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FITNESS, HEALTH, WELLNESS

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Fuel the debate about issues and opportunities across the industry. We’d love to hear from you – [email protected]

Published in Health Club Management 2022 issue 6
Exercise increases people’s emotional wellbeing, particularly if done in groups / photo: shutterstock/Ground Picture
Exercise increases people’s emotional wellbeing, particularly if done in groups / photo: shutterstock/Ground Picture

It was great to see the words ‘mental health’ on the cover of HCM (HCM issue 5 2022) because the fitness industry and all its professionals are underselling their offer significantly by using the term ‘physical activity’.

At The Living Longer Better Programme (www.livelongerbetter.uk), we now only use the phrase ‘activity PCE’ (physical, cognitive and emotional) to describe the Active Partnerships’ offer.

Activity that’s physical directly affects the brain and reduces the risk of dementia, as we describe in our book, Increase your Brainability and Reduce your Risk of Dementia. It also increases people’s emotional wellbeing, particularly if done in groups. Just look at the number of smiles in the HCM photos! So, down with physical activity and up with activity PCE.

"It was great to see the words ‘mental health’ on the cover of HCM" – Muir Gray, The Living Longer Better Programme

Read the May issue of HCM at www.HCMmag.com

EuropeActive is joining forces with the European Commission to encourage activity
David Stalker, EuropeActive
photo: Europe Active/Myzone

I’m thrilled to see #BeActive day running again on Friday 23 September, during the European Week of Sport (23 - 30 September).

This initiative has become the biggest drive by the sector to celebrate and promote the fun and importance of regular physical activity. The results have demonstrated how resilient and engaged the sector has become, with thousands of events and millions of participants across Europe and beyond every year.

#BeActive day is a collaboration between Europe Active and its 17 national association partners, who will be hosting thousands of free events and activities, and we encourage every key player in the sector to contact their national association and organise an event centered around physical activity.

The success of the #BeActive day campaign has contributed to the European Commission’s recognition of the European fitness and physical activity sector as an essential partner for the promotion of active, healthy lifestyles for all Europeans.

Europe Active is joining forces with the European Commission to encourage Europeans to be more active, to improve their general health and wellbeing, and to make the most of the Commission’s HealthyLifestyle4All campaign.

As the main representative of the European fitness and physical activity sector, we firmly believe #BeActive day improves how our sector is perceived by policy and decision-makers, strengthening our case for recognition as a public health solution. Furthermore, the campaign is an opportunity to not only to bring members back to clubs, but also to generate new leads and engage with new customers.

This initiative fits like a glove with our ambition of getting more people, more active, more often.

More: www.beactiveday.eu
www.hcmmag.com/healthylifestyle4all

We firmly believe #BeActive day improves how our sector is perceived by policymakers
The EC and Europe Active are collaborating to get more people active / photo: shutterstock/oneinchpunch
Let’s all make pools safer
Chris Hebblewhite, GLL
GLL is working to make pools safer using technology / photo: shutterstock/Monkey Business Images

The summer holidays are nearly upon us and more people will soon be enjoying the UK’s pools and lidos.

While lifeguarded pools are inherently safer than unsupervised locations, we can always do more to enhance safety at managed swimming facilities.

This year GLL, the UK’s largest public pools operator with 130 pools – and swim school provider with 130,000 children in swim school and 200,000 in school swimming lessons – is rolling out an expansion of assisted lifeguarding technology (ALT) in 10 more pools across England and Northern Ireland.

The approach blends the benefits of both leading-edge technology and human interaction, backed up by GLL’s signature bespoke training, which we believe to be the best-in-class.

The system and software technology is designed to assist lifeguards by constantly monitoring water-based activity, detecting swimmers in distress in submersion incidents and spotting potential drownings and medical episodes – so helping with the safe management of customers and reducing the risk of lifeguard human error.

We’ve set ourselves a target of introducing ALT into all suitable pool settings within the next 10 years and we’d like the wider sector to follow our example by pledging to do the same.

