This Week In Fitness: Obesity climbs, Samsung acquires Xealth, Club Pilates x Disney, FTC rule halted

This Week In Fitness is where Krissy Vann crunches the latest fitness business headlines in under five minutes.

Obesity Rates Climb in Canada
A CMAJ study shows one in three Canadian adults are now obese, with the pandemic accelerating severe cases. Fitness operators are responding to GLP-1 use with muscle-preserving strategies.

Hims & Hers Expands to Canada
The company is launching a lower-cost weight loss program alongside the anticipated debut of generic semaglutide. Their hybrid model aims to address care gaps at scale.

Samsung to Acquire Xealth
Samsung deepens its healthcare push with the acquisition of Xealth, aiming to connect home health data from wearables with clinical systems across 500 US hospitals.

iFIT Partners with Samsung Health
Select iFIT programming will be available through Samsung Health starting this fall, extending the reach of its content to global users via wearables and personalized insights.

Mo Farah Launches URUNN App
Olympian Sir Mo Farah debuts an AI-powered running app designed to provide personalized coaching for runners of all levels, with adaptive plans and community features.

Club Pilates Partners with Disney
Ahead of Freakier Friday, Club Pilates launches themed Reformer classes and a national sweepstakes campaign. The partnership blends entertainment with brand activation.

Onelife Fitness Expands in NC
The brand will open over 15 locations in North Carolina, beginning with a 58,000-square-foot flagship in Durham-Chapel Hill offering luxury recovery and family amenities.

Court Halts FTC Click-to-Cancel Rule
The Eighth Circuit Court vacates the FTC’s cancellation mandate, a legal win for the Health & Fitness Association. Operators avoid a costly compliance overhaul.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:15 Obesity Rates Climb in Canada
• 1:06 Hims & Hers Expands to Canada
• 1:45 Samsung to Acquire Xealth
• 2:16 iFIT Partners with Samsung Health
• 2:51 Mo Farah Launches URUNN App
• 3:26 Club Pilates Partners with Disney
• 3:58 Onelife Fitness Expands in NC
• 4:33 Court Halts FTC Click-to-Cancel Rule

Transcript

0:05

welcome to This Week in fitness where we crunch the latest fitness business headlines all in under 5 minutes I'm your host Chrissy Van and here's what's making news a new study from the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows that 32.7% of Canadian adults were classified as obese in 2023 an increase of nearly 8 percentage points since 2009 researchers found that the rate of obesity growth nearly doubled during the pandemic with the sharpest increases seen in women and young adults class 2 and 3 obesity rose significantly suggesting a shift toward more severe cases with GLP1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy entering wider use fitness operators are facing both new opportunities and responsibilities muscle loss is a known side effect of these drugs and the fitness sector is positioning itself as a key partner in long term member outcomes as obesity continues to rise tailored programming and strategic healthcare alignment may prove critical in a move closely tied to these trends Hims and hers health is expanding into the Canadian market with a lower cost clinically supported weight loss program the launch is timed with the expected global debut of generic semaglutide making weight loss medications more accessible Canada has one of the highest obesity rates among OECD countries and the company says its hybrid approach integrating digital healthcare provider access and medication management aims to fill affordability and access gaps the expansion follows Hims and hers acquisition of European platform Zava furthering its global digital health footprint continuing with the convergence of tech and health Samsung has announced its acquisition of Zelt a digital health integration platform used by more than 500 US hospitals the deal is aimed at closing the gap between home collected wellness data and clinical health records Samsung plans to integrate its wearables including the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring with Cell's infrastructure creating