As founder of The Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington has long been a thought leader and trailblazer. A recent Quartz article served to remind us of exactly this fact. Because it was way back in 2016 that Huffington created Thrive Global – a company that, as the home page of its website boldly states, is “on a mission to end the burnout epidemic”. Thrive Global’s is working to “debunk the collective delusion that burnout is the price we must pay for success”.

Indeed, in a recent Deloitte survey, 95% of executives agreed they should be responsible for employee wellbeing, while 83 per cent said they would increase their responsibility to it over the next two years.

Yet increase it they must, because there remains a significant gap between appreciation in principle of the value of employee wellbeing versus acting on ensuring wellbeing is embedded at the heart of a business.

Corporate Wellness Is In Everyone’s Best Interest 

The same Deloitte report found that around one in three employees and executives are constantly struggling with fatigue and poor mental health. That 57% of employees and 69%of executives are seriously considering quitting for a more supportive job. That on average 72% would be more likely to stay with their company if it better supported their wellbeing. And that 68% of employees and 81% of the C-suite see improving their wellbeing as more important than advancing their career.

Yet in spite of all this, obstacles still stand in the way of doing things that would help – taking micro-breaks during the day, finishing work at a reasonable hour, taking a proper lunch break and getting good quality sleep, for example. The most commonly quoted issues: having a heavy workload or stressful job (30 per cent) and/or not having enough time because of long working hours (27%).

It doesn’t help that C-suite executives consistently underestimate how much employees are actually struggling with their wellbeing, or that – while 91% of executives believe their employees look positively on their company’s wellbeing efforts – in fact only 56% of employees believe their employer cares about their wellbeing.

Companies must tune in far better to their workforces’ needs, then act on them.

And it really is in everyone’s best interests. Even as long ago as 2016 – before issues were compounded by the pandemic and the challenges of hybrid working – a study by Global Corporate Challenge found that employees may miss an average of four days annually, but that they’re unproductive for almost 58 days a year. This presenteeism was reported to cost businesses 10 times more than absenteeism.

As Huffington explains: “Employee wellbeing and mental health improve business metrics like retention, attrition, productivity and healthcare costs.”

How to Start Corporate Wellness

The 2022 Employee Wellness Industry Trends Report by Wellable Labs highlights some interesting shifts in focus among organisations already striving to deliver corporate wellness.

• On-demand fitness is hot, appreciated for its flexibility and affordability, and is seeing a scaling up of investment
• On-site classes and reimbursement of gym membership are being dialled back
• Mental health is a top priority and an area where more resource is being added, including meditation, mindfulness and stress management
• Companies appreciate the importance of proper sleep, but have yet to find the resources they need to support their employees in this way

It almost reads like a who’s who of the Wexer offering, with our Mobile ecosystem putting world-class wellness content – covering all of these areas and more – in people’s hands wherever and whenever they need it, through any connected device.

Because it’s all very well encouraging micro-breaks and proper lunch hours, but you do also need to hand your employees the tools to turn these into wellness breaks.

That might be as simple as easing and re-mobilising their bodies after sitting at a desk all day. It might be achieving a moment of calm during their commute, re-energising during their lunch hour by getting their heart pumping, or winding down at the end of a busy day.

Whatever they need, they’ll find it in our ever-growing, market-leading corporate wellness library. We have a huge collection of mind-body and meditation classes. We have relaxation sessions and guided stretching. We’ve partnered with Sweat Factor to offer its fantastic Office Fit series, as well as Self-Care by Sweat Factor. Mind123 takes a holistic, educational approach to all facets and contributors to wellbeing. And we even plug the gap identified by Wellable Labs, providing content around sleep in the shape of Sweat Factor’s Sleep Stories.

And that’s without touching on the vast library of health and fitness content – from cardio and strength to dance, cycling, HIIT and far, far more besides – to get those endorphins flowing, stress released and mental focus regained.

Wexer is here to help you create a first-class corporate wellness for to improve employee wellbeing.