We’ve consulted sector bodies including BSI, RLSS and UK Active in relation to our plans, and are happy to discuss them with other leisure providers wanting to find out more.

Working together we can make pools safer for everyone.

GLL is expanding the use of assisted lifeguarding technology
GLL is working to make pools safer using technology / photo: shutterstock/Monkey Business Images
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/2022/739653_371823.jpg
We hear from Muir Gray of the Living Longer Better Programme, Dave Stalker of EuropeActive and Chris Hebblewhite of GLL
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features

Letters: Write to reply

Fuel the debate about issues and opportunities across the industry. We’d love to hear from you – [email protected]

Published in Health Club Management 2022 issue 6
Exercise increases people’s emotional wellbeing, particularly if done in groups / photo: shutterstock/Ground Picture
Exercise increases people’s emotional wellbeing, particularly if done in groups / photo: shutterstock/Ground Picture

It was great to see the words ‘mental health’ on the cover of HCM (HCM issue 5 2022) because the fitness industry and all its professionals are underselling their offer significantly by using the term ‘physical activity’.

At The Living Longer Better Programme (www.livelongerbetter.uk), we now only use the phrase ‘activity PCE’ (physical, cognitive and emotional) to describe the Active Partnerships’ offer.

Activity that’s physical directly affects the brain and reduces the risk of dementia, as we describe in our book, Increase your Brainability and Reduce your Risk of Dementia. It also increases people’s emotional wellbeing, particularly if done in groups. Just look at the number of smiles in the HCM photos! So, down with physical activity and up with activity PCE.

"It was great to see the words ‘mental health’ on the cover of HCM" – Muir Gray, The Living Longer Better Programme

Read the May issue of HCM at www.HCMmag.com

EuropeActive is joining forces with the European Commission to encourage activity
David Stalker, EuropeActive
photo: Europe Active/Myzone

I’m thrilled to see #BeActive day running again on Friday 23 September, during the European Week of Sport (23 - 30 September).

This initiative has become the biggest drive by the sector to celebrate and promote the fun and importance of regular physical activity. The results have demonstrated how resilient and engaged the sector has become, with thousands of events and millions of participants across Europe and beyond every year.

#BeActive day is a collaboration between Europe Active and its 17 national association partners, who will be hosting thousands of free events and activities, and we encourage every key player in the sector to contact their national association and organise an event centered around physical activity.

The success of the #BeActive day campaign has contributed to the European Commission’s recognition of the European fitness and physical activity sector as an essential partner for the promotion of active, healthy lifestyles for all Europeans.

Europe Active is joining forces with the European Commission to encourage Europeans to be more active, to improve their general health and wellbeing, and to make the most of the Commission’s HealthyLifestyle4All campaign.

As the main representative of the European fitness and physical activity sector, we firmly believe #BeActive day improves how our sector is perceived by policy and decision-makers, strengthening our case for recognition as a public health solution. Furthermore, the campaign is an opportunity to not only to bring members back to clubs, but also to generate new leads and engage with new customers.

This initiative fits like a glove with our ambition of getting more people, more active, more often.

More: www.beactiveday.eu
www.hcmmag.com/healthylifestyle4all

We firmly believe #BeActive day improves how our sector is perceived by policymakers
The EC and Europe Active are collaborating to get more people active / photo: shutterstock/oneinchpunch
Let’s all make pools safer
Chris Hebblewhite, GLL
GLL is working to make pools safer using technology / photo: shutterstock/Monkey Business Images

The summer holidays are nearly upon us and more people will soon be enjoying the UK’s pools and lidos.

While lifeguarded pools are inherently safer than unsupervised locations, we can always do more to enhance safety at managed swimming facilities.

This year GLL, the UK’s largest public pools operator with 130 pools – and swim school provider with 130,000 children in swim school and 200,000 in school swimming lessons – is rolling out an expansion of assisted lifeguarding technology (ALT) in 10 more pools across England and Northern Ireland.

