Everything we consume has an environmental impact, and consumers are more aware of that than ever. 40% of UK shoppers ‘actively buy products that are environmentally and animal friendly, with a further 41% keeping these issues in mind when purchasing’. Businesses also recognise this shift in public awareness. Brands helping customers to manage eco-friendlier lifestyles…

What is Hydrogen? Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element in the universe. It’s everywhere. Colourless, odourless, and tasteless, it’s ‘one of the main compounds of water and organic matter’ on Earth but you’ll also find it throughout our solar system. Our sun is 91% hydrogen. The stars beyond our galaxy are all made from…

It’s official. It’s our fault. According to an IPCC report released earlier this month, humans are ‘unequivocally’ responsible for rising global temperatures. The report states that 245 global experts and 195 governments are in agreement: Human activity is accelerating the warming of our planet. It’s not the only release of an IPCC report, either. Draft…

Product specs will always include the flywheel weight, but what does a flywheel on an exercise bike do?  What is a flywheel on a stationary bike? The flywheel is the weighted disc that sits either at the front or back of a stationary bike. It connects to the pedals via a chain or a belt and stores the rotational energy generated…

Corporate wellness programs address psychological wellness in the workplace. The focus is a shift from physical safety (what was considerably more of a concern 100 years ago) to mental wellbeing. While the chronic health conditions associated with factory work are largely a thing of the past, the impact of chronic stress in the 21st century…

Many of us see the benefits of being environmentally friendly. And as we change our shopping habits and adapt our lifestyles to incorporate eco-friendlier behaviours, we’re also incentivising businesses and industries to go greener, too. Our homes are a great place to start. We all have some degree of control over our living spaces even…

We took the RE:GEN down to the Gymshark Lifting Club and let their team take it for a spin!  Here are some of their favourite features: The Design The ability to generate your own electrical power The Sweatcoin incentives We spoke to Jonny Hammond, Head Coach at the GSLC to get his opinion…   It’s…

Trying to move towards an eco-friendly lifestyle can seem overwhelming. Few of us realise the implications our fast-moving and disposable lifestyles have on the environment until we’re forced to take inventory of it. Everything from the holidays we take, to the food we eat, the products we buy; even the way we shower has an…

 Companies don’t always take responsibility for the physical health of their employees, but maybe they should. Increased productivity is just one of the benefits that exercise has on workers.  Reducing the impact of presenteeism is another. According to the British Heart Foundation,  businesses that invest in the physical and mental health of their employees could…

Wellness is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal”. Employee wellness therefore is the mental and physical wellbeing of each employee within the workforce and the organisations interest to make this a priority.   as the Dalai Lama XVI said.   It is…

How can exercise increase focus and productivity in the workplace? Ever felt like you’re stuck in a rut at work? Lacking productivity and struggling to focus? Whilst you’re definitely not alone, that doesn’t help you break out of it! We’ve all heard the sayings “go for a walk”, “do some exercise”, “get those endorphins flowing”.…

What is Presenteeism? Presenteeism is when employees go to work when they’re feeling unwell. Debra Lerner, professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, told the Harvard Business Review that presenteeism was about “…people hanging in there when they get sick and trying to figure out ways to carry on despite their symptoms,”. This will often impact productivity.  The website E-days…

Employees with a greater sense of wellbeing are more productive and businesses are more profitable when employees are happy and engaged in their jobs. That’s why companies should pay attention to it, but how do you measure workplace wellbeing? There are several different ways to measure workplace wellbeing Use anonymous surveys to ask employees what…

What is Employee Wellbeing (and why is it important?) Employee wellbeing used to be synonymous with physical safety: the prevention of accidents and the reduction of harm in the working environment. But the idea has evolved. Now employers are focusing attention on the mental and emotional wellbeing of their employees.   Common sense tells us…

  Luckily, the benefits of sustainability in the workplace can go beyond an environmental impact. One of the biggest misconceptions is that sustainability means giving something up or spending more for the greater environmental good. It can make eco-friendly business practices harder to sell to company bosses. But whilst it’s true that sustainability often meaning…

