Category Archives: heart health

Episode 280, Apple celebrates Earth Day on April 22 with Limited-Edition Activity Award



In this episode, we will discuss an Earth Day and the several ways you can learn and take part in Apple’s celebration of the special day, Tuesday, April 22, including a special fitness Limited-Editon Activity Award.

On April 22, Apple Watch users can earn an Earth Day limited-edition award by completing any workout of 30 minutes or more, encouraging them to get outside and stay active.

Episode 279, Get Active with Apple Watch and earn your Global Close Your Rings award on April 24



In this episode, we will discuss an event on April 24 for Apple Watch users to close their Activity rings and earn a special Global Close Your Rings Day limited-edition award.  Learn more about how you can earn this special award.

The Activity app on Apple Watch encourages users to close their three Activity rings — Move, Exercise, and Stand — by hitting personal daily goals for active calories burned, minutes of brisk activity completed, and number of hours when they stand up for at least a minute.
The Workout app on Apple Watch allows users to track a wide range of workouts, including Outdoor Run, Indoor Cycle, Outdoor Push, Yoga, and many more.
The Workout app on Apple Watch allows users to track a wide range of workouts, including Outdoor Run, Indoor Cycle, Outdoor Push, Yoga, and many more.
The Vitals app gives Apple Watch users a way to quickly view these key health metrics and gain better context when it comes to their health.

Episode 273, Celebrate Heart Health Month by earning an Activity Award on Valentine’s Day



In this episode, we will discuss how Apple is celebrating Heart Health Month.  We wanted to get this out so Apple and fitness enthusiasts can plan ahead.   Let’s go to the show for this quick update.

2025 Heart Health Month Activity Award available on Friday, February 14. 
Sticker Pack available for those who complete their exercise ring on Valentine’s Day.

 


Episode 271, Apple Fitness helps keep those fitness resolutions; Ring in the New Year with a new activity award



In this episode, we will discuss how Apple devices and affiliated software can help you keep those fitness and health resolutions we work so hard to keep. We will also talk about a new activity award available throughout January.

In January, Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition award when they close all three Activity rings for seven days in a row.

The new season of Time to Walk kicks off January 13, featuring Adam Scott, Steve Aoki, Lana Condor, Tiffany Haddish, Rita Ora, Daddy Yankee, and Maddie Ziegler.
With a new integration to the Strava experience, members can share a Fitness+ workout to the Strava app, and it will display rich details, including the episode image, episode number, music genre, trainer name, and metrics.
The Artist Spotlight series returns with workouts featuring music from Janet Jackson (January 13), Coldplay (January 20), Bruno Mars (January 27), and Kendrick Lamar (February 3).

Episode 264: Apple announces Apple Watch Series 10 with many new features



Apple unveiled Apple Watch Series 10, featuring a refined design and bringing new capabilities to an already efficient watch that makes it even more powerful, intelligent, and sophisticated.  Apple Watch Series 10 is the thinnest Apple Watch yet — making it more comfortable than ever — and offers the biggest, most advanced display of any Apple Watch. It also features new sleep apnea notifications; faster charging; water depth and temperature sensing; plus new health and fitness insights and intelligence in watchOS 11.

Available in both aluminum and titanium, Apple Watch Series 10 comes in an array of stunning colors and finishes.
Apple Watch Series 10 features the biggest and most advanced display of any Apple Watch, improving readability and usability in apps like Messages, Mail, or News.
The innovative wide-angle OLED display optimizes each pixel to emit more light at wider angles, and is up to 40 percent brighter than Apple Watch Series 9 when viewed from an angle.
Sleep apnea notifications come to Apple Watch, further expanding its capabilities as an intelligent guardian for users’ health.

Episode 262, Apple celebrates America’s national parks with an Apple Pay donation campaign and new ways to explore with Apple Maps



In this episode, we will discuss how Apple is celebrating America’s national parks with an Apple Pay donation campaign and new ways to explore with Apple Maps.  We will also telll you how to earn an activity award on Sunday, August 25 by participating in a fitness activity.  (Graphics courtesy of Apple Inc.)