The approach blends the benefits of both leading-edge technology and human interaction, backed up by GLL’s signature bespoke training, which we believe to be the best-in-class.

The system and software technology is designed to assist lifeguards by constantly monitoring water-based activity, detecting swimmers in distress in submersion incidents and spotting potential drownings and medical episodes – so helping with the safe management of customers and reducing the risk of lifeguard human error.

We’ve set ourselves a target of introducing ALT into all suitable pool settings within the next 10 years and we’d like the wider sector to follow our example by pledging to do the same.

We’ve consulted sector bodies including BSI, RLSS and UK Active in relation to our plans, and are happy to discuss them with other leisure providers wanting to find out more.

Working together we can make pools safer for everyone.

GLL is expanding the use of assisted lifeguarding technology
GLL is working to make pools safer using technology / photo: shutterstock/Monkey Business Images
https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/images/2022/739653_371823.jpg
We hear from Muir Gray of the Living Longer Better Programme, Dave Stalker of EuropeActive and Chris Hebblewhite of GLL
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Total Fitness has released new research revealing how the expectations and motivations of ...

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Wattbike has announced a new integration with EGYM, which enables the bikes to contribute to ...
Latest News
Les Mills has launched a reformer Pilates workout. The 45-minute workout blends traditional reformer movements ...
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The inaugural HCM Invest event has opened applications for pitching slots ahead of its launch ...
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Girls in the UK are missing out on 280 million hours of sport every year ...
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Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod.
Featured supplier news
Featured supplier news: Introducing a new era of Nautilus Leverage
Strength training has never been more important for member retention, facility differentiation and long-term commercial success.
Company profiles
Company profile: Swim England
Swim England was the only governing body of swimming in the world when it was ...
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Company profile: Ziva Strength
Ziva is an elite-performance fitness brand that designs, manufactures, delivers, and services premium resistance training, ...
Supplier Showcases
Supplier Showcase - From nightclub to health club
Supplier Showcases
Supplier Showcase - Future-proofing
Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
Featured press releases
Dyaco UK Ltd press release: i-Strength | Spirit Commercial Fitness: Same movements, smarter resistance
Upgrading a gym floor is rarely straightforward. New equipment means retraining staff, repositioning layouts, and a period of adjustment for members.
Featured press releases
Wattbike Ltd press release: EGYM integrates with Wattbike to bring VO2 Max insights into the member journey
Wattbike, the pioneering indoor cycling brand trusted by the best elite sports teams, health clubs and high-performance facilities worldwide, announces today a new integration with EGYM, enabling Wattbike products to now connect directly with the EGYM Ecosystem and a member’s ‘Cardio BioAge’ score.
Directory
Hot tubs
MSpa International Ltd: Hot tubs
Fitness tracking platform
SpiviTech: Fitness tracking platform
Spa and beauty equipment
Living Earth Crafts: Spa and beauty equipment
Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Aquaform s.r.l.: Water experiences and hydrotherapy solutions
Industrial washing machines
Miele Company Limited: Industrial washing machines
Lockers
Crown Sports Lockers: Lockers
Property & Tenders
Stratford, East London.
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Property & Tenders
Y Felinheli, LL56 4QN
Newmark
Property & Tenders
Diary dates
21-24 Sep 2026
The Langham Huntington Pasadena , Pasadena, United States
Diary dates
28-29 Sep 2026
Grand Ballroom, METT Singapore, Singapore
Diary dates
06-08 Oct 2026
Messe Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Diary dates
22-22 Oct 2026
QEII Conference Centre, London,
Diary dates
29-31 Oct 2026
Impact Exhibition & Convention Center Bangkok,Thailand, Bangkok, Thailand
Diary dates
29-31 Oct 2026
IMPACT Exhibition Center, Bangkok, Thailand , Bangkok, Thailand
Diary dates
14-15 Nov 2026
The Kromhouthal , Amsterdam, Netherlands
Diary dates
26-29 Oct 2027
Koelnmesse Exhibition Centre, Cologne, Germany
Diary dates
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