates include a limited-edition award, a new partnership with Strava, multi-week training programs, and the return of popular Artist Spotlight workouts. These initiatives aim to support users in establishing and maintaining their fitness routines beyond the initial burst of New Year’s enthusiasm.
A key highlight is the introduction of a New Year limited-edition award. To earn this digital badge, Apple Watch users must close all three of their Activity Rings for seven consecutive days at any point during January. This provides a clear, week-long goal to help build momentum at the start of the year.
In a notable partnership, Apple is teaming up with the social fitness platform Strava for a “Quit Quitting” challenge. Available throughout January, the challenge encourages consistency: users who log any 12 workouts in the Strava app during the month will unlock a special Apple Watch badge within Strava. This cross-platform initiative leverages community and tracking to help users stay accountable.
For those seeking structured guidance, new multiweek programs are launching. Starting January 5, the “Make Your Fitness Comeback” series will be available for Strength, HIIT, and Yoga disciplines. These programs are designed with progression in mind, with each week’s workouts building upon the last to safely and effectively develop users’ abilities over time.
Music remains a central motivator, with the Fitness+ Artist Spotlight series returning with new content. Workouts featuring the music of global superstar KAROL G are available now, with a new collection set to the hits of Bad Bunny launching on February 5. Additionally, the popular Time to Walk audio experience is adding new episodes starting January 19, featuring conversations with actor Penn Badgley, Spice Girls member Mel B, and actor Michelle Monaghan.
These updates come alongside interesting data suggesting Apple Watch users are particularly successful at sticking to their goals. Apple notes that many people abandon New Year’s resolutions by the second Friday of January, often called “Quitter’s Day.” However, an analysis of four years of data from approximately 100,000 participants in the Apple Heart and Movement Study tells a different story for this group.
The research, conducted with major U.S. health institutions, found that after a typical seasonal drop in activity during November and December, average daily exercise minutes surge sharply in January and continue climbing into the spring. More than 60% of users increased their exercise minutes by over 10% in the first two weeks of January compared to December. Impressively, nearly 80% of those users maintained that increase for the remainder of January, and 90% of that sustained group kept their activity levels higher through February and March. This indicates that with the right tools and tracking, maintaining New Year’s fitness commitments is an achievable goal.
(Source: Mac Rumors)