It’s one little word that keeps rippling through the business world. Your company may already be embracing it. Maybe it’s not. But consumers aren’t the only ones becoming more eco-conscious. Employees (and prospective employees) are too.     We all have a responsibility to be eco-friendlier. That’s as true for CEOs of billion-dollar companies as much as for…

It sounds like a stupid question. Most people are familiar with exercise bikes. Or they at least understand the basic principles: that it’s a piece of exercise equipment common both in homes and in gyms. The resemblance between an indoor bike and a road bike is also clear (as are its differences, it’s fixed in…

She’s electric.    Introducing the RE:GEN, the world’s first electricity generating fitness bike for the home.    Energym has unveiled the RE:GEN: an indoor fitness bike that captures and converts human power into clean electricity able to charge electronic devices. Energym’s announcement comes ahead of the RE:GEN’s May 2021 launch on the IndiGoGo crowdfunding platform.     Energym’s engineering and product design team has spent 2-years developing the technology alongside some of the country’s top universities.   The RE:GEN captures the power generated during…

The opposite of microgeneration is a nuclear power plant or off-shore wind farm. You can’t power an entire house from a single bike, that’s true. But if you’re drawing power from the entire fitness community – both at home and from gyms – then that power starts adding up. There are ten million gym members…

  How one Birmingham start-up is using exercise in the race against climate change.     In the 1997 sci-fi blockbuster The Matrix, Morpheus tells Neo that the machines are using human-powered battery farms to create power. Clever but very, very creepy. Don’t worry. Energym isn’t harvesting people as a power source. But it is using gym equipment to…

And that’s a little bit like being in a start-up. Years are spent developing a product or a service with little or no media coverage. No one knows who you are. Sometimes you can’t even share what you’re doing with family or friends. With the RE:GEN much of this secrecy had to do with its innovative technology.…

Crypto has grown out of obscure digital communities and into the mainstream. Now anyone can invest in Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Neo, or any of the other seven thousand cryptocurrencies in existence. More Asimov than Bank of England, they certainly sound sexier. Futuristic. Exciting. The promise of a more secure and transparent way of making and completing transactions and their…

You’d think picking a stationary bike was easy. Just two pedals, a handlebar, and a flywheel, right? That was before smart-fitness bikes started appearing in showrooms and on websites with sexed-up product feature lists boasting all sorts of modern fitness wizardry. Technology makes our lives easier, but it also makes products more expensive to buy and those purchases more difficult to justify.   We want to make things easier…

  Energym, a pioneering UK health tech startup, and Sweatcoin, a digital health incentives application that rewards healthy lifestyle choices, have partnered to enable Energym’s customers to get incentives through their workouts. Customers can earn sweatcoins for completing a workout, and then spend them in the custom-built Energym marketplace.     At a time where…

We all want to exercise more efficiently.  Sometimes it’s not about the joy of riding; it’s about maximising our results whilst minimising the time we spend doing it.  But can we expect to reap the health benefits of cycling 15 – 20 minutes a day?   Is 15 minutes of cycling a day enough? Any exercise is better than no exercise at all.  Remembering…

Switzerland makes me think of Toblerone. But you’re probably more refined than that.  You might think of Rolex watches, pocket knives or cheese with holes in it. If you’re really fancy, you might say clockwork or CERN, but Switzerland is also home to the 2000-Watt Society. It’s hard to imagine what 2000-watts (or 2kW) looks…

Getting a few rides under your belt will help. Positioning the saddle and handlebars correctly can also make a big difference to the comfort of your ride, but why are indoor bikes so uncomfortable? And what can riders do to relieve sore sitz bones, aching coccyx, and chafing? Why are Indoor Cycling seats so uncomfortable?…

