October 2017
The UK’s No 1 fitness industry magazine
‘Search engine’ aims to unite professionals By Christina Eccles
AN industry ‘search engine’ has launched, with the aim of uniting fitness professionals and providing users with the best person for the job. The Session Station has been created by West Yorkshire based personal trainer Andy Myatt who has signed up a variety of mostly local businesses ranging from gyms, personal trainers and fitness classes to sports massage, supplements and physiotherapy; creating a one stop shop for anyone looking for a health and fitness related service or product. Andy said: “We believe the power of the community is always better than going it alone. “So we’re building the UK’s first, all inclusive and all areas covered fitness and health directory. “A directory of everything anyone could ever want in the world of being better, living healthier and being more active.” As part of the initiative, members are encouraged to refer customers who need a specialist service they are unable to provide to their fellow Session Station members; ensuring the client gets the best person for the job and enabling businesses to cross promote their offering.
Andy added: “We’re trying to prevent personal trainers being makeshift physios, supplement shops becoming nutritionists and child sports coaches giving out strength and conditioning advice. Instead, referring to fellow Session Station members for education, cross discipline experience and recommendations. We believe this is for the benefit, not just to the reputation of the professional, but also for the best interests of the client.” The site also includes educational content to offer advice and promote a healthy lifestyle and following its initial success, Andy is now hoping to widen the membership base to cover businesses in more regions. He is also looking to help members – who pay a small annual fee to be listed – forge closer working relationships by organising meet ups. He added: “We believe as professionals that education and community-based relationships are the key to being better professionals. “We can learn from one another in the world of business and careers, educate each other in the latest research and tactics, advise each other from our respective areas of expertise and help each other grow.”
No 289 £3
Number of late-night gymgoers on the rise
Dame Helen Mirren, the Queen, Joanna Lumley and David Attenborough have been named as role models over 60 for living an active life in older age. The results form part of research commissioned by QHotels Health Clubs as part of a campaign to increase awareness of the importance of keeping active at all ages. Over half of participants also said it would be useful to have a health and fitness retirement plan, with over a third wanting it to start in line with workplace pensions or more than 10 years before retirement. *For full story see page 8. Photo credit: s_bukley/Shutterstock.com
THE number of late night gymgoers is on the rise, according to research, which shows the amount of people going to the gym between midnight and 3am has increased this year. Data from 24-hour gym operator Pure Gym shows that through the first four months of 2017, late-night gym attendance (entrants between midnight and 3am) is up 11 per cent on 2016 visits and 26 per cent on 2015. Visitor numbers between those hours have grown by a total of 39 per cent since 2015. Midnight is the most popular hour amongst late-night visitors, growing in attendance by almost half since 2015. Operations director at PureGym Matt Tomlinson said: “The dedication of those going to the gym in the middle of the night shows that people are committed to getting the most out of their days, regardless of their busy schedules. While we’ve often seen shift-workers and bar staff utilise our own 24-hour facilities, we’ve also seen people ending a night out early and opting for a midnight workout instead.”