WellNation

Since his retirement from elite sport, Leon Taylor has become involved in a portfolio of projects. He now speaks about mental wellness, supports the SportsAid charity, teaches yoga and commentates for the BBC – including at this year’s Paris 2024 Olympics. He also spearheads the Active IQ's Beyond Gold campaign, which urges athletes to plan for their lives after sport. Read more: https://bit.ly/3MB9D60

Indoor cycling specialist, Wattbike, has launched its new Proton bike. Priced at £1,795 in the UK, Proton will be marketed as an accessible and versatile smart bike designed to bring Wattbike’s technology and free training app to a broader audience. The Wattbike Proton can be adjusted without the use of tools, allowing users to customise their position and optimise their workouts according to their individual training goals. Proton will also offer access to Wattbike Hub, a subscription-free app for Wattbike users that controls the bike’s resistance and guides users through every workout. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ePphZTiv #Fitness #IndoorCycling #Bike #IndoorBike #FitnessTech Stephen Loftus

Nearly half (44%) of participants in a nationwide pilot – which tested how gyms and leisure centres could act as musculoskeletal (MSK) treatment hubs –reported a “noticeable improvement” in their condition after attending sessions for 12 weeks. The MSK Hub pilot involved 1,631 participants across 94 sites from April 2022 to March 2024. 15 leisure operators hosted personalised physical activity sessions focused on progressive exercise rehabilitation and education around how to maintain mobility, reduce pain, and improve health before and after surgery. Participants were supported by instructors both in person and via tailored online guidance for their exercises, whether in the gym, studio, community space or pool. In total, 11,785 physical activity sessions were delivered during the pilot, which formed part of an industrial research project funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of the Government’s Healthy Ageing Challenge (HAC). Read more: https://lnkd.in/et6aBuG3 #Fitness #MSKHubs #Wellness #musculoskeletal #Health ESCAPE-pain, Arthritis Action, UK Research and Innovation, Good Boost, Mytime Active, Parkwood Leisure, ukactive

Check out the September issue of WellNation, packed with news from across the physical activity and wellness sector, including: Absolutely Together, Active Insight, Active IQ, Alliance Leisure, Balanced Body UK, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Bigwave Marketing, Breckland Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, Circadian Trust – (operators of Active Lifestyle Centres), DoingOurBit, EMD UK, Ethics Leisure, Everyone Active - SLM, FaulknerBrowns, FIIT, Fitness First Australia, Fitness First UK, THE FITNESS GROUP EDUCATION, Freemotion from iFIT, Future Fit for Business, Innerva, Keepme.ai, Les Mills International, Mytime Active, Myzone®, National Fitness Day, North Warwickshire Borough Council, Parkwood Leisure, Pellikaan Construction Ltd, Power Plate UK & EU, Precor, PureGym, Roberts Limbrick, Serco Leisure, Technogym, ukactive, Village Health & Wellness Clubs, Your Gym Equipment and lots more! #fitness #health #physicalactivity #wellness Read more: https://bit.ly/41jihNa

The Sept issue of WellNation is now available! Full of industry news and views from across the sector together with an interview with Olympic silver medallist, Leon Taylor, who talks about why he is spearheading Active IQ's Beyond Gold campaign which urges athletes to plan for their lives after sport. Read more: https://bit.ly/41jihNa

Ground has been officially broken on the new Lichfield Leisure Centre at Stychbrook Park. The leisure centre has been designed by @ReCreation, a company founded by British Olympians – including swimmers Rebecca Adlington OBE and Steve Parry – which provides swimming pools featuring an above-ground design, described as being more affordable than the traditional construction method as it doesn’t require excavation. Owned by the Lichfield District Council, the £10m centre will replace the ageing Friary Grange leisure centre and is expected to open to the public in 2025. Facilities will include a 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool with movable floor and poolside seating and an 80-station fitness gym, while outdoor facilities will include a full-size 3G pitch and changing rooms. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eWeJUYy3 #Sport #Wellness #Fitness #PublicLeisure #LeisureCentre

A new open water swimming facility has opened at Greenland Dock, near Canada Water. The area is operated from the Surrey Docks Fitness and Watersports Centre, which is located next to the dock. The centre is owned by Southwark Council and is operated by the council’s in-house leisure services team. Councillor Portia Mwangangye, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Parks and Young People at Southwark Council, said: “The Greenland Dock open swim course is a great place to experience open water swimming in a safe and scenic environment. There is something truly special about swimming in the open air with the view of a London skyline in front of you." Read more: https://lnkd.in/etcZexdt #OpenWaterSwimming #Swimming #Wellbeing #Wellness

The National Sector Partners Group (NSPG) has hosted a reception in Westminster to discuss the sport and physical activity sector’s agenda with MPs from across the new government. Those attending the event was the new Sports Minister, Steph Peacock; Labour MP, Kim Leadbeater MP and a number of other leaders from across the sport, recreation and physical activity landscape. Among the topics explored were the opportunities for the new Government to work with the physical activity sector and help make the UK the most active nation in Europe. In a speech on behalf of the group, ukactive CEO, Huw Edwards, said: “There can be no growth without health and our sector clearly has an essential role to play. The exciting opportunity this Parliament has is to unlock the full potential of this sector – something previous parliaments haven’t achieved." Read more: https://lnkd.in/gBP2rfKh #Sport #Fitness #PhysicalActivity #wellness

The University of Southampton has opened one of the largest gyms in the city at its Jubilee Sport and Recreation Centre, as part of a £40m investment in sports and leisure. The expanded centre now boasts a new large fitness suite – featuring more than 200 exercise stations – and four new fitness studios designed to host the latest exercise classes. There is also a Technogym indoor cycling studio hosting interactive training sessions. The centre and its extensive facilities will be used by local schools and will continue to host community leagues, fitness classes and wellness programmes. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e5_HA_PZ #Fitness #Wellness #LeisureCentre #UniversitySport

Looking forward to the FreeFlow Swim Conference later this week to hear from a number of swimming experts and leaders as well as key findings from the State of the UK Swimming Industry Report by Leisure DB. (The report is also free to read at https://lnkd.in/esWpJ8Pm) Leisure DB, Hutchi, Everyone Active - SLM Rebecca Adlington, Keith Ashton, Alex Blackwell Cert IOSH, Dave Candler, Fiona Cresswell, Lucy Findlay Beale, Dan Harrison, Chris Hayes, Sarah Le Brocq, Steve Parry, Jo Talbot, Ben Wilkins, Simon Wright.