To ensure students thrive academically and personally, universities must prioritize the promotion of students’ emotional and physical wellness. 

Thankfully, there are several ways in which you can help promote student wellness at your universities, setting them up for greater success. Many incredible individuals, such as those at the student unions, are already doing a lot to assist students by offering support, safe spaces for discussions, and advice. They even provide access to gyms for physical recreation, which is a fantastic way to boost wellness. But what about the students who find even getting started with exercise overwhelming? How can we support them?

What Is Student Wellness

Wellness is a term we hear a lot these days, especially in the fitness industry. We hear things like, “How can we improve the wellness journey of our members?” or “How can we enhance the member wellness experience?” But do we truly grasp what wellness really means?

According to the Oxford dictionary, wellness is “the state of being in good health, especially as an actively pursued goal.” But what exactly does “good health” entail? Well, it encompasses physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being. And when we talk about student wellbeing, it certainly encompasses these aspects.

Wellness has several dimensions, including emotional well-being (coping effectively with life and creating satisfying relationships) and physical well-being (recognizing the need for physical activity, healthy foods, and sleep).

In this article, we will explore various activities and programs that can empower students to cope effectively with life’s demands, build satisfying relationships, recognize the importance of physical activity, make healthy dietary choices, and prioritize adequate sleep.

Cultivating Emotional Well-being 

Emotional well-being is crucial for students to cope with the pressures and demands of university life. Universities can implement the following activities and programs to support students in this aspect. 

1. Counseling and Mental Health Services: Establishing comprehensive counseling services provides students with access to professional guidance, therapy, and resources to manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health concerns effectively.

2. Peer Support Programs: Encouraging peer-to-peer support programs, such as mentorship initiatives and support groups, allows students to connect with and receive support from their peers who may have faced similar challenges.

3. Mindfulness and Meditation: Offering mindfulness and meditation content through virtual and a digital mobile app can help students develop skills to manage stress, enhance self-awareness, and improve concentration.

4. Wellness Workshops and Seminars: Conducting workshops and seminars on topics like stress management, resilience, time management, and emotional intelligence equip students with practical tools for navigating university life successfully.

Nurturing Physical Well-being 

Physical well-being is closely linked to overall wellness. To support students in prioritizing their physical health, universities can implement activities and programs.

1. Fitness Offerings: In addition to providing well-equipped fitness centers, sports facilities, and recreational activities, it is important to offer fitness options anytime and anywhere students want to practice fitness. The availability of a wide variety of fitness alternatives encourages students to engage in regular physical exercise, improving cardiovascular health, reducing stress, and boosting mood. Make sure you include virtual fitness options, mobile apps, and other digital options in your fitness mix.

2. Healthy Eating Initiatives: Offering nutritious food options in campus dining facilities, educating students about balanced diets, and promoting healthy eating habits can positively affect their physical health and overall well-being.

3. Sleep Awareness: Raising awareness of the importance of adequate sleep through workshops, campaigns, and educational materials helps students understand the benefits of good sleep hygiene and develop healthy sleep patterns. Comprehensive sleep and meditation options should be available to students 24/7 via virtual content or a mobile app.

4. Wellness Challenges and Competitions: Organizing wellness challenges can encourage students to prioritize physical health while fostering a sense of fun, camaraderie, and healthy competition.

Fostering Satisfying Relationships 

Building and maintaining healthy relationships is essential for students’ emotional well-being. Universities can promote satisfying relationships through social clubs, extracurricular activities, physical fitness programs, community engagement, and inclusion programs.

This will provide opportunities for them to connect with like-minded peers, fostering a sense of belonging and support. They help students develop empathy, social skills, and meaningful connections with others. Inclusion programs create a welcoming and inclusive campus environment for students from various backgrounds, helping to foster a sense of belonging.

How Wexer Helps Promote Student Wellness

Wexer makes it easy to provide physical fitness, mindfulness, and meditation sessions accessible 24/7. Students can access the extensive collection of Wexer fitness and wellness content anytime and anywhere. The Wexer WebPlayer is a white-labeled, web-based product that allows your members to stream exercise classes and content to any internet-enabled device, 24/. It allows students to access content in the comfort of their own rooms or in a safe space on campus. You can create designated areas where students can virtually engage in fitness and wellness practices. This way students can be around others who may share similar feelings, while helping to foster personal connections.

Offering a wide range of student wellness activities, from high-intensity sports to yoga, pilates, or even simple breathing classes, can allow students to regroup and equip them with valuable tools for their emotional and physical wellness journey.