Or so the saying goes. It’s one reason that stationary bikes are a staple in most gyms.  Many of us already have experience riding them.  They’re far more beginner-friendly and far less intimidating than treadmills, ellipticals and fixed-weight machines. But can something so simple really be that effective? What are the benefits of a stationary…

2020 was a tough year, no kidding. And it’s going to be a while until we’re back to something resembling normality. COVID-19 has complicated our personal and professional lives in ways few could have imagined before the pandemic. We’ve all been told by several Government-backed scientists that regular exercise is crucial in reducing the risk…

New year, new me – right? If only it was as simple as setting an intention. New year fitness goals may be easy to write down but they’re tough to keep up. This has never been truer than right now.  COVID-19 has closed the gyms and made group exercise, even outdoors, impossible. Our free time now…

Which is better: cycling or treadmill? Cycling and running both have advantages and disadvantages, and the weight of one over the other will depend on an individual’s circumstances and needs. What’s better for one person isn’t necessarily best for another. Before we explore this in more depth, it’s worth noting that whilst both running and…

Indoor bikes are sexier than they used to be.  Remember when indoor bikes were paired right down and stripped back to basics? Pedals, handlebars, an uncomfortable saddle…If you were lucky, there was a drinks holder.  Then sensors, calorie counters, heart-rate monitors started appearing on exercise bikes and now you have indoor bikes with touch screens and…

Indoor fitness bikes and exercise bikes aren’t the same, but they are part of the stationary bike family. Both resemble the type of outdoor bicycle you may have ridden as a child. Both have pedals, wheels, handlebars and a saddle but unlike those childhood bikes, they’re fixed in place no matter how hard you pedal.…

Will Cycling Give You Abs? Cycling won’t give you rock-hard abs but that doesn’t mean that your core won’t benefit.  And building a stronger core will make you a better cyclist, too.  In cycling, you use your abs for stabilisation; your core keeps you steady and stable in the saddle. This is intensified when you’re…

Why are Indoor Bikes So Expensive? Of course, it depends what you’re looking for.  Indoor bikes vary in price from basic set-ups costing around one hundred dollars to the more advanced models costing thousands. People also tend to lump together the different types of stationary bike. You have an upright bike resembling the more traditional…

We’ve all had buyer’s remorse: the dead-weight that drops into your stomach after a big purchase.   It’s common with exercise equipment because aren’t we all looking for that magic bullet? We all want to find a way to make our workouts more effective, efficient and enjoyable.  And Peloton bikes are sleek and they’re sexy, and…

Start-ups need momentum to grow. But it’s difficult in the beginning. New businesses may feel unable or unqualified to access the relevant funding, facilities, or the professional expertise required to start scaling up quickly. And innovation can be a lonely road; it’s tough to blaze a trail in science or technology, and start-ups may not…

Whatever you think about the Trump administration, its track record on climate change has been disappointing. From calling climate change a hoax (but then later saying it’s a ‘very serious subject’) to pulling out of the Paris Agreement (and then saying the environment is ‘very important’), Trump’s commentary on climate change has frequently been confusing and…

It’s one thing to attract new gym members and another to keep them paying their membership month after month. You only need to look at the numbers in January and then compare them to memberships in March or April. Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the gym industry, it’s never been more important…

We’re big fans of indoor cycling.  It’s one of the reasons why we’re putting microgeneration devices into static bikes so that gyms can generate their own clean energy, reducing electricity bills and carbon footprints. But the indoor fitness bike isn’t just useful in renewable energy generation; it’s great for health and fitness, too. We wanted…

It’s been quite the year. COVID-19 has made an unprecedented social and economic impact on the lives of billions of people around the world.  It has infected around 420,000 people in the United Kingdom alone, leaving many with long-term health issues. But aside from the obvious impact of the pandemic, there’s also the attention it…

We’ve written a lot about climate change in recent months and about the importance of celebrating and commemorating the dates dedicated to shining a light on environmental issues. Business Clean-Up Day World Bicycle Week World Environment Day It’s a great way to mobilise people, raise awareness and to educate children on things like biodiversity, habitat…

