HCM Handbook editorial director, Liz Terry and Kath Hudson predict key trends, influences and opportunities set to shape the sector, including vagus nerve resets, diagnostics and social prescribing.

As new research from the University of Oxford shows weight loss from medication is not enduring, Liz Terry asks how the industry should respond

There is evidence to show that the way we speak to ourselves has an impact on our behaviour and physical health. Could encouraging self-compassion and positive self-talk help members to achieve their goals?

People might think they’re joining the gym to lose weight but according to ACE’s Dr Erin Nitschke dig deeper and you find it’s actually the other health benefits they want. She and eating disorder expert, Eva Musby, say it’s time to step away from diet culture and shift the focus to fun and adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

The industry veteran has opened Core Life in Saudi Arabia for Kun Investment Holdings, with plans to take the concept to the world’s major cities, as Kate Cracknell discovers

Researchers have found the benefits of being fit far outweigh those of weight loss when it comes to all-cause mortality risk

People deemed obese should concentrate on exercise and staying fit – rather than dieting and weight loss – when it comes to cutting the risk of dying early.

Suffice to say that the pandemic has completely changed the way fitness professionals work and the way consumers work out – and therein lies opportunity.

Maintaining a consistent member experience across a growing health and fitness brand can prove challenging.

Children and young people need more support to navigate the growing number of digital wellness technologies which track and manage their fitness and health.

Dave Asprey, Silicon Valley hacker and the creator of Bulletproof coffee has developed a boutique fitness studio, which uses technology to upgrade members’ health

Neil Grimmer, founder and CEO of personalised nutrition company Habit, will keynote at this year’s Global Wellness Summit, set to take place 6-8 October in Italy.

Exercising is more effective than dieting in limiting daily calorie consumption, scientists at Loughborough University have found.

The fitness industry may be growing, but it needs to do even more to achieve future success. David Minton looks at moves in the private and public sector, and the need for all clubs to better embrace the power of social media

Healthy living sensation The Body Coach has been brought in by Fitness First to help banish the January blues through the power of exercise.

GP referrals for weight management and physical activity programmes are failing to curb obesity, researchers have claimed.

Euromonitor International has published its annual Top 10 Global Consumer Trends forecast report, highlighting an expected boom in consumers' desire for preventative healthcare via digital devices – given the current popularity of fitness and dieting apps.

Doctors suggest a Mediterranean diet may be a better way to tackle obesity than calorie counting.

Given the UK's growing health crisis – alongside the continued rise and fall of dieting trends – the question of the health club sector’s role in offering people specialist programmes and choices to help weight management is becoming increasingly pertinent.

Combining aerobic exercise with resistance training could prove to be the most effective answer to the growing problem of teenage obesity, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

The brain could potentially be retrained to prefer healthy foods, helping people with weight loss and healthy eating plans, according to a small-scale pilot study published in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes.

Supermarket chain Tesco is to continue its push into the health and fitness market, with a new range of healthy food options in a similar vein to those offered by Weight Watchers and Slimming World.

Reaching and maintaining an ideal body weight could be restricted by the body’s defence mechanism, which holds onto the final few pounds to guard against starvation, according to a group of diet experts.

New NHS guidelines for weight loss in England advocate physical activity as part of potentially state-funded weight management programme in a bid to encourage long-term lifestyle changes.

The 12th International Congress on Obesity, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is now underway, with the event’s first day seeing the publishing of a number of leading pieces of research.

Following on from National Obesity Awareness Week and in the wake of new year resolutions, Premier Training is urging people to be cautious when considering crash diets.

Over half of Britons tried to lose weight at some point last year, according to new research from Mintel, which also highlights some of the key trends and tactics adopted by dieters.

Imagine stepping out of your front door and having no clue where you wanted to go: not knowing which way to turn and probably wandering around aimlessly.

Steve Philpott, chief executive of DC Leisure, has said the future is bright for leisure management companies working in local authority centres.