Universities can also access and gather data on the content being streamed. Then they can tailor class collections and live streams to cater to the specific demands of the students. Moreover, you can even upload content to promote the wellness programs offered at your university, creating a sense of community. 

Supporting student wellness is vital to their overall success. By providing accessible mindfulness and exercise options, such as through digital platforms like Wexer, you can empower your students and help them navigate their wellness journeys more effectively. 

Together, we can create a thriving community that prioritises student wellbeing. With the Wexer WebPlayer you can own your own on-demand content allowing students to stream wellness classes and content to any internet-enabled device, 24/7.

If you would like to find out more about how we can help you, click the link below to contact Laura or reach out to her on LinkedIn. 

laura.philips@wexer.com

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You might think of it as a gentler side to fitness – the yin to HIIT’s yang – and it’s all about taking care of your body and mind. It’s about recovering from your workouts and creating some headspace in stressed times.

And it’s a huge growth area, with our Q3 data showing a significant rise in usage of our Stretch and Recover category. We’re seeing high levels of interest in all-round stretching sessions to relax the body, but also in targeted sessions for desk-sitters, for example, who need particular stretches and movements after spending a large portion of their day at the office.

Our Wellness category is also growing in popularity, including the broad range of meditation sessions we offer – a trending content genre. Most users prefer short meditations that provide a quick mental boost during the day or around bedtime, including using some of our dedicated bedtime meditations or sleep stories.

Look After Yourself In 30 minutes – or Less

When it comes to workout time, our data is clear and confirms previously observed trends: short workouts are trending. Indeed, 84% of all workouts selected on our Web Player have a duration of less than 30 minutes.

The most popular workout durations are 10–20 minutes and 20–30 minutes – but that may change soon, as usage of the 0–10-minute category is up almost 8% this quarter. The trend towards shorter and shorter workouts and sessions continues.

In turn, this is casting a spotlight on the value of Wexer’s large, varied workout library:

• You can always find something relevant, wherever you are and whenever you need to squeeze a workout into your busy schedule.
• It’s easier to experiment: You can try things you normally wouldn’t, as you aren’t committing yourself to a long workout.
• Stack and build: 30 minutes available to work out means you can stack 3 x 10-minute workouts to create precisely the session you want.

Top 25 Fitness and Wellness Options = Huge Diversity

As mentioned previously, one of the main advantages of Wexer’s digital library is the huge variety it offers. Certainly, when looking at our top 25 titles, it’s clear you can look after yourself by taking full advantage of the breadth and diversity of our library, with almost all training types and categories represented.

The top 25 includes six yoga classes or yoga-inspired stretch sessions. Another six classes focus on stretching, recovery practices or meditation, confirming the holistic fitness trend. The remainder of the top-ranking classes range from classic cardio workouts to dance moves to a lot of strength and conditioning sessions: HIIT-based, core-focused… you name it, it’s there in the list!

Find out more about Wexer’s unparalleled content library and how it could add value to your customers at info@wexer.com

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Movement for Active Recovery

In fact, recovery doesn’t necessarily mean total inactivity: if your body is aching and stiff after training, taking a more active approach is a good way to speed up your recovery.

We’re talking active recovery, which is essentially low-intensity exercise such as stretching or yoga. It works because it improves circulation in muscles and tissue, flushes away lactic acid and boosts the metabolism. As such, it’s a vital part of the overall exercise picture.

Diving a little deeper into the benefits of stretching and yoga for recovery, we think this is a pretty compelling list:

• It maintains the range of motion in joints
• It keeps muscles flexible and can therefore prevent injuries
• A calm stretching or yoga routine lowers your blood pressure and activates the parasympathetic nervous system
• It flushes the lactic acid from your muscles that has been built up after exercise
• It reduces stress
• It feels good, enhancing your mood and releasing endorphins
• It can help your overall performance in other sports
• It can improve posture by reducing muscle tension and tightness

How To Do Active Recovery

The same rules apply for active recovery as for training: start gently and ease your way into it. Don’t overly push yourself.

For both yoga and stretching, it’s important to take your time and allow your body to settle into the poses. Focus on your breathing and concentrate on your body. Perform movements with the same concentration and intent as you would doing high-intensity training.

It shouldn’t hurt. Some yoga positions and stretching can feel uncomfortable, but you shouldn’t feel any sharp pain.

Active Recovery Is Trending

Wellbeing is a hot topic on Wexer’s platform, with sessions that allow users to slow down and look after their body and/or mind in high demand. It’s evidence of a growing interest in recovery, whether that’s recuperating from strenuous exercise or easing tension after a busy day at work.

