Apple today announced the Time to Walk feature on Apple Watch for Fitness+ subscribers which includes episodes featuring personal stories, photos, and music from influential people to inspire Apple Watch users to walk more.
Time to Walk is an exciting new audio walking activity on Apple Watch for Fitness+ users, created to inspire users to walk more frequently and reap the rewards from one of the healthiest practices.
With Apple Watch and AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, Time to Walk can be enjoyed anytime, anywhere.
“Walking is the most popular physical activity in the world, and one of the healthiest things we can do for our bodies. A walk can often be more than just exercise: It can help clear the mind, solve a problem, or welcome a new perspective,” said Jay Blahnik, Apple’s senior director of Fitness Technologies.
“Even throughout this challenging period of time, one activity that has remained available to many is walking. 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 intimate, life-shaping moments of each Time to Walk episode are influenced by the guest and include lessons learned, meaningful memories, reflections on intent and appreciation, moments of levity, and other thought-provoking subjects, captured while walking outside or in places that are meaningful to them.
Through photographs that appear on Apple Watch, the story comes to life, ideally timed to amplify a corresponding moment the guest shares. The experience extends with the guest adding a short playlist of songs after the guest’s stories, which has given them encouragement and inspiration so that the listener can continue their walk to a soundtrack that is intimately linked to each guest.
Time to Walk now begins today with four episodes from the following guest:
- 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 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.”
Every Monday through the end of April, new episodes will appear in the Workout app on Apple Watch from a different guest. When it is most convenient for them, users can browse and enjoy previous episodes of Time to Walk.
Time to Walk episodes will be available for automatic download to Apple Watch if users have an Apple Fitness+ subscription, and users can launch an episode directly from the Exercise app. A Walk exercise automatically starts once a Time to Walk episode is selected on Apple Watch and users can go at any speed that suits them while listening with AirPods or paired Bluetooth headphones.
In the exercise app on Apple Watch, new episodes ranging from 25 to 40 minutes will appear automatically, and users can also search for episodes on the Fitness+ page of the iPhone Fitness app. Time to Walk becomes Time to Drive for Apple Watch customers using a wheelchair, and an Outdoor Wheelchair Walk Pace exercise begins immediately.
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