This week, Apple celebrates the 108th birthday of the U.S. National Park Service with an Apple Pay donation campaign and new ways to explore with Apple Maps. Photo by Jude Allen. Shot on iPhone 14 Pro.
On August 25, Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition award and animated stickers for Messages to celebrate national parks.
This fall, Apple Maps users can explore thousands of hikes in U.S. national parks and save them for offline use.
On August 25, Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition award and animated stickers for Messages to celebrate national parks.

On August 25, Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition award and several animated stickers for Messages to celebrate national parks.

 


Episode 261, watchOS 11 brings powerful health and fitness insights, and even more personalization and connectivity



In this episode, we will discuss the newest operating system watchOS 11.  watchOS11 brings powerful health and fitness insights, and even more personalization.  Apple is introducing the Vitals app, training load, pregnancy health and new ways to tailor Activity rings.  We will discuss these and more.

watchOS 11 offers breakthrough insights into users’ health and fitness, and more personalization than ever.
With the new Vitals app, Apple Watch users can quickly view key overnight health metrics, receive alerts when two or more metrics are out of their typical range, and gain better context when it comes to their health.
With the new Vitals app, Apple Watch users can quickly view key overnight health metrics, receive alerts when two or more metrics are out of their typical range, and gain better context when it comes to their health.
When users log a pregnancy in the Health app on iPhone or iPad, the Cycle Tracking app on Apple Watch will show their gestational age and allow them to log symptoms for things frequently experienced during pregnancy.
Training load is an insightful new way to measure how the intensity and duration of workouts is impacting a user’s body over time, established using effort ratings available after each.
Apple Watch will establish a 28-day training load, a weighted average taking into account both the effort ratings and duration of users’ workouts over this period.
With the new Vitals app, Apple Watch users can quickly view key overnight health metrics, receive alerts when two or more metrics are out of their typical range, and gain better context when it comes to their health.

Episode 246, Celebrate Heart Health Month by earning an Activity Award on Valentine’s Day; special Apple Vision Pro presentation



In this episode, we will discuss how Apple is celebrating Heart Health Month.The annual Heart Month Challenge is back again this year for Apple Watch users.  The event is slated for Valentine’s Day on Wed, Feb 14. Also, learn how Mac Minutes listeners can listen in to a special presentation on the Apple Vision Pro and Apple Healh sleep feature.

Earn an Activity Award celebrating Heart Health Month this Valentine’s Day.
Graphic of the 2024 Heart Health Month Activity Award.

Episode 237, Apple celebrates Veteran’s Day with Fitness; Activity Awards creates your achievements into beautiful magnets



In this episode we will discuss Apple celebrating Veteran’s Day in the United States by earning a beautiful Apple Activity Challenge Fitness award on Saturday, November 11.  We will tell you how you can participate in this noteworthy effort and how to display your fitness awards in a memorable meaningful display.

 

Apple Watch users across the US can participate in the Veterans Day Challenge on Friday, November 11 to earn a limited edition Activity award and animated stickers for messages.  
One of the many ways the company Activity Awards offers for you to display your represented Activity Awards. The company is available at https://activityawards.com.

Episode 235, iPadOS 17 brings new features improving versatility and personalization



In this episode, we will discuss Apple releasing iPadOS 17 recently bringing with in many new levels of personalization and versatility to iPad.  We will be covering these features with screenshots on the podcast website https://macminutes.blubrry.net.  For full details, go to the Apple iPadOS 17 website located at https://apple.com/ipados/ipados-17

iPadOS 17 takes iPad even further with new levels of personalization, beautiful and helpful custom Lock Screens, easier ways to find and share information, and intelligent features to help get things done.
The Lock Screen is redesigned to be more beautiful, personal, and useful.
A new stickers experience in Messages lets users express themselves, be creative, and share ideas on the fly.
Users can leave an audio or video message in FaceTime.
Users can securely share health data and receive important notifications about their loved ones’ health in the Health app.
In Freeform, users can create expressive boards with new drawing tools and a diagramming mode.