“Gentle movements like stretching or yoga can certainly help improve recovery and overall wellbeing,” says Morten Andersen, Global Head of Content at Wexer. “We see more users picking up on that, realising that movement is often better than simply surrendering to the couch.”

And so the recovery revolution is underway – yet for many people, doing something active for physical and mental recovery and wellbeing still takes some getting used to.

“We’re confident that most people can learn to wind down and enjoy the softer side of fitness,” says Andersen. “If you allow yourself a couple of recovery sessions to get familiar with the process, there’s a great chance you’ll quickly feel the revitalising benefits, as well as enjoying improved overall mental and physical wellbeing.”

And Wexer has some great new content to help you on your way, adds Andersen: “Yogaia has provided us with some great sessions that encompass gentle stretches, movement and yoga. I strongly recommend everyone give it a go.”

Try Yogaia Recovery Classes 

Yogaia have picked 3 of their favourite classes to help you recover and become more flexible. You can try them out on the Wexer platform.

1. Relaxed Stretch
   A silky, gentle restorative class to help you calm your mind and relax your body. Focused on getting you grounded this class is suitable for anyone looking for more balance and relaxation.
2. Slow Gentle Flow
   A gentle and sweet class of movement and breathing that will take you through some lovely twists, lunges and gentle backbends in an approachable flow.
3. Stretch in 10
   Perfect for post-workout but great as a standalone class, enjoy ten minutes of blissful stretching. Focus is on opening inner thighs, quadriceps and nice juicy stretches for your back and the sides of the body.

Find out more about Yogaia and Wexer’s other fantastic recovery-focused content at info@wexer.com

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And when it comes to recovery, of course, there’s nothing better than sleep. Sleep gives our bodies time to repair, rest and recover from our efforts and turn our hard work into tangible physical progress.

It doesn’t stop there, either, with research revealing the critical role that sleep plays in our every waking moment and every aspect of our health – from recovery, muscle repair and protein synthesis to weight management, diabetes, immunity and brain health.

Sleep is the new king of wellness!

Sleep-specific content

Yet in today’s fast-paced, always-connected world, a good night’s sleep often eludes us – even though that very same, high-pressure world makes sleep more important now than ever.

Wexer is therefore proud to launch a new sleep channel on its Web Player and mobile platforms, in collaboration with long-term partner Sweat Factor – a company headed up by Mike Donavanik, widely regarded as one of the most innovative, productive personalities in virtual fitness.

“In 2021, we launched Self Care by Sweat Factor – a predominantly audio guide-based series of self-care programmes designed to reset, refuel and restore both body and mind,” Donavanik explains.

“We felt it was important to now build on this with content specifically designed to improve people’s sleep, as the ultimate contributor to our holistic wellbeing.”

The channel – Sleep Stories by Sweat Factor – goes live across all Web Players from 1 June 2022. Featuring more than 15 videos to help you relax and fall asleep, the content falls into two categories:

Sleep Stories
These short, spoken stories are designed to calm a busy mind and help you relax, promoting your transition towards a peaceful sleep. Every story is narrated by a soothing voice and touches on various topics while also guiding you into a relaxed, sleepy state.

Soundscapes
Think of all those calming, sleep-inducing background noises that always help your mind feel at rest, from falling rain to the sound of a campfire. Sweat Factor has put together a collection of these soundscapes for you to listen to, to help your mind switch off.

“Whether you choose a sleep story or a relaxing soundscape, it’s all about getting to sleep faster, sleeping more soundly and recovering more efficiently,” says Donavanik.

Holistic wellbeing support

“Quite simply, sleep is the fuel for peak performance in every aspect of life,” says Morten Andersen, Global Head of Content at Wexer. “If we want to live life to the fullest, whether at the gym, at work or with family and friends, we need good quality sleep.”

He adds: “So many people struggle to switch off at night, and I see great potential in using Sleep Stories by Sweat Factor to help overcome this. I’m thrilled to be adding this fantastic new channel to our growing collection of wellness content on the Wexer Web Player.

“We’re committed to supporting our users in every aspect of their fitness and wellbeing journeys, not only through a huge variety of workouts but also by providing world-class content that supports broader wellbeing, recovery and mental health.”

Find out more about Sleep Stories and the Wexer Web Player, contact us at info@wexer.com

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If society hadn’t fully appreciated that before the pandemic – and the resulting lockdown – we certainly appreciate it now.

