In pursuit of enhancing my physical well-being and breaking free from a sedentary lifestyle imposed by a demanding work schedule, I’ve set a goal for myself in 2024. Fortunately, the Apple Watch equips me with everything I need to achieve my fitness objectives through its native features and compatibility with Apple Health. Let’s delve into the functions and applications that provide valuable health insights, whether during exercise or daily routines.
Cardio Fitness and Cardiovascular Recovery
Cardio Fitness quantifies the maximum amount of blood oxygen your body can utilize during physical activity. It serves as a robust indicator of overall physical health and a predictor of long-term well-being. Additionally, Cardiovascular Recovery, a lesser-known health metric, is automatically tracked by the Apple Watch after each workout. This feature analyzes how rapidly your heart rate decreases immediately following exercise, offering insights into your heart’s responsiveness and autonomic nervous system.
High and Low Heart Rate Notifications
For those seeking alerts when their heart rate surpasses or drops below specific thresholds for more than 10 minutes while at rest, the Apple Watch offers a solution. Please note that this function is intended for users aged 13 and above. To set it up:
- Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
- Swipe down and select “Heart” within the “My Watch” tab.
- Tap “High heart rate” and choose a threshold.
- Tap “Low heart rate” and select a threshold.
It’s essential to remember that if you receive a notification about an irregular heart rate, confirmed through multiple readings, you should seek medical attention. The Apple Watch is not a replacement for professional medical judgment.
To ensure that this function is correctly configured, follow these steps:
- Open the Health app on your iPhone.
- Select “Browse” in the bottom right corner.
- Navigate to “Heart.”
- Swipe down and locate “Settings” under “Irregular Rhythm Notifications.”
If you don’t find it in the Health app, access the Watch app on your iPhone, swipe down, tap “Heart” within the “My Watch” tab, and toggle the switch next to “Irregular rhythm.”
Heart Rate History on iPhone
Monitoring the history of your heart rate data provides valuable insights into your physical health progress. Keep in mind that a slower acceleration of your heart rate indicates improved readiness for intense physical activities. To access your heart rate history, follow these steps:
- Open the Heart Rate app on your Apple Watch to view daily data (the app with a heart icon).
- Scroll down by swiping or using the Digital Crown.
- You’ll find information on your current heart rate, resting rate, walking average, training heart rate, and recovery heart rate data (if you’ve recently completed a workout).