For most UK businesses right now, becoming more sustainable can feel like a big decision and one made more difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic and its legacy. Businesses have a lot on their plate right now and going green can seem like a distraction from more pressing financial and social matters. Gyms and fitness centres…

You’ll hear a lot about the advantages of going green and most of us will agree that it’s a good thing, but small business owners could argue that it can hard to be both economically viable and environmentally friendly. We’ve written before about why businesses have to respond to climate change and how gyms can…

We all know how important exercise is for our mental and physical health but we wanted to look more closely at why working out is good for the heart.  Many of us will be familiar with the short-term benefits of exercise: the runners high or the half-inch off the waist, but there’s more to staying…

It’s been a funny old year but that’s not stopping the Wildlife Trust celebrating everything in and under the sea for National Marine Week 2020. And it isn’t even a week at all. Running from July 25th until August 9 2020, National Marine Week will take place over 15 days to accommodate all the UK’s…

Most of us feel that we need to do more to protect the environment. You might already participate in behaviours that minimise your impact on the world around you: by taking public transport, recycling the plastic you use, opting for paperless bills, or driving an electric or hybrid car.  You might also be part of…

The more obvious signs of climate change are happening thousands of miles from where we live: the deforestation in the Amazon and the melting permafrost in Siberia, for example.  Australia’s bushfires happened in another time zone. Whilst many of us are horrified, saddened or angry to see the devastation, it can feel like someone else’s…

Last month was the hottest May on record. 2020 was already a hot mess but this is getting ridiculous. Few will complain about glorious sunshine during the UK’s lockdown but these latest global record-breaking temperatures remind of us the other big challenge we’re facing: climate change. According to BBC Science Focus website, the EU’s global…

Sustainability is a powerful marketing and buying tool.   Customers still want quality, affordable products and services but they also want to know that the brands and services they’re engaging with align with their values. For example, if you’re against the use of palm oil then it’s likely you’ll avoid companies that use palm oil…

Clients and consumers are more environmentally aware than ever, and they’re choosing products and services that align with their beliefs and lifestyles. Green marketing helps businesses create the stories behind their brand by delivering a positive environmental message that’s not just about building a customer or client base, but about creating a community. What is…

On May 20th, a European Media agency leaked details of the stimulus package that would help the EU economy recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. EuActive said the leak came from a ‘trusted source’, and one week later, in a speech given before the European Parliament, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the EU’s…

It’s hard to think about anything other than COVID-19 right now. Unfortunately, environmental challenges don’t disappear just because we’re facing a pandemic.  World Environment Day 2020 (WED) will look and feel a little different this year.  With much of the world either in lockdown or adhering to some form of social distancing, it will mostly…

Fitness isn’t a one-time gig.  It’s a journey that can take a lot of time and a lot of effort.  Some people will work at their fitness because that in itself is a reward but others may feel that their motivation is only as good as the incentive they’re getting to keep showing up and…

World Environment Day on June 5th 2020 is celebrating biodiversity.  The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many of us don’t have the freedom to explore and experience the world around us like we used to.  We can’t take the holidays we want and even visiting local beauty spots has been out of bounds for many…

There’s been a boom in bike sales since the UK entered lockdown back in March.  Bike chain Halfords has reported a 23% jump in shares as more of us take to two wheels as a means of exercising and commuting safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. It would be great to see people continuing to cycle…

COVID-19 has changed a lot of things, and it’s still unclear as to whether or not it’s changed the fitness industry forever. UK gyms have been shut since the lockdown was first announced back in March, and it’s unlikely that they’ll be reopening in the near future. But people are still exercising. We know how…

The Coronavirus pandemic is having a huge impact on people’s physical and mental health.  Since the UK Government’s lockdown measures began on March 23rd, many people have been struggling with social distancing measures.   Family members from different households have been unable to visit one another and children have been kept from school friends.  Employees…