Read more here or get in touch at info@wexer.com

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The partnership will see Wexer Virtual technology harnessed to make Hanu’s world-class content available for on-demand, 24/7 use in gyms, hotels and residential developments across the American continent. End users will be able to enjoy more than 20 different training disciplines, all automatically programmed and customised for each location.

José Antonio Condell, CEO and co-founder of Hanu, says the company has identified strong opportunities within “off-peak hours in gyms, multi-purpose rooms within residential buildings and hotels, and hotel guestrooms”, with the Wexer-Hanu partnership now set to “enable and make profitable the spaces that are under-used for much of the day”.

Felipe Apablaza, Hanu Co-Founder and CEO of DMOOV Fitness Clubs & RFA Fitness Equipment, adds: “Our extensive research into the innovative, disruptive technologies within the health, fitness and wellness industry brought us to Wexer. We are delighted that this partnership will bring our platform and content to an even broader audience.”

“This unique solution for the Latin American market presents fantastic opportunities for both Wexer and Hanu,” confirms Robert Louw, Chief Growth Officer at Wexer. “Adding Hanu’s full range of high-quality content allows us to even better penetrate and serve Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking markets with content that immediately resonates with local audiences.

“Meanwhile, Hanu benefits from a new distribution channel that brings with it significant growth opportunities, both in terms of verticals and geographical territories.

“It is a win-win for both our companies, but also for gyms, hotels, residential developments and consumers alike as this fantastic content becomes available through our platform.”

For more information, get in touch at info@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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CITYROW started life in 2014 as a New York City-based boutique fitness studio–one that specialised in total-body, high-intensity, low-impact workouts using a water-based rowing machine alongside strength training exercises.

It has since grown and become a digital fitness platform offering group fitness experiences led by its team of highly experienced, motivational instructors and perfected in the studio for on-demand use at home, in the gym or on the go.

With a basic premise of supporting sustainable, holistic fitness for anybody of any age and any level, its immersive workouts deliver cardio, strength training, endurance and mobility in every class.

As CITYROW joins Wexer with their unique virtual content, rowing meets the mat for a total, heart-pounding, results-based workout in as little as 20 minutes.

“Rowing works 86% of your muscles in every stroke for a true total body workout,” says Wexer’s Global Head of Content, Morten Andersen. “The result is an intense, efficient yet safe workout that delivers exceptional results without pounding your joints.”

Yet there’s more to CITYROW than rowing; not all workouts even require a rowing machine. There are Signature and Cardio+Core classes that feature high-intensity intervals on the rower combined with mat-based strength exercises, while Endurance, HIIT the Rower and Power Row use the rowing machine for a majority of the workout. But there are also dumbbell-based strength workouts and even bodyweight-only HIIT the Floor, Mat Pilates, Active Yoga and Restorative Yoga classes. In all cases, the content is fresh so you never get bored.

“I started CITYROW because I knew there had to be a better way to work out: sustainable and effective, high-intensity but low-impact,” says its CEO and founder Helaine Knapp. “Results today, body for life. For us, it’s more than a workout. It’s a mission.”

Find out more about CITYROW joins Wexer and all the other fantastic content partners in Wexer’s world-beating library: info@wexer.com

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“At Yogaia, we therefore go beyond yoga and fitness. Our vision is to inspire and guide every body and mind to build wellbeing and self-care into every day, and we offer simple tools and guided online classes to show you how.”

Founded in Finland in 2013, Yogaia was the brainchild of CEO Mikko Petäjä, who realised he was getting stressed by having rush to a studio for yoga class while also juggling a busy work and personal life. He searched for an online alternative that would offer the in-studio experience, but at the time was unable to find one. So he founded one.

The result is a studio that comes to you, on-demand, 24/7, to put wellbeing at your fingertips. Offering all the guided classes your body and mind need – fitness, yoga and mental practice – there are also tried and tested self-care tools that guarantee ‘aha’ moments and that make minutes matter.

And it’s all now available on the Wexer platform.

“We are thrilled to work with Wexer, whose platform provides an amazing opportunity to reach so many people who are interested in wellbeing,” confirms Petäjä.

