New findings from the Apple Heart and Movement Study indicate that Apple Watch users are significantly more likely to maintain New Year’s fitness resolutions compared to general population trends. While many people abandon goals by the second Friday of January each year, widely known as Quitter’s Day, data from 100,000 participants shows sustained activity levels well into the spring.
Key study insights
- January Surge: Over 60% of users increased daily exercise by at least 10% during the first two weeks of the year.
- Long-term Consistency: Nearly 90% of those who increased their activity in January maintained those elevated levels through March.
- Collaborative Research: The study is conducted alongside Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the American Heart Association, involving over 250,000 U.S. participants.
New Fitness+ content and motivation
To support this momentum, Apple is launching several initiatives starting January 5, 2026:
- Targeted Programs: Four new multi-week training plans, including “Make Your Fitness Comeback” and “Build a Yoga Habit,” designed to remove guesswork from goal setting.
- Artist Spotlight: High-energy playlists featuring KAROL G and Super Bowl LX Halftime star Bad Bunny.
- Time to Walk: New narrative episodes featuring Penn Badgley, Mel B, and Michelle Monaghan.
- Community Challenges: A limited-edition “Ring in the New Year” award and a first-ever “Quit Quitting” challenge on Strava, rewarding users who log 12 workouts in January.
Pricing and availability
Apple Fitness+ is available for $9.99/month or $79.99/year. The latest hardware lineup, including Apple Watch Series 11 ($399) and Apple Watch Ultra 3 ($799), requires iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26. New hardware purchases include three months of Fitness+ for free.
The Back-to-Back Strength and HIIT program is specifically designed to maximize efficiency by pairing resistance training with high-intensity cardio in a single, continuous flow.
Program structure and requirements
- Schedule: Three 20-minute workouts per week for three weeks.
- The “Back-to-Back” Format: Each session is split into 10 minutes of Strength followed immediately by 10 minutes of HIIT, with no break in between.
- Goal: Concurrent training to boost both muscular power and cardiovascular endurance simultaneously.
- Equipment: * Dumbbells: While many HIIT sessions can be done with body weight, the Strength portion of this program typically requires a set of dumbbells.
- Device: Available on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV via the Fitness app.
- Metrics: Real-time heart rate and calorie tracking are displayed on-screen if you use an Apple Watch or the new AirPods Pro 3.
Other new 2026 programs
If the 20-minute intensity is too much of a jump, Apple also launched several other Make Your Fitness Comeback options:
- Strength Basics (3 Weeks): Launches Jan 12. Focuses on foundational form and technique for beginners.
- Make Your Fitness Comeback (4 Weeks): Three 10-minute workouts per week (1 Strength, 1 HIIT, 1 Yoga).
- Build a Yoga Habit (4 Weeks): Two 10-minute flows per week (one slow, one energetic).
CONAN Daily 