It’s why Wexer has been actively seeking high-calibre wellness content to add to its broad portfolio of programming – a class library that already includes an extensive yoga, pilates and meditation offering.

“We’re focused on building a holistic library to ensure our users can engage in content that not only delivers excellent physical training and movement, but also inspiring, motivating topics rooted in mental health and wellbeing,” confirms Morten Andersen, global head of content at Wexer.

And Wexer is setting out as it means to go on, with the launch of two world-class self-care channels on its ‘any time, anywhere, any connected device’ Wexer Web Player.

Allow us to introduce you to Mind123 and Self Care by Sweat Factor – two channels dedicated to motivating, inspiring, calming and freeing the mind – both of which are already live on the Wexer platform.

Mind123

Created by the team behind Move123 – whose virtual classes have been a popular choice across the Wexer ecosystem for a number of years now – Mind123 brings together the world’s best experts to share education about health, wellness, self-care and self-development.

With a goal of helping people achieve wellness in mind, body and spirit, the content spans six categories: Health, Nutrition, Beauty, Self, Wealth and Relationships.

Among the 70 videos and talks already on offer – and with more to come – are topics as diverse as managing stress, intermittent fasting, skincare, debt and credit cards, dealing with change, the arrival of a first child, financial considerations during divorce, processed foods, and faking orgasm.

All content is video-based rather than audio podcasts and comes in easy-to-digest two- to 12-minute films to make viewing easy at any time of day; shorter videos provide quick yet tangible tips on a very specific topic, while the longer videos provide a deeper dive into more complex topics.

Some of the most popular sessions so far include:

The skills we need for the future of work

The World Economic Forum has identified 10 key job skills we all need to develop for the future. In this conversation, Energx founder Sean Hall discusses these 10 skills – and why you should start developing them now.

The three Cs of a healthy relationship

Discover what makes great relationship work: Communication, Connection and Compassion. Understand the interdependent nature of the 3 Cs in forging a healthy relationship where values are shared and needs are met.

How do we boost our energy?
This talk explores the key tips for optimal energy in your day-to-day life.

Bedtime rituals

Sleep is incredibly important for good health, good skin and a happy life. Susan Jolly explains how adding structure to your sleep patterns is one of the most wonderful gifts of self-care you can give yourself.

What is a ketogenic diet?

In ketogenic diets, carbohydrate intake is low enough to allow fat burning that produces chemicals known as ketones. This video discusses the production of ketones that may not be found in a regular low-carbohydrate diet.

Self Care by Sweat Factor

Self Care is a new series of videos by Sweat Factor, the company led by legendary trainer Mike Donavanik.

Already a popular content provider on the Wexer platform courtesy of its short format HIIT workouts, the launch of Self Care introduces a calming yin to Sweat Factor’s powerful yang.

The goal of the Self Care series is to help you refocus on yourself, bringing out your ‘best you’ by resetting, refuelling and restoring your body and mind.

Each session lasts 15–30 minutes, so they’re easy to fit into everyday routines, and most are audio-only guides – guided meditations, walks and movement. Many are suitable to do while you’re out on the park, in the gym or even driving; while the mediations focus on the mind in a peaceful way, other programmes are more upbeat and include guidance on incorporating mindful movement – both exercises and stretches.

Wexer’s ‘Self Care by Sweat Factor’ channel currently offers 20 guides and videos, with another 20 to come soon. Examples include:

Visualization Exercise

Discover the power of visualization, creating a visual action board by painting the clearest pictures in your mind.

Rest & Sleep

This class is designed to enhance your rest, so you sleep deeper and more soundly.

Mindfulness of Breathing
Our bodies and minds are working in overdrive for most of the day, which places stress on our central nervous system. This meditation will take you through a modified version of box breathing to slow the heartbeat, increase the flow of oxygen and calm the nervous system.

Mindful Walking | Habit
This class is all about habits; you’ll explore both your good and not-so-good habits with a view to creating an action plan – one that allows you to embrace one habit while working to improve another. You can do this while walking or doing cardio, or you can simply treat it as a meditation.

For more information about the growth of Wexer’s self-care content library please contact us at morten@wexer.com

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For more information on these partners and other Spanish content we offer please get in touch here

To check out some of our latest classes take a look here

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Until now, though, it’s been assumed that such loyalty can only really be built up via direct personal relationships – that is, in live instructor-led classes.

That assumption is now being challenged by premier fitness production studio MegaMace – the producer of high quality virtual classes for such well-known brands as Cyberobics, Beach Body and Daily Burn. In a brand new venture that will see MegaMace create its own virtual class content, the virtual instructor will be put centre stage. The objective: to bring the virtual class experience as close to a live class experience as possible, by creating a sense of direct and personal connection between instructor and exerciser.