Go small, feel better

Yogaia believes people often underestimate how much they can improve their wellbeing in five to 10 minutes, meaning they tend to do nothing if they don’t have a longer period of time available.

Its 10 Minutes or Less class collection addresses exactly this issue, proving that minutes do matter when a class is well-designed. Bringing together a selection of all-time favourites, there are options here whether you want to break a sweat or just gently refresh your mind and body. Across all classes, Yogaia’s expert instructors pack a huge amount of goodness into a short amount of time – all without the class feeling rushed.

“If you could feel better in minutes, would you click ‘play’ and follow along?” asks Soininen. “Because with Yogaia, that’s all it takes. It’s why we talk about Yogaia as ‘the smallest thing you can do to feel better today’.”

Another great collection available now on Wexer is Relax and Restore, where classes have been designed to recharge our batteries, balancing out active lifestyles with dedicated time for relaxation and the restoration of mind and body. Most classes involve soothing, mindful movement, but there are also deep relaxation classes and mindfulness sessions.

Try our favourites!

With new live and on-demand classes streamed daily from Yogaia’s studios in London, Los Angeles and Finland – catering for three levels, from beginner to advanced – there’s always a fresh new workout to enjoy. Some of our favourites include…

Deep Relaxation – Yoga Nidra

Deep relaxation practice is gaining more and more popularity as a way to soothe the mind and restore the body.

This simple yet effective meditation practice is instructor-guided, meaning no previous experience is required. Practised while laying down in a comfortable position, the idea is to enter a state of complete physical and mental relaxation by reaching a stage where you’re physiologically asleep but still maintaining internal and external awareness.

Benefits include lower stress levels, improved sleep quality, reduced cognitive and physiological symptoms of anxiety, and improved self-regulation – clarity of thought, control over anger, self-confidence and so on.

Refresh & Reset In 5

This simple mindful movement class always delivers what it promises. It’s the perfect pick-me-up to do in the morning – or, indeed, at any time of day when you need some refreshment for the mind and body!

Find out more about Yogaia and Wexer’s other fantastic global content partners at info@wexer.com

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We’ve crunched all the Web Player usage data from the first half of 2022, across all our customers around the world, and there are some interesting themes emerging…

Strength is strong

Looking across all the different genres of workout available on our platform, strength has emerged as a clear favourite for the first half of this year, accounting for a quarter (25.5%) of all content streamed.

While cardio comes in as the second most popular genre, it accounts for only 13.8% of streams, suggesting that many people still look to the larger equipment of the gym – or perhaps going for a run or bike ride – for their cardio workouts.

Strength workouts, however – often done using smaller pieces of kit or even bodyweight only – are seen as achievable, non gym-based workouts. On a similar vein, bootcamps accounted for 12.1% of streams.

We thought it would be interesting to break the strength data down further, and we found that full-body strength workouts dominated: 42.5% of all strength workouts done through our Web Player platform were full-body. This was closely followed by core workouts, which accounted for 32.5% of the strength workouts selected by our global users.

Complementing in-club

Continuing on the theme of complementing rather than duplicating in-club workouts, we’re still seeing recovery and low impact styles of workout coming through as popular choices on the Web Player.

Yoga alone accounted for 12.3% of all Web Player workouts in H1 2022; if you add together the usage of our yoga, pilates, meditation and stretch & recover content, you get to a nice round 30%.

That’s almost one in three at-home workouts incorporating a good degree of stretching, flexibility and mind-body connection.

We’re hearing a lot of clubs anecdotally reporting that members are doing different workouts at home from what they do in-club, whereby home is seen as a great space for recovery and club for the more high-impact, high-energy workouts. Our data supports this.

Stack it up

There’s a really interesting trend in terms of length of workout selected, too, whereby the most popular class length is 20–30 minutes (38.6%), followed by 10–20 minutes (29.4%).

Class durations of under 10 minutes account for 15.3% of streams, and 30–40 minutes for 12.5%. Anything longer than 40 minutes drops almost off the radar.

However – and here’s the big learning – in almost half of all sessions (47.9%), the actual stream time was less than 10 minutes. Meanwhile, 25.5% of streams lasted 10–20 minutes, and 19.2% 20–30 minutes.

