“Time to Walk”: Apple’s Fitness+ Service Now Features an Audio Walking Experience from Celebrities such as Dolly Parton, Shawn Mendes and others.
Apple’s Fitness+ service has just been updated this week with a cool new feature to switch up subscribers’ workout routines. Available only to Fitness+ subscribers, Time to Walk is a feature that offers audio stories and narrations from some of the most influential and famous people in the world. You can now take a walk while listening to some of your favorite people on the planet share their coming-of-age experiences, most important career lessons, happiest memories, tragic experiences, and a wide range of other engaging topics.
Recorded while the guests are out walking in locations special to them, complete with all the allure of outdoor sounds, this new feature is intended to encourage Apple users to walk more – and listen to some inspiring stories while at it.
At the end of each story, the episode continues with a short list of pre-selected songs special to the guest so the user can finish their workout with a playback of motivational tunes.
For fitness enthusiasts who use a wheelchair, Time to Walk is varied as Time to Push, and once activated, it starts an “Outdoor Wheelchair Walk Pace” exercise.
Here’s what you need to enjoy the Time to Walk Feature:
– Apple Watch Series 3 or later
– An active Apple Fitness+ subscription
– AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones
– A Wi-Fi connection or cellular data (once the episodes are download, cellular data or a Wi-Fi connection are no longer required).
To access this feature, note that Apple’s Fitness+ service is currently only available in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US.
It’s priced at US $9.99 per month or US $79.99 per year. Apple Watch customers can connect to Fitness+ in the Fitness app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Once you’ve subscribed, you’ll find Time to Walk on the Workout App on your Apple Watch Series 3 or newer versions. This feature automatically downloads the five most recent episodes, each ranging 25-40 minutes – as long as there’s enough storage space on your watch.
Launching Time to walk on your watch:
– Open the workout app on your Apple Watch Series 3 or newer.
– Select the Time to Walk window.
– Start the featured episode or click the menu button to show other episodes.
– For more information on an episode, click the “i” button in the top right corner.
Apple plans to release a new episode every Monday through the end of April. Time to Walk is programmed to be self-managing, automatically deleting older episodes once they’ve been listened to. However, you can still manually download any episode you want at any time. Just head over to the fitness app on your iPhone and click the Fitness+ tab. Select “Time to walk”, tap show all, and simply download any episode you’d like to listen to again.
The GPS tracker in your watch detects distances traveled and if any, it records an “outdoor walk”. If none, it marks the listening as an “indoor walk”. This awesome new feature seems like a pretty good motivation to start walking more and keeping fit, right?
Walk With These Celebrities
- Country music star Dolly Parton has won nine GRAMMYs and is also a celebrated actor, businessperson, and humanitarian. Dolly reflects on her career, family, and growing up in rural Tennessee. “I’ve loved walking ever since I was a little girl in the Smoky Mountains,” Parton says. “I think it’s so important to be able to get out and walk if we can during this time. I do my best thinking when I walk. And while many of us feel confined during this time, I’m hopeful that people will take a walk down memory lane with me and we can all feel a little more freedom taking the time to walk together.”
- NBA player Draymond Green won three basketball championships with the Golden State Warriors, helping to change how the game is played. He reflects on the virtues of failure and tuning out criticism. “There’s nothing better than a walk in nature, getting lost in my thoughts, and taking a deep breath of fresh air,” Green says. “Take all the stresses of your day and let them blow away with the wind. I hope sharing my stories with those who go on a walk with me will give them the same drive to chase their dreams that I had in chasing mine.”
- Musician Shawn Mendes went viral on social media at 15, had his first platinum album by 19, and has toured the world. He shares how a slower pace has helped him personally and creatively. “Taking a walk is a great way to clear your mind,” Mendes says. “It’s the most simple thing you can do to calm the body and soul, reflect, and slow down. I hope people get to feel the same sense of calm I do while walking and can bring that to their own experiences.”
- Emmy Award winner Uzo Aduba found stardom on the series, “Orange Is the New Black,” but only after many rejections. She talks about lifelong relationships and keeping the faith. “I love walking either by myself or with my dog,” Aduba says. “It’s a time to connect and have the conversations with myself that can often get overlooked throughout the day, and bring peace of mind. The experience of walking and telling my stories gave me that familiar feeling that walking brings, answering questions that need to be answered, and addressing topics that need to be addressed. I’m so excited to share that with those who take the time to walk with me.”