The all-new Loops Guided Fitness platform soft-launched in early 2021 but officially debuted in June of this year. It's exclusive to the Apple Watch and utilizes your Watch’s HRV (heart rate variability) readings to provide personalized daily training plans. It lets you know when it’s time to push yourself in a workout, take an active recovery day, or a full rest day so you’re utilizing your body’s cues to reach your health and fitness goals more efficiently. Let's dive into it a bit more so you can get the full picture.
What is HRV?
Heart rate variability is the fluctuation of time in between heartbeats. Your HRV changes throughout the day depending on your physical and mental health, and it’s a metric your best Apple Watch is already collecting and storing in the Health App on your iPhone. Loops founders Sarah Mace and Mike Morra believe HRV is the most invaluable yet underutilized health metric available today.
Why use HRV?
Utilizing your HRV for daily personalized health insights and workout recommendations enables you to reach your goals more efficiently because it lets you know what your body truly needs, so you’re working with it, not against it. Even though you might want to go all out in a workout, your body may need to prioritize recovery. If you pay attention and abide by your body’s natural cues, you’re much less prone to injury and much more likely to meet your goals.
Loops uses your morning HRV reading to deliver a fitness prescription for the day. It provides a Daily Outlook and an actionable goal recommendation. It uses real-time heart rate zone feedback to optimize your workouts, adjusting the intensity to match your current capabilities. It emphasizes the importance of following a balanced fitness routine. All days — rest, active recovery, performance, and relaxation — are equally integral to achieving your overall health and fitness goals.
Close the loop
Loops makes reaching your fitness goals fun with a gamified approach. The goal is to close loops — hence the name. What it takes to close an individual loop varies per loop, and when you succeed in closing a loop, you are rewarded with a rest day. The gamified aspect makes reaching your goals fun, competitive, and addicting (in the best way). Loops is available for download at the App Store for Apple Watch Series 8, Series 7, Series 6, SE 2, SE, and lower. It's compatible with watchOS 8 and the soon-to-launch watchOS 9.
