Jump-start your new year with fresh Apple Fitness+ activities

Apple Fitness+ brings fresh ways for users to stay active and mindful in the new year with new activities starting January 8, Apple said Thursday.

You can try a new sound meditation theme, a workout program with golfer Rose Zhang, an Artist Spotlight series tied to the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show, Time to Walk episodes available on Apple Podcasts for the first time and more.

What’s new to do in Apple Fitness+ as of January 8, 2024?

Apple Fitness+ plans to give you even more to do for your health in the new year starting Monday, January 8.

“Starting the new year can mean kicking off a fitness and wellbeing journey, restarting after a long break, or looking to take it up a level with a new challenge,” said Jay Blahnik, Apple’s vice president of Fitness Technologies.

“From sound meditations to help you relax, to building strength for an improved golf swing, or turning up the volume on your workouts, Fitness+ has something for everyone to help them stay active and support their wellbeing in the new year,” he explained.

Here’s what’s new in a nutshell:

• Apple Fitness+ introduces a new sound meditation theme plus Strength, Core, and Yoga for Golfers featuring golfer Rose Zhang, whom Apple called a rising star in the sport.
• The Artist Spotlight series launches workouts celebrating the countdown to the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show featuring Usher.
• Time to Walk brings in new guests Al Roker, Trixie Mattel, Lilly Singh, Common and Colman Domingo. And for the first time, you can get select Time to Walk episodes on Apple Podcasts (in the 21 countries where the service is available, even without a Fitness+ subscription).

Sound Meditations for Relaxation

In addition to the existing 10 Fitness+ meditation themes, a new one called Sound offers guidance from a Fitness+ trainer with a variety of soothing tones and rhythms.

Seven new Sound meditations will be available in five-, 10-, and 20-minute increments, with new meditations added weekly.

Strength, Core, and Yoga for Golfers

This new workout builds strength, stability and mobility with the help of professional golfer Rose Zhang — featured in the program and also one of its designers — and led by Fitness+ Strength and Core trainer Kyle Ardill. It features a mix of four workouts across Strength, Core and Yoga, designed to improve strength, balance, flexibility and mobility.

“To play at my best, the training that I do off the course is so important. Incorporating strength, core, and mobility workouts helps make sure my body and mind are ready,” said Zhang. “Whether people are new to the sport or want to advance their skills, I’m excited that the workouts in this program on Fitness+ will help users feel more confident in their swing and have fun on the course.”

New Artist Spotlight music series

Here’s how Apple describes the new Artist Spotlight series:

The Artist Spotlight series — which dedicates an entire workout playlist to a single artist — will launch its biggest series yet to celebrate the countdown to the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show featuring Usher, with music by iconic halftime performers each week leading up to the big game:

• Starting Monday, January 8, 10 new workouts with music by Rihanna, last year’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner, will be available for the first time in any fitness service.
• Starting Monday, January 15, new workouts with music by Britney Spears will be available.
• Starting Monday, January 22, new workouts with music by U2 will be available.
• Starting Monday, February 5, the Artist Spotlight workouts will feature music by this year’s Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show headliner, Usher.

Time to Walk

Time to Walk is an audio experience on iPhone and Apple Watch that helps people get out there and walk. It features influential folks sharing stories, photos and music.

New episodes feature new guests each week:

• New episodes begin with Al Roker, longtime weather anchor and segment cohost for the Today show.
• Trixie Mattel, also known as Brian Firkus, who won the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, a Billboard-charting musician, an award-winning podcaster and a cosmetics entrepreneur.
• Lilly Singh, a Canadian author and actor who has nearly 40 million social media followers.
• Common, a rapper, actor and activist.
• Colman Domingo, an actor, writer, and director who won an Emmy for his role in the hit TV series Euphoria and critical acclaim for his work in Rustin.

And for the first time, select Time to Walk episodes will be available for listeners on Apple Podcasts. Fitness+ subscribers can access 50 episodes at launch on Apple Podcasts with the guest’s audio.

Ring in the New Year

Apple Watch users can earn a new limited-edition award, Ring in the New Year, when they close all three Activity rings for seven days in a row any time in January.

Read more about the new programming and accessing Fitness+ here.