As the new year begins, many of us are determined to stick to health and fitness resolutions. Whether it’s getting fitter, tracking your progress, or simply building healthier habits, the Apple Watch can be your perfect partner. With a host of features designed to keep you active, monitor your wellbeing, and ensure your safety, it’s like having a personal trainer, health coach, and safety officer all rolled into one.
To make the start of 2025 even more exciting, Apple is offering a special incentive: close all three Activity rings for seven days in January and earn a limited-edition award. Bollywood actor Lakshya Lalwani summed it up perfectly when he called the Apple Watch a “game-changer in fitness tracking,” helping people not only set health goals but also stick to them. Let’s explore how this wearable tech can help you stay committed throughout the year.
Customise, compete, and celebrate
Achieving your fitness goals starts with setting realistic targets, and the Apple Watch makes this easier than ever. Its Activity rings track three key areas: Move, Exercise, and Stand. You can customise these goals to fit your routine, adjusting them day by day. For example, if your weekdays are busy, you can set lighter goals and ramp them up on weekends. This flexibility ensures the right level of motivation every day.
Sharing your progress with friends or family is another great way to stay on track. The Apple Watch lets you share your Activity with others, including trainers or fitness buddies, and sends notifications when they hit their goals, finish workouts, or earn achievements. For those who love a challenge, there’s even a feature to compete with friends, earning points based on the percentage of your rings closed.
Shwetambari Shetty, a fitness influencer, encourages setting accountability partners to stay motivated. She also stresses breaking larger goals, like running a half marathon, into manageable milestones to keep things realistic.
Celebrating small wins is crucial, and the Apple Watch takes this seriously. With watchOS 11.2, the All Rings Closed awards allow users to commemorate achievements such as closing all three rings 100, 365, or even 1,000 times. These badges of honour provide tangible rewards for your efforts, making the journey to better health more enjoyable.
Health beyond fitness: Monitor your wellbeing
Health isn’t just about hitting the gym or counting steps. The Apple Watch also focuses on your overall wellbeing, offering features like cardio fitness tracking and the Vitals app. Cardio fitness, measured through VO2 max, indicates how efficiently your body uses oxygen during exercise. This metric is a reliable predictor of long-term health, giving you insights into your heart’s performance. Your Apple Watch estimates VO2 max during activities like outdoor walks, runs, or hikes, so you can monitor improvements over time.
For a more holistic view, the Vitals app analyses key health metrics, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood oxygen levels, providing a daily snapshot of your health. If any of these metrics deviate significantly from your normal range, you’ll receive notifications along with possible explanations. For example, changes in your stats might be linked to factors like stress, lack of sleep, or even elevation changes.
Mental health also plays a big role in overall wellbeing, and the State of Mind feature helps you stay in tune with your emotions. By logging daily moods and momentary feelings, you can identify patterns and understand how lifestyle factors like sleep, diet, or exercise influence your emotional state. Studies have shown that reflecting on emotions can help reduce feelings like anger or sadness, while promoting emotional resilience. It’s like having a personal diary that helps you decode your mental wellbeing.
Stay safe while staying active
While staying active is important, ensuring your safety during workouts is equally vital. The Apple Watch offers a range of features to keep you connected and secure, no matter where you are. The Check In function, for instance, allows you to share your workout status with a trusted contact. Whether you’re on an early morning run or a late-night gym session, this feature ensures someone knows your whereabouts and can check in if needed.
Another key safety tool is the Medical ID, which provides essential information like allergies, medical conditions, and emergency contacts. First responders can access this information directly from your Apple Watch or iPhone’s lock screen without needing a passcode. This feature can be a lifesaver in emergencies, offering peace of mind to you and your loved ones.
Lakshya Lalwani highlighted how these features make the Apple Watch more than just a fitness tracker. “It’s like having a personal fitness coach and safety net rolled into one,” he said, adding that the device helps him track his calorie intake and heart rate, guiding him towards better health and performance every day.
Real stories of real impact
For Shwetambari Shetty, the Apple Watch is an indispensable part of her daily routine. She uses it to set realistic fitness goals, such as daily step counts, calorie burns, and hydration reminders. “Fitness and health goals are far more achievable than resolutions,” she said, urging people to break them down into manageable chunks. She also highlighted features like sleep tracking and heart rate monitoring, which give her a comprehensive view of her health progress.
Lakshya, on the other hand, uses the Apple Watch to manage his demanding schedule as an actor. Whether it’s preparing for a role that requires rapid weight changes or staying fit during hectic shoots, the device helps him stay on track. “It’s like having a secret weapon guiding me towards better health every day,” he shared.
Your 2025 wellness journey awaits
As you kick off 2025, the Apple Watch isn’t just a gadget strapped to your wrist; it’s your cheerleader, coach, and health buddy rolled into one. Whether you’re smashing fitness goals, taking time to reflect on your emotions, or simply making sure you don’t skip that evening walk, it’s there to keep you in check. Think of it as the friend who always remembers to nag you (in the nicest way) to get up and move—because they care about you hitting those health milestones.
This year isn’t about impossible resolutions or fleeting fads; it’s about building habits that stick. Closing your rings, smashing your personal bests, or logging how you’re feeling—it all adds up to something bigger. Your Apple Watch is there for every small win, every milestone, and even those days when you just need a nudge to get started.