Opinion: WHOOP 3.0 Strap, Fitness Dating App, Why Celebrities Make You Sleep, Nike Breastfeeding Ad
Athletech News was created with one goal, to apprise our readers with relevant content that will help inform their business decisions. We strive to aggregate the latest trends and happenings on all things fitness related. Below is what our team at Athletech flagged as this week’s most interesting reads in the world of fitness, tech and mental health.
Review: WHOOP 3.0 Strap
Tech | Wired | Mar. 16, 2021
Athletech’s Take:
We don’t typically capture product reviews in our Cool Down but this one just felt too timely. The WHOOP 3.0 Strap is a constant source of debate in our office. We are split: some of us love it, others can’t get behind it. I personally returned mine after the first month. As someone who loves to workout (not shocking as I work for ATN), when my WHOOP arrived I was stoked… but very quickly found that I was overwhelmed by the data and the metrics. Read Wired’s take on WHOOP 3.0 Strap…I think they nailed it.
Online Dating Heading to the Gym With TeamUp Fitness
Fitness | PR Newswire | Mar. 9, 2021
Athletech’s Take:
Online dating has now migrated to the gym. TeamUp Fitness, a social, lifestyle, and fitness connection platform focused on bringing the fitness community together, has created an app that allows users to connect, find, match, and chat with new fitness friends, new workout partners, fitness professionals and possibly find their “new fitness soulmate.” Instead of apps such as Bumble and Tinder which leverage the “swipe to match” strategy, TeamUp allows fitness-focused enthusiasts to meet others who keep similar health, fitness, and nutrition routines. We think this is a match made in the gym!
Harry Styles reading a bedtime story crashed Calm app. Here’s why it’s soothing to be read to by celebrities
Health | Yahoo! Life | Mar. 15, 2021
Athletech’s Take:
Who knew that celebrities could help us fall asleep? While there isn’t a ton of research on the topic, the theory exists that bedtime stories can help us fall asleep. Similar to adjusting lighting or changing the temperature in your room, hearing a story may help us transition to bedtime. And, what happens if that storyteller happens to be a celebrity? According to Dr. Noah S. Siegel, Director of the Sleep Medicine and Surgery Division at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, celebrity-read stories have become popular with listeners because they provide a sense of intimacy and feel “familiar.” In addition, medical experts say that hearing a recognizable voice can feel comforting and soothing as well as provide a sense of trust. Whatever the case, if it helps you sleep, we say try it.
Nike Features Pregnant and Breastfeeding Athletes in Ad for New Maternity Line
Marketing | Ad Age | Mar. 15, 2021
Athletech’s Take:
Nike has done it again. The provocative campaign, which features famous women alongside everyday athletes engaging in sports, lifting their babies and training with their children has gone viral. The ads promote Nike (M), Nike’s maternity line which began rolling out in September 2020. Nike has clearly swung the pendulum after being criticized in 2019 in a New York Times opinion piece written by a former Nike sponsored Olympic runner who vocalized her disappointment in how the brand handled pregnant athletes. Since then, Nike has responded aggressively by changing policies, reevaluating contracts and speaking directly to this audience.
L.A. cycling studios are reopening. Can they pry people away from their Peloton bikes?
Fitness | Los Angeles Times | Mar. 16, 2021
Athletech’s Take:
This week cities like Los Angeles and New York have announced the loosening of restrictions on a variety of indoor venues including workout facilities. In L.A. gyms and cycling studios can now operate at 10% capacity, giving a small but much needed relief to an industry reliant on close-quarters in-person training that has been slammed by the lockdown. But what happens now to the once loyal gym goers who have invested in alternative workout equipment and regimes? According to the article, 20% of pre-pandemic gym goers have purchased at-home gym equipment. And many of them are enjoying the convenience and efficiency they provide. This shift poses a huge threat to the future of brick-and-mortar fitness operations.