Put another way, while a large proportion of users are selecting workouts that have been recorded as 20- to 30-minute sessions, not everyone is completing those workouts.

What the data suggests they are doing instead is taking the ‘meat’ of those workouts, then switching to a separate, dedicated stretch class for example – for a more comprehensive, extended stretch – rather than using the cool-down of the main workout.

The learning? Digital users want stackable content delivered in bite-sized chunks so they can mix and match at home, building a jam-packed session that fits their mood and needs that day, as well as the time they have available.

Keep it fresh

A final observation, which is a point we’ve made before but which is still absolutely key: members want a steady stream of fresh content, so they always have something new to try and don’t get bored doing the same-old virtual workout from home.

The evidence? We’re seeing significantly more usage on our platform for the content providers who are really active, launching new content on their channels on a regular basis, than for those who upload a class collection and then leave it untouched for months.

For more guidance on the content trends that can help you shape your digital business, get in touch now: 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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The app brings with it a range of new benefits for operator and end user alike – but before we dive into the details, a quick recap of the Web Player.

The Wexer Web Player was designed to give fitness operators an easy-to-implement digital platform that would allow them to put their fitness experiences at customers’ fingertips 24/7, while also owning the experience and being able to charge for it should they wish.

A white labelled web application, the bread and butter of the Web Player is the access it provides to Wexer’s constantly refreshed library of over 1,000 on-demand classes from global content partners – all searchable and presented in collections and influencer-led channels to ensure users can quickly find the content they want.

Alongside all of this sits Connect, a dedicated area of the Web Player that’s unique to each operator. Connect allows operators to upload and stream their own self-produced content – both live-streamed and on-demand, creating content libraries that feature their in-house rockstar instructors – to create personalised, bespoke experiences that perfectly connect with and engage their members. From live streams of over-subscribed classes to mindfulness workshops, cookery classes to nutrition seminars, it all has a home in Connect.

And the great benefit is that everything sits together under one white labelled umbrella – self-produced content and third-party library for strength in depth – on a platform that can be password-protected and paywalled, offered as a standalone portal or embedded into the operator’s app, driving ownership and monetisation options for the operator.

Meanwhile, for the end user, it’s all about convenience and flexibility: Web Player content is accessible any time, anywhere, on any connected device, meaning people can work out wherever they want, whenever suits them.

And now, with the launch of the new Web Player app – available on iOS and Android – the whole experience becomes more flexible still.

Optimised for mobile

As a partner product for the Wexer Web Player, the new app is available as part of a Web Player bundle, with each operator’s app adopting the same design theme as its Web Player for consistency of user experience.

All Web Player content and features – including live-streamed and on-demand Connect content, Class of the Day, Channels and Collections – are accessible via the app, delivering a slick user experience for those wanting to tap in to the content via their mobile phones.

The app also offers enhanced casting functionality, enabling users to cast cross-platform should the need arise: irrespective of whether they’re using an Android or Apple phone, app users can cast to either an AirPlay or a Chromecast-enabled device. Via the website, by contrast, someone on an iPhone can only cast to Apple TV, and an Android phone user only to a Chromecast-enabled device.

And so the benefit for end users is enhanced convenience and flexibility, ensuring people enjoy the best possible experience however they choose to access the content and classes on their club’s Web Player: via the website on their computer, laptop or tablet, or via the new app on their mobile phone.

Personalising the message

For the operator, meanwhile, the new app brings the added benefit of being able to send push notifications. End users are asked to opt in to these notifications, but once that’s done – once members have been sold on the benefits of receiving alerts about the classes they love and their live streams about to start – these notifications can be automated and even set up to target specific audiences.

Furthermore, these targeted audiences can be built around behavioural data collected by the app – sending a message to all users who’ve done a specific live class, for example, or to all users who haven’t used the app in the last seven days.

It all adds up to even greater end user convenience, an optimised experience across every touchpoint, and enhanced marketing opportunities for operators.

Get in touch now to find out more about the new app, and the option to bundle it in with the Wexer Web Player: info@wexer.com

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