Gone are the distracting backgrounds and the backing troupes of additional instructors. In its place, an attractive but simple workout space in which the on-screen instructor is the absolute focus – and the end user feels the instructor is absolutely focused on them.

The style of instruction is very personal – not only the way the films are shot, homing in on the instructor, but in the way the instructor interacts with the camera, talking directly to the end user in a continual chat of instruction and advice, interweaved with personal stories and anecdotes.

It really is as if it’s just you and the instructor, and it’s hoped exercisers will therefore begin to choose their virtual classes based on instructor loyalty – not just class content – in exactly the same way people follow their favourite live instructors, whatever classes they instruct.

Available exclusively through Wexer and due for imminent launch, MegaMace classes will span a wide range of disciplines. The first collection, known as The LOFT SERIES, will feature 15 classes – pilates, cycling, boxing, conditioning and HIIT – to introduce users to the MegaMace approach.

Further collections will follow, with 20 new classes set to launch every quarter, including some progressive courses.

For further information, please contact karen.mason@wexer.com

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Content sharing is the basis of this new alliance, as Wexer CEO Paul Bowman explains, “This important new partnership allows us to offer the excellent content Wellbeats has produced to our approximately 4,000 gyms across more than 50 countries. This is exciting for us as it sits perfectly with our mission: to make world-class exercise accessible to everyone, getting more people active by harnessing the power of technology.”

The strategic alliance will give our clients access to a collection of classes from the Wellbeats’ platform, across all categories; cardio, conditioning, cycling and mind & body.

“Wellbeats has many years’ experience in creating compelling content, with particular expertise in appealing to those new to group exercise. This is therefore an incredibly valuable addition to our content portfolio: our virtual classes already act as a confidence-building stepping stone for many, with 32 percent of people currently using them to prepare for live classes. The availability of Wellbeats classes on our platform will no doubt push these figures even higher.”

“On-demand, virtual fitness is a new, but rapidly growing category that can help club owners engage members and contribute to member retention efforts,” said Jason Von Bank, president and CEO of Wellbeats. “Together, Wellbeats in the US and European-based Wexer play significant roles in that growth and bringing virtual fitness into the homes across the world.  We are excited to be able to bring two powerful and influential brands together in this way.”

The Wellbeats content will be available on the Wexer platform from 1^st May 2019.

For further information please contact us at: info@wexer.com

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‘World-class’ is key here. We partner with the leading content providers from around the world to ensure our class library offers strength in depth: our 1,000+ classes encompass all your members’ favourites from over 20 content partners, from Zumba to Beachbody and its Insanity workout; My Yoga Works to the Boxx; Piloxing to Sufferfest’s cycling workouts.

Up until now, though, any customers wanting to access the incredible line-up of CYBEROBICS classes had to sign up for a premium package with Wexer.

We were keen to change this: if we want to achieve our mission, we need to do everything we can to bring ‘world-class’ closer to ‘everyone’ – and that means ensuring everyone has access to every single inspirational class on our platform.

That’s why we’re delighted to announce that in the coming months, all CYBEROBICS classes on the Wexer platform are now available to each and every Wexer customer at no additional charge.

If you haven’t yet tried CYBEROBICS for yourself, be prepared to be blown away: these truly are no-expense-spared works of art.

For every new class, the workout concept is created by sports scientists, while scouts in the United States look for the perfect, jaw-dropping location and hold extensive trainer casting sessions. Production then uses a team and equipment worthy of Hollywood, filming in 4K quality and with multiple cameras to capture the action from all angles.

Perfectly tailored soundtracks are then recorded for each workout, as well as voiceovers – currently in five different languages. Classes are updated regularly, but more than 30 different classes are already available to Wexer customers in each language: English, German, Spanish, Italian and Polish.

Whatever type of class you want – cardio or conditioning, cycling or mind-body – it’s fair to say that CYBEROBICS has it covered in style. Get ready to experience tai chi, core, bootcamp, HIIT, cycle, hip hop dance, yoga, kettlebells, stretch, jazz dance and far more… all as you’ve never experienced them before.

For more information please get in touch at info@wexer.com

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These channels – Circuits, Fusion and Rev – offer a wide range of classes for your members so there is something for everyone, even those on a tight schedule.

The channels are as follows:

CIRCUITS:

FUSION:

REV:

For more information about any of these classes, please get in touch at: info@wexer.com

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