Apple adds celebrity 'Time to Walk' audio workouts in Apple Fitness+

A new "walking experience" featuring celebrity guests recounting part of their life story has been added to Apple Watch for users of Apple Fitness+.

Apple has launched a new workout for Apple Watch, a weekly exclusive for users who also subscribe to Apple Fitness+. "Time to Walk" is a series of audio episodes in which a guest celebrity talks for between 25 to 40 minutes as users walk.

"Walking is the most popular physical activity in the world, and one of the healthiest things we can do for our bodies," said Jay Blahnik, Apple's senior director of Fitness Technologies, in a statement. "A walk can often be more than just exercise: It can help clear the mind, solve a problem, or welcome a new perspective."

"Even throughout this challenging period of time, one activity that has remained available to many is walking," he continues. "With 'Time to Walk,' we're bringing weekly original content to Apple Watch in Fitness+ that includes some of the most diverse, fascinating, and celebrated guests offering inspiration and entertainment to help our users keep moving through the power of walking."

The four initial celebrity walking guides in Time to Walk

"Time to Walk" launches with several episodes, which will be followed by more each Monday until the end of April. The four included at launch consist of audio talks from:

Dolly Parton, musician and businesswoman
Draymond Green, NBA player
Shawn Mendes, musician
Uzo Aduba, Emmy award winning actor

As each celebrity talks you through the importance of walking in their own lives, a series of images is shown on Apple Watch. Then as they finish talking, each celebrity guest will introduce a short playlist of songs which users can continue walking to.

The new "Time to Walk" feature requires iOS 14.3, on an iPhone 6s or later, or iPhone SE. It also requires watchOS 7.2 or later, on an Apple Watch Series 3, or later. The service appears to have been slowly rolling out, but when available, the new exercises appear in Apple Watch's Workout app.

Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook himself extolled the mental benefits of walking, particularly around Apple Park, in an interview with Outside magazine.

25 Comments

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

About 3 years ago

AppleInsider said:

...

"Walking is the most popular physical activity in the world, and one of the healthiest things we can do for our bodies," said Jay Blahnik, Apple's senior director of Fitness Technologies, in a statement. "A walk can often be more than just exercise: It can help clear the mind, solve a problem, or welcome a new perspective."

...

Ummm? One of the healthiest?

No, I would call it the bare minimum.
Too often health professionals -- even fitness gurus -- take healthy lifestyles down to the lowest common denominator, catering to what people want to hear or are willing to do rather than what they need to hear and need to do.

The National Institute on Aging recommends:
-- Aerobic exercise that raises the heart rate (they do not set a maximum to how high it should go)
-- Strength Training
-- Flexibility Training
-- Balance (core) Training

A walk in the park is, admittedly, better than nothing. But barely.

Fortunately though, Apple Fitness+ encourages and enables all of that. And a person, especially an older person, needs to do all of that to stay functional for as long as possible.

Rayz2016 6957 comments · 8 Years

About 3 years ago

Apple has launched a new workout for Apple Watch, a weekly exclusive for users who also subscribe to Apple Fitness+. "Time to Walk" is a series of audio episodes in which a guest celebrity talks for between 25 to 40 minutes as users walk. is a series of audio episodes in which a guest celebrity talks for between 25 to 40 minutes as users walk.
That’s usually called a podcast isn’t it?

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

About 3 years ago

Rayz2016 said:

Apple has launched a new workout for Apple Watch, a weekly exclusive for users who also subscribe to Apple Fitness+. "Time to Walk" is a series of audio episodes in which a guest celebrity talks for between 25 to 40 minutes as users walk. is a series of audio episodes in which a guest celebrity talks for between 25 to 40 minutes as users walk.

That’s usually called a podcast isn’t it?

That may depend on the subject rather than the delivery method. One is coaching and the other education, relaxation or enjoyment.

In this case it sounds like it's a coach encouraging a person to walk -- and maybe to walk further, faster and higher than they would have otherwise.

stuffe 394 comments · 15 Years

About 3 years ago

Walking is brilliant for Apple Fitness, I can't wait for them to put some more gentle stuff for elderly and/or injured people to enable them to feel like they are not second class citizens to all us super fit adrenaline junkies. My mother has an Apple Watch and is in my Apple 1 family membership and I so wish that there was stuff for her, aged late 70s, like very simple yoga and ultra low impact and slow classes that will allow her to improve her health more not just monitor it. It might be a simple first step, but imagine a series of exercise programs by older people for older people, with age appropriate music and presenters, pensioners are simply not interested in being boosted by cool fit people half a century younger listening to HipHop, so less elitism and more inclusiveness.

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