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USA: You wear it well
Wearable technology – fitness trackers, smart watches, heart
rate monitors and GPS devices – will be the number one fitness
trend this year, a new survey shows, with yoga ranking seventh.
The American College of Sports Medicine, which quizzed more
than 2,000 health and fitness pros, also listed HIIT, bodyweight
training, group training and fitness programmes for older adults
as its top picks for 2019. “Wearable tech can be an invaluable tool
for those looking to get and stay physically active,” said Walter
R. Thompson, the lead author of the survey. Technology is also
making its way into yoga, with smart mats and sports kit fitted with
sensors, as well as the emergence of virtual reality classes.USA: Wellness Wednesdays
Yoga classes for employees was one of of the reasons New York firm Undertone was recently
named as one of the best places to work in the city. The company, which provides digital
marketing for brands, holds regular ‘Wellness Wednesdays’ – a once a month event offering
employees free wellness sessions such as yoga and meditation. The ranking, by Crain’s
New York Business, also recognises other Underone initiatives, like ‘Peer Pods’, for informal
feedback between managers and employees, and ‘Undertone Cares’, a charity programme.