Apple is kicking off 2024 with new content for its workout service Fitness+, including a new meditation theme, a yoga program for golfers, artist spotlights with Super Bowl Halftime Show performers and new celebrity guests for its audio walking experience “Time to Walk.”
Starting January 8, Apple Fitness+ is adding a new meditation theme called “Sound,” which will feature sounds meant to soothe and relax users, such as someone striking a gong or singing bowl. There will be seven sounds available at launch, with new meditations dropping every week. The sound meditations last for five, 10 and 20 minutes.
Yoga has proven to be a beneficial exercise to help refine a golfer’s swing. Apple Fitness+ now features a new workout program, “Strength, Core, and Yoga for Golfers,” designed by professional golfer Rose Zhang to improve strength, flexibility and mobility. The program features four workouts and is led by Fitness+ trainer Kyle Ardill.
In celebration of the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show with Usher, the service is launching an artist spotlight dedicated to the artist on February 5, along with three other halftime performers– Rihanna, Britney Spears and U2.
Rihanna is the first artist to get a dedicated workout playlist on Fitness+, with ten new workouts coming to the platform on January 8. The playlist honors last year’s Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show — which was sponsored by Apple Music for the first time – and sent the internet into a frenzy, with Nielsen reporting over 113 million viewers, making Rihanna’s iconic performance the most-watched halftime show of all time.
Apple is also launching workouts with music by Britney Spears on January 15 and U2-inspired exercises on January 22.
Lastly, Apple is adding new episodes to Time to Walk, the audio experience that launched in 2021 to inspire listeners with stories from celebrities. The new episodes will feature famous guests like “Today Show” cohost Al Roker, drag queen Trixie Mattel, YouTuber and comedian Lilly Singh, actor and rapper Common, and “Euphoria” star Colman Domingo.
Apple also announced that, for the first time, ten Time to Walk episodes are available on Apple Podcasts for free, including episodes with guests Prince William, Patti LaBelle, Jason Segal, Camila Cabello, Dolly Parton and Shawn Mendes.
Fitness+ is available as a subscription for $9.99 per month or it’s included with the Apple One Premier plan for $32.95 per month. Also, Apple recently partnered with Anytime Fitness, a U.S. gym franchise, to offer up to three months of Fitness+ at no additional cost.
techcrunch.com