When Apple first introduced this service, I was excited to try it but it wasn’t available in Singapore yet. After a few years of waiting, it finally arrived.
The service came just in time as I wanted to start weight lifting. The reason is that my lower back started to show weakness. Last year I couldn’t stand up for a long period of time. When I’m standing on the train or bus for more than 30 mins, I could feel my lower back aching a little. Felt like it couldn’t hold up my body weight.
So what happened was as I walked away from my long standing spot, sometimes my knees would suddenly go soft causing me to bend my knee. But just a split second, then I would regain control so it is not noticeable.
I knew I had to do something as the frequency of knee softening increased. At first I started stretching my lower back every morning. I felt slightly better, but it still didn’t solve the problem. I began researching further and suspected it could be muscle loss. I think it might be due to aging and my diet. Having intermittent fasting and overnight oats might be too taxing on my body, maybe it is not getting enough muscle. So I reduced my oats intake and occasionally broke fast during the weekend.
Next I started doing static workouts that can strengthen my back muscles. Seems to be working after these adjustments. But the repetitive workout is too boring and not motivating at all. YouTube videos after a while also became repetitive and sometimes I’d need to deal with ads.
As I was struggling with everyday workout, Apple announced Apple Fitness+ will be made available in Singapore. Whoa, so happy sia.
I started off with their back-to-back Strength and HIIT program. Total about 20 mins. Very manageable, but it was intense. I felt like giving up in the first 2 mins of HIIT. Shag. My sweat was literally dripping. But very satisfying after the workout.
Eventually I created a custom plan to suit my stamina:
- Mon - 30m Strength (lower body)
- Tue - 20m Core
- Wed - 30m Strength (upper body)
- Thu - 20m Core
- Fri - 30m Strength (total body)
Sat and Sun are for recovery. I’ve been using Apple Fitness+ for about 4-5 months now, so far so good.