The global fitness industry is worth around $100 billion and shows no sign of stopping or slowing down. The market is strong but so is the competition. Prospective members have a huge choice when it comes to finding a gym so it’s never been more important to stand out from your rivals. One way of…

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing events to go digital. Earth Day 2020 is all about the environment and the outdoors but this year it’s being celebrated remotely.  The Importance of Earth Day Earth Day began in the USA on April 22nd 1970 and has been held annually ever since. It’s now a global environmental education…

We’re all wired for short-term hits and immediate gratification. As consumers, we can be impatient to get what we want. Businesses should be different. Often, they’re not. Short-termism is when businesses make decisions based on short-term benefits. It’s recruiting an unsuitable candidate where you’re desperate for the additional manpower; it’s accepting £10 today rather than…

What hasn’t the COVID-19 outbreak affected? We’re all adapting to new circumstances and situations as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic but for the global fitness industry, it’s been a particularly challenging time. The industry does so much in-person: gyms, classes, PT sessions, team sports, group training, community events, etc.   So, when the UK Government announced tighter…

We’re all adjusting to life in lockdown. Whether we’re working from home or not working at all, caring for children or looking after the sick or vulnerable, COVID-19 is affecting everything: the way we live, work and socialise, and it’s having an impact on the environment, too. How is COVID-19 Affecting our Carbon Footprint? A…

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned daily life upside down. The threat to human life and health has always been at the fore but now we’re starting to see the implications of social distancing and isolation on the UK economy.  Some businesses won’t survive this pandemic.  Gym owners have a responsibility to ensure the health and…

It’s hard to imagine a world without COVID-19.   Coronavirus is transforming the way we live, work and travel.   What was unthinkable months ago is now commonplace: international borders closing, sporting fixtures postponed, planes grounded, mass gatherings cancelled.   There’s no doubt that the pace of the Coronavirus outbreak is deeply unsettling.  The pandemic…

There’s not a day in the calendar that doesn’t now have a call-to-action or a cause to celebrate attached to it. And one of the year’s most important dates is World Wildlife Day on March 3rd.   World Wildlife Day was created to raise awareness around protecting the planet’s wild animal and plant populations, to…

Business Clean Up Day happens each year in Australia in February.    The concept is simple: you register your intent, you pick a local spot that would benefit from a litter pick, you grab your work colleagues, employees or team and then you dedicate 2 or more hours to cleaning that area up.  The initiative has…

In 2019, Scottish wind turbines produced almost twice the amount of electricity needed to power every household in Scotland. Between January and July 2019, it achieved 9,831,320 megawatt hours (MWh) of wind energy. Robin Parker, WWF Scotland’s Climate and Energy Policy Manager says, “These are amazing figures, Scotland’s wind energy revolution is clearly continuing to…

The Carbon Footprint of Food Food production is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. It’s an astounding figure made even more so by the fact that a third of all food produced globally is wasted.  We’re regularly told to reduce the number of flights we take each year and to switch to…

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but this year… we gave Gymshark a Human Powered Christmas Tree. Date: Wednesday 11th December, 2019 Location: Gymshark Lifting Club, Solihull, Birmingham Last month, to bring the world of fitness some Christmas cheer, we decided to use our clean energy tech for festive good and to light up…

Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough, Australian bushfires, MET Office figures announcing the last 10 years as the ‘warmest decade on record’… You can’t switch on the television or the radio at the moment without being confronted by news reports on global warming, calls for environmental action or extreme weather despair. In 2019, the UK declared a…

In 2014, Barack Obama – then US President – told the UN climate summit in New York “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.” We no longer have the luxury of ignoring the effects of global warming.  What’s been a…

The social impact of climate change in the UK isn’t as widely discussed as environmental or economic influences. We all understand the role global warming plays in rising sea levels, bush fires and extreme heatwaves, but climate change will have an impact on people’s daily lives here in the UK, too. Social impact refers to…

