To celebrate Heart Month, Apple is promoting a new Apple Watch Activity Challenge and lifestyle insights from the Apple Heart and Movement Study.

Apple has shared a press release today about Heart Month and what the company is doing to support users’ health journeys in the US to stay moving and informed.

To mark Heart Month, the company is offering custom compilations across Apple Fitness+, the App Store, the Apple TV app, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books.

For example, to help Apple Watch users stay motivated, the company is offering a new Heart Month Activity Challenge to help people put their health first by completing 30 minutes in their Exercise ring on February 14 to earn a special award.

“We’re strong believers at Apple that if you can empower people with information about their health, you can change the trajectory of their well-being,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “Keeping your heart healthy requires a holistic approach — something we’ve focused on since the first generation of Apple Watch with the inclusion of activity and workout apps, in addition to heart rate. Today, people of all ages can use our products and services to learn more about staying healthy, work toward their personal goals, and have a lot of fun along the way.”

  • Apple sets next Apple Watch Activity Challenges for February with exclusive awards

Not only that, but starting February 14, Fitness+ will feature a special section of 30-minute energizing workouts that will motivate users to get their weekly minutes of exercise.

On the App Store, users can find a collection of apps that help them take care of their cardiovascular health by providing valuable insights into their heart rate and activity levels, such as HeartWatch, Gentler Streak, and Zones.

For customers looking to upgrade their Apple Watch in February, Apple is offering extra savings in the US, Canada, the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the UAE on Apple Watch trade-ins.

Apple Books is offering a collection of titles that focus on heart health, including books on heart science, emotional well-being, and healthy eating. For viewers, the Apple TV app is featuring a collection of movies and shows on heart disease, heart science, and healthy living. And on Apple Podcasts, listeners can find a curated group of popular podcasts on the Browse tab featuring medical experts that help listeners learn more about their health and the steps they can take to improve overall, fitness, mindfulness, and well-being.

Apple shares Heart and Movement Study updates with Apple Watch

Apple is also sharing a new preliminary analysis of activity data from the Apple Heart and Movement Study researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in collaboration with the American Heart Association and Apple. The study has analyzed more than 18 million workouts logged using Apple Watch during the pandemic, including walking, cycling, and running.

  • Participants aged 65 and older were actually more likely than their younger counterparts to stay on track, meeting their goal of at least 150 minutes of activity per week.
  • Across genders and ages, participants with above-average Cardio Fitness levels averaged more than 200 minutes of activity per week, while those with high Cardio Fitness averaged more than 300 minutes of activity per week;

People can learn more about the Apple Heart and Movement Study by downloading the Research app from the App Store.

“Much of what we know about activity and cardiovascular fitness is based on small studies with limited metrics and few data on trends over time. The Apple Heart and Movement Study is collecting ongoing detailed information on activity and health from a large number of participants using Apple Watch, which offers researchers an ongoing estimation of Cardio Fitness, an established measurement of cardiovascular fitness. Through this study, we’re able to analyze the interaction between activity and Cardio Fitness and follow trends in ways that were not previously possible. We anticipate that exploring physiology at this scale with such a rich research data set will shed light on wellness and maintaining health.”