The Apple Watch offers seven ways to improve your workouts

Tech and fitness go hand in hand. In fact, an app is what motivated me to keep running. Seeing the statistics was a visual proof of my improvement, allowing me to train more effectively and push a little harder. With the help of an Apple Watch Series 4, I was able to deepen this issue and show you how much technology can improve your active lifestyle. The Apple Watch has many features beyond an activity tracker, making it a versatile tool to take away.

Close your rings every day

Most of us have office jobs and sit for hours. We tend to forget to get up and move from time to time. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle should be everyone's priority and Apple Watch has an app that can help you. The activity app tracks your calories burned, the time spent exercising and staying upright. The animated ring graphic closes when you reach your goals and plays with the natural tendencies of the competition. It's no longer a chore, it's become a game. You can also share your activities with friends to empower you and motivate you to close your rings. You will soon realize that you have become more active since you started.

Follow your workout sessions

How well did your run go? With the Apple Watch training app, you can select your sport. The built-in GPS and altimeter collect data such as time, distance and altitude during the activity. Choose a route as a test and run it once every few weeks. In this way, you can compare your time and look for ways to improve yourself. You can also record other types of sports, including cycling, yoga, HIIT, swimming, rowing, hiking and an "other" category that you can customize. Each one of them has its own carefully developed algorithm to collect your data accurately during your workout.

Keep a heart healthy

Heart disease can affect anyone, even the most healthy people. It's a good idea to monitor your heart rate daily. If you notice discrepancies, you can contact your doctor immediately and have it examined. The built-in optical heart rate sensor and heart application make this task easier. All you have to do is wear it on your wrist and check your bpm throughout the day or set alerts to be notified of irregularities.

The training app also tracks your heart rate during activities. Many athletes use the heart rate zones to measure the intensity of their training. For this, you need to do some calculations and calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 years. The target heart rate for vigorous activities should not exceed 85% of your maximum. You can find out more about calculating heart rate zones on HealthLink BC. The evaluation of your heart rate after the workout will allow you to adjust your intensity for the next one.

Stay connected … without holding your phone

I usually keep my phone in a belt or in my hydration jacket. It can be tedious to take during a race and the risk of dropping it increases. Consider yourself lucky if you have never broken the screen of a phone. I use the Apple Watch on my races and I really enjoy being able to read SMS and phone calls on the watch face. The Apple Watch also offers you answer options that you can press to send a quick response. The dictation function is convenient for more complex messages. I found it quite accurate and responsive when I used it. The Apple Watch also has cellular capabilities. If you subscribe to this service from your mobile provider, you will not even need to bring your phone. You can answer calls directly from your watch. It also has a Walkie Talkie app so you can talk to other contacts who also have the Apple Watch. Well received.

A security feature while you play

We live in the Pacific Northwest, epic place for running, mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding. These activities involve a level of risk. It's so easy to miss a step or jump and get hurt. If Apple Watch can not prevent you from making mistakes, a feature called Fall Detection can alert those who can help in case of a problem. When it detects that you have made a difficult fall and is still, it can sound an audible alarm and possibly call the emergency services, sending them the coordinates of your current position. It will also send a message to the emergency contacts you have listed in your medical ID. This feature is also extremely useful for the elderly. If their date of birth is entered in the Health app and you are 65 or older, fall detection is automatically enabled.

I also wore the Apple Watch while snowboarding with a group of friends. With the use of apps like snoww, not only were I able to track my race stats, but I also saw where my friends were on the mountain. Separating is so easy and this feature will help people to better support themselves.

Take smarter selfies

If you did not take a picture, did the training session even take place? As a person who likes to document all these fun things, the Remote Shutter of the Apple Watch is one of my favorite features. You can use the Apple Watch as a viewfinder and enable the shutter on your iPhone camera. Just put the phone, frame and press the shutter release, which has a delay of three seconds. This feature will also improve your Instagram feed.

Take a break

We get carried away with all we have to do during the day and forget to stop for a moment and think. The Breathe App on the Apple Watch reminds you to book yourself at least a minute a day to focus on a deep, controlled breath and nothing else. This helps to control the level of stress, anxiety and most importantly, it gives a pause to your mind. This is a great way to end a workout or take some time in the middle of the day.

To get your hands on an Apple Watch, visit the nearest Apple Store or buy it online.