Being eco-friendly used to mean separating the paper, cardboard and plastic from our rubbish bins. Planting trees, dropping fifty pence pieces into green charity shakers made us all feel we were doing our bit for climate change. We used to think that unleaded petrol and printing on recycled paper was enough. Our customers and members…

CSR is corporate social responsibility.  A company’s sense of responsibility towards the community and environment (both ecological and social) in which it operates. The Business Dictionary What is Environmental CSR? The Giving Machine website uses Unilever as an example of what environmental CSR can look like.  Back in 2014, Unilever started compressing deodorant cans managing…

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), global obesity has tripled since 1975 with around 650 million people now classified as obese. The last time the Earth’s atmosphere contained this much C02 was 3 million years ago when, according to Wired, ‘sea levels were several meters higher and trees grew at the South Pole’. 1…

A carbon footprint is the impact a business or individual has on the environment.   It relates to how much greenhouse gas is produced in order to sustain your business. Greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change: the gradual warming of the planet due to increased infrared radiation. For businesses, carbon footprints can mean the…

Food waste contributes more to the climate crisis than plastic. Globally, food waste is responsible for around 8% of greenhouse gas emissions each year. A report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) suggests that as much as a third of food produced for human consumption is either lost or wasted. That’s around 1.3 billion tons…

(+1 easy way to make a little extra cash) According to a State of the Industry report, there are 700+ gyms in the UK. The estimated market value of the fitness industry is now £4.9 billion strong and growing. It’s good news for anyone in the business. Whether you’re selling a product, a lifestyle or…

[MEDIA RELEASE] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 28/11/2019ENERGYM Energym’s retro-fit devices turn exercise equipment into clean renewable energy generators, reducing a gym’s energy bills with the potential to power entire neighbourhoods. The UK has 7,000+ gyms and more than 10 million gym members. Energym wants to put those gym rats and bunnies on wheels or rather onto…

And 5 Easy Ways Your Business Can Become More Environmentally Friendly… Climate change in the North Pole probably feels way above your pay grade. Perhaps, you’re a small local business: a boutique gym or mid-size company specialising in fitness equipment. You might even be the VP of a franchised gym group.  The climate crisis is…

Why it pays to be sustainable… The major non-renewable resource for humankind is time which is why we urge businesses to take control and strive towards putting the United Nation’s environmental Sustainable Development Goals into action. (Goals seven, nine, eleven, thirteen and fifteen to be exact.)  Fossil fuel energy consumption is skyrocketing at an exponential…

Being eco-friendly used to mean separating the paper, cardboard, and plastic in our rubbish bins. It meant planting trees and dropping small change into green charity shakers made us all feel we were doing our bit for climate change. We used to think that unleaded petrol and printing on recycled paper was enough.  Now we know better.  As a business owner, you’ll want to do better, too.   Why Sustainable Gym Equipment Belongs…

(+1 easy way to make a little extra cash) According to a State of the Industry report, there are 700+ gyms in the UK. The estimated market value of the fitness industry is now £4.9 billion strong and growing. It’s good news for anyone in the business. Whether you’re selling a product, a lifestyle or…

[MEDIA RELEASE] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 28/11/2019 ENERGYM Energym wants to put those gym rats and bunnies on wheels or rather onto static bikes, rowing machines and weights. By storing the energy generated by gym-users inside smart batteries, Energym can harness human power as a source of clean energy. Clean energy that then powers that individual…

And 5 Easy Ways Your Business Can Become More Environmentally Friendly… Climate change in the North Pole probably feels way above your pay grade. Perhaps, you’re a small local business: a boutique gym or mid-size company specialising in fitness equipment. You might even be the VP of a franchised gym group.  The climate crisis is…

Why it pays to be sustainable… The major non-renewable resource for humankind is time which is why we urge businesses to take control and strive towards putting the United Nation’s environmental Sustainable Development Goals into action. (Goals seven, nine, eleven, thirteen and fifteen to be exact.)  Fossil fuel energy consumption is skyrocketing at an exponential…