Weekly Run News for May 16th, 2024

Ronaldo + whoop

Cristiano Ronaldo announced his investment in Whoop to his 629 million Instagram followers. The Portuguese soccer star is becoming a global ambassador for Whoop. The 39-year-old soccer star joins the company’s roster of global ambassador investors, including Eli Manning, Rory Mcllroy, Patrick Mahomes and Michael Phelps.

Ronaldo shared “Whoop has had a transformative impact on my life both on and off the pitch. I wear Whoop while training, sleeping and recovering. It’s been one of the most important tools helping me elevate my game and monitor my health.”

Ronaldo was the highest scorer globally in 2023. He is expected to play in the UEFA European Championship, which will take place in Germany this summer. He joined Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr in 2023 on a $75 million-a-year contract as a free agent after agreeing to terminate his contract at Manchester United.

Why the Japanese don’t need Ozempic

42% of Americans are obese compared to just 4.5% of Japanese people. Japan does not need Ozempic. How did the country avoid the obesity trap?

It’s not genetics. Japanese Hawaiians who migrated to Hawaii 100 years back are now just as obese as Hawaiians.

According to president of the Tokyo College of Sushi, Japan’s low obesity rates result from its simple cuisine. For Japanese cuisine, the simpler, the better.

Read more here.

Working out with a headache

Does working out make a headache feel better or worse? Unfortunately, headaches don’t have any one-size-fits-all approach. What works for one person will not always work for another, but one thing is certain, having a headache doesn’t mean you need to skip your workout.

Here are different types of headaches—and which ones are likely to feel better after a workout.

1. Tension headache: These headaches feel like a dull ache that spans across the forehead and wraps around the head—think a band tightening around your head. Exercise can help soothe these headaches, which are caused by your neck and scalp muscles tensing up or contracting, per the National Library of Medicine.

2. Migraine: Migraines often come with symptoms like nausea, sensitivity to light, and sound—but they’re not well understood and vary in terms of how they present in different people. Some who suffer from chronic migraines would never consider working out during an episode, while others find that working out alleviates some of the pain.

3. Dehydration headache: Dehydration headaches usually come with symptoms like dry mouth, extreme thirst, dizziness, increased heart rate, reduced blood pressure, fatigue, muscle cramps, dark urine, and fewer bathroom trips. Becoming dehydrated has been linked to provoking migraine and worsening migraine symptoms. You can often do a workout, but it's crucial to hydrate before, during, and after exercise.

4. Fatigue headache: Like a dehydration headache, a fatigue headache presents as a migraine or tension-type headache. This can occur due to lack of sleep or physical exhaustion. You may be particularly at-risk during times of stress. Undiagnosed sleep apnea or chronic insomnia may contribute to this type of headache, so addressing sleep hygiene can be an important first step. If you’re having trouble sleeping at night, exercising during the day may help you sleep better by reducing stress and improving mood.

5. Low blood sugar headache: With a headache caused by low blood sugar, it is best to skip your workout. You might have a low blood sugar headache if you also feel dizzy, shaky, anxious, sweaty, or have difficulty concentrating. If you’re someone who struggles with blood sugar and blood sugar headaches, you should be extra cautious, because working out with low blood sugar can be dangerous. Eat a small snack containing simple carbs (say, a banana with honey or apple slices with almond butter) before working out to prevent these types of headaches.

Read more here.

Tech consumer trends in fitness & wellness

As fitness and wellness settles into its post-pandemic normal, interesting data points are starting to emerge. Here are thoughts and industry insights from the CEOs of ABC Fitness and Mindbody, two of the largest software firms in fitness and wellness.

1. In-Person Fitness Returns, Especially at Boutiques

   In-person experiences are surging post-pandemic. For the first time ever, Pilates was the number one workout on ClassPass in 2023. The popularity of Pilates studios over other fitness modalities is due in part to the difficulties of recreating the experience at home. Hot yoga is also popular in 2023 as people can’t replicate this form of yoga at home.

2. Consumers Are More Experimental Than Ever

   Not only are fitness and wellness consumers returning to in-person experiences, they’re eager to try new things. The average active consumer has a high ‘wellness IQ’ and is interested in new modalities. Consumers are increasingly expecting more than just fitness from their gym or studio experience. Expectations for the next phase of growth in the fitness industry will be incorporating nutrition, recovery and mental health as key parts of the average member’s fitness journey.

3. AI Should Be a Priority

   Fitness and wellness brands have begun to experiment with AI in areas like personal training, motivation and program design. We will continue to see the rise of AI in more fitness and wellness experiences as personalized fitness becomes more and more important for all individuals who have different goals and needs.

4. Fitness & Wellness Spending Stays High

   Despite a fraught economic climate, consumers are still willing to pay for fitness and wellness services. Household spending on fitness is up 3% compared to January 2023 with the data showing the industry has seen a nearly 90% increase in check-ins since pre-pandemic, demonstrating the increased demand for access to healthy activities.

Solidcore explores sale for $750 million

Solidcore, a Pilates boutique fitness studio with over 100 locations, is reportedly considering sale options, a little more than a year after being sold off by its founder, Anne Mahlum. The potential sale could value Solidcore at over $750 million. Solidcore expects to generate approximately $50 million in EBITDA and $150 million in revenue in 2024.

Your Daily Dose Of Usain⚡️

A look at gyms

@chiveraofficial

“My First and Last day at the gym” 🏃🏽‍♀️😩😂… #comedу #relatable #gym #funnyvideos #workout #memes #fitness #humor #funny #justforfun

Words To Run By 🏃‍♀️🏃🏽‍♂️

These cannabis gummies keep selling out in 2023

If you've ever struggled to enjoy cannabis due to the harshness of smoking or vaping, you're not alone. That’s why these new cannabis gummies caught our eye.

Mood is an online dispensary that has invented a “joint within a gummy” that’s extremely potent yet federally-legal. Their gummies are formulated to tap into the human body’s endocannabinoid system.

Although this system was discovered in the 1990’s, farmers and scientists at Mood were among the first to figure out how to tap into it with cannabis gummies. Just 1 of their rapid onset THC gummies can get you feeling right within 5 minutes!

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