Sharing is caring and Apple know it.
We've all been through the wringer this past year, what with lockdowns, then beer gardens in freezing, wet temperatures, the pain of eating lasagne outside while wearing an anorak. We could go on.
We don't know about you, but we've eaten like pigs while we've been locked up. What else has there been to do other than snack on every flavour of crisps possible while silently sobbing and dreaming about the pub?
We're now starting to feel like some normality is creeping back in and as things open up and holidays become all the more possible, there may be one thing on your mind.
That’s the gym we’re talking about, folks. There are three types of gym goers that we can think of: those who love the gym; those who hate the gym but go anyway; and those that avoid it like the plague.
We brought you everything you need to know about Apple's Health app, including all the ways it can contribute towards you living a healthier, happier life and here we are back with an exciting update.
At WWDC2021, the big Apple keynote event, they revealed updates to the Health app that you'll love. There are little changes like the ability to add pilates to your workout profile but there's also something much bigger than this.
iOS 15 is on the horizon and with this upcoming update, the ability to share key health data with your nearest and dearest is almost here too.
Here's everything we know about shareable health reports on your iPhone.
Keep an eye on your loved ones.
When iOS 15 eventually makes its way to your iPhone, you’ll be able to load up the Health app and access a new tab for sharing data with the people in your contacts.
Whether this is your partner, your doctor or the trainer helping you with your summer bod down at the gym – as long as they have an iPhone 8 or later of course.
There will be no rule that says you have to share anything and of course it’s entirely your choice.
This is a great feature for those of you caring for loved ones and allows you to check in on them if you’re ever feeling worried. This could not come at a more perfect time with the Coronavirus pandemic.
iOS 15 is set to bring another update to the health app that determines how steady you are on your feet. (Probably best not to trial it after a few beers or a bottle of wine).
It’s known as the Walking Steadiness tool and it assesses when you’re likely to have a fall. If it detects that your steadiness has decreased, it will recommend a variety of ways to help improve skills like balance and strength.
With videos featuring Apple Fitness Plus instructors, you’ll have the balance of a gymnast in no time.
When someone shares this data with you, you’ll be able to determine what exactly you receive notifications for. If you’re particularly nervous about your dad’s steadiness on his feet, you can track this health app specifically.
If your trainer wants to see what you’re eating in a day to make sure you’re sticking to your one cheat day a week, you can share this data with them.
Here’s your warmup.
To get started you’ll need to set up your Health Profile and your Medical ID which is easily done in the Health app.
When you open up the app, don’t feel daunted. There are lots of different options but it’s a lot easier than it looks. Head to summary first and tap on your profile picture in the top right-hand corner.
You’ll see options to set up your health details and also your Medical ID, too. Start with your health details.
Here you’ll be prompted to enter lots of different details such as your name, gender, DOB and even any medication you’re on that could effect any workouts you’re doing.
The next step is to update your Medical ID. This is basically a profile designed to help emergency services access important information about you should there ever be, well, an emergency.
Simply select Edit and fill in the details. It gets a little personal here and asks for your blood type, weight (including all that extra lockdown weight), medical conditions, height, allergies and emergency contacts.
As invasive as this might feel, it’s a great thing to have if anything unexpected should happen.
The main event.
Once you’ve successfully set up these two profiles, the fun really starts. Every time you load up your app, you’ll see your very own dashboard – which is totally customisable.
Here you’ll be able to choose your favourites by tapping Edit just below that beautiful photo of yourself in the top right hand corner.
Whether you want to see a rundown of your activity, your mindfulness or check in on how your heart rate is doing, everything you want can be added to your dashboard so you can access it all in one place.
There are four main functions that the Health app focuses on: activity, sleep, mindfulness and nutrition.
Get active.
The Activity section is probably the most used area of the Health app, especially for the gym-goers among you. It works by using the iPhone’s accelerometer to measure the number of steps you’ve taken and the distance you’ve travelled.
We’ll let you decide whether this is motivating or mortifying; of course it depends on the day for us. Nobody wants to walk on a Sunday!
If you’re super-serious about your fitness and opted for an Apple Watch, the stats get even wilder. You can sync up a whole bunch of metrics like the number of calories you burn, how long you’re stood up for and even more details about your workouts.
You can compare your progress as the Health app will store all of your data from your workouts. Whether you want to check in daily, weekly, or monthly, you’ll be able to see just how far you’ve come.
It’s not only Apple Watch users who get all the fun. Those who favour a Fitbit or prefer a cheaper option that does all the same stuff can sync up their data too and track their progress.
Stay mindful.
There’s an old saying: healthy body, healthy mind and the Health app has certainly taken this into account.
With all the stress of the pandemic and everything else in between it’s more important than ever to be mindful of your mind…
The Health app has its very own Mindfulness section which will track a number of different things to see just how often you take time for yourself throughout the day.
It works by calculating the number of minutes you spend relaxing throughout the day and like we said before, we’ll let you decide whether this is motivating or mortifying.
Apple Watch users will be able to increase their mindfulness minutes by using their Breathe app. For those who don’t know, the Breathe app reminds you to breathe every day.
This might sound ridiculous to some, but you’d be shocked at how many people forget to take the time to just breathe.
Again, if you’re not an Apple Watch user but love apps such as Calm or Headspace, you can sync your data using those too.
Foodies listen up.
We’re all huge foodies at heart and by foodies we mean you simply love nice food. Even the pickiest of eaters can agree that the one thing they look for in their meals is great taste.
We’d never encourage strict calorie counting and that’s not what the Food and Nutrition section on the Health app is all about.
It’s actually a way of noting down what you eat and drink to visualise exactly how much protein is in your diet or iron.
It’s a tool for tracking whatever you want it to – it’s all in your control! The app doesn’t expect you to know how much protein was in your spag bol, there are apps for that.
MyFitnessPal is a popular one and it’ll literally tell you everything you need to know about all the juicy goodness that’s in your food. And the well-deserved bad bits too.
Once you’ve synced these third-party nutrition apps, head to Browse then Nutrition.
Goodnight all.
Last but certainly not least is the Sleep section on your Health app. You’re apparently supposed to fit in 8 hours of slumber a night, which to some of you may sound like something from a fairy tale.
The Sleep section is filled with lots of features that help you get a better sleep or track just how shocking last night’s was.
You can set your own sleep schedule and cast yourself back 25 years to when you had a bedtime. And we imagine some of you would love nothing more than an early bedtime again.
You can automatically turn on Do Not Disturb so that when you’re trying to peacefully drift off to sleep, you drift off from the digital world too. Wave goodbye to notifications or spontaneous late night phone calls.
Set bedtime goals, enter Wind Down mode and so much more. To see all of your options, head to the Set Up Sleep tab on the Summary page. You can work through the options here to ensure you’re getting what your body needs at bedtime.
The first wealth is health!
Whether you use it to track workouts, monitor how healthy and nutritious your diet is or you just want to see how good a nights sleep you had, the Health app is perfect.
To get in on all the health action, you’ve got to have an iPhone and if you’re walking on the Android side of life or looking for a new iPhone, we’ve got you covered.
We’ve got unmissable prices on the very best from Apple, including the new and trendy purple version of the iPhone 12!
