Today, October 10, World Mental Health Day is celebrated and specialists in sports activities recommend yoga, outdoor plans and visits to the spa to keep the mind healthy. Urban Sports Club recognizes a 35% increase in the number of users and also that the number of companies that offer corporate sports to their workers as part of the new work welfare plan is growing.
Once the intense rentrée is over and they are back with their daily routines, more and more people are resorting to an activity plan that helps them disconnect and take care of their body and mind. According to a study, in the last year, 77% of Spaniards have changed their habits with the aim of promoting physical and mental well-being and dedicate time, at least once a week, to their care.
Proof of this is the data recorded by the largest sports platform in Europe, Urban Sports Club. According to the startup, in the last month of September, the number of users who have visited sports and care and wellness centers has increased by 35%. 10% more than the previous year, which translates, according to experts, into a greater awareness of society to maintain a healthier lifestyle.
Self-care through well-being and mindfulness exercises is one of the essential elements for comprehensive health. “Currently we receive a large amount of information, external inputs constantly. In a society where we tend to be available and connected to everyone all the time, taking time for yourself is extremely important. That’s where practicing exercises that help us reconnect physically and emotionally is essential,” explains Sonia Solas, founder and manager of Frizzant.
Balance body and mind
The holistic approach to health has gained importance in recent years. There is consensus that mental health is essential for comprehensive well-being. Living more mindfully through healthy routines and slowing down everyday life in the process is a natural remedy for stress. These routines include sports, wellness, or mindfulness exercises.
The positive effects of these beneficial practices are increasingly appreciated. This is demonstrated by the behavior of use among the members of the Urban Sports Club platform: The demand for mindfulness and meditation activities increases significantly with the start of the season in which the days have less light, which begins in October.
“In 2021, participation in meditation and mindfulness courses more than doubled in November compared to July. And this year, everything indicates that it will be even better”, explains Sandra Peláez, Marketing Manager of Urban Sports Club in Spain. The variety of these courses is significant: members can, for example, let themselves go on a sound journey during a guided sound healing meditation in spaces such as the DeROSE Meditation Eixample center (Barcelona).
Since the body and mind are in constant interaction, it is especially important to also incorporate holistic practices for the body, that is, a mixture of tension and relaxation, into routines. The different types of yoga are one of the best options in this sense: this is also very clearly demonstrated in the behavior of use, since yoga is the second most practiced sport in Spain, following fitness. Marc Torres from Urban Sports Club explains that facilitating accessibility and offering a wide variety of sports is increasingly the solution to respond to the training needs of the population and the most pragmatic way to get more people to generate healthy habits.
The essence of holistic health routines is also relaxation and slowing down. Specialists in sports activities recommend the practice of these exercises in offering subscriptions for sports centers to their employees, indoors or outdoors, as well as the combination with other outdoor sports that allow connecting with nature.
Recharge your batteries at the spa
In parallel to sports practice, experts advocate visiting the spa. A visit to this type of center not only helps to disconnect, but also contributes to the improvement of the cardiovascular and immune system of the body. The thermal water has a therapeutic effect, and in centers such as the spa at the Hotel W in Barcelona it is really possible to enter calm waters and say “goodbye to stress” with sauna sessions. A space like this also includes massages that help energize the body, relieve tension and promote blood circulation.
From sound healing or mobility classes to treatments like halotherapy or Qi classes, wellness can be as varied and holistic as its impact on lasting health and wellness. Despite the season of self-care, it’s not just regarding taking care of yourself.
Companies also bet on sport
A year ago, the US starred in what is already known as “the great resignation.” Nearly 40 million workers voluntarily left their jobs. In Spain, the figures are not as high, but according to some experts, this trend is gaining strength in Spain.
Given these data, there are many companies that have rapidly activated a strategic plan with solutions and proposals in favor of workplace well-being. Managers have become aware of the importance of physical and mental care of their workers, and sport has been chosen as one of the best alternatives. In this sense, Urban Sports Club confirms the increase in companies that have joined their corporate sports plan in order to offer subscriptions to sports centers to their employees, or that have activated team building sessions with sports practice. Payflow, Rastreator and Fintonic are some examples of these companies that are already committed to the physical and mental health of their workers.
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About Urban Sports Club
Urban Sports Club offers a flexible sports flat rate. The mission is to help people have a healthier and more active lifestyle through sport, with the widest and most varied sports offer in Europe. From fitness, swimming, yoga or climbing to team sports and wellness offers, Urban Sports Club users can choose from more than 50 different sports activities at thousands of partner centers in Spain, Germany, France, Belgium and Portugal. Since its merger with OneFit, the Urban Sports Club network has thousands of partner centers in total. The sports offer is available both for private customers and for companies, allowing training in studios, fitness centers, outdoors or in live online classes.
Urban Sports GmbH was founded in 2012 by Moritz Kreppel and Benjamin Roth in Berlin, Germany. Two years following its launch, the company secured seed funding in 2015 and continued to grow in the European market. The Dutch company OneFit joined the Urban Sports Club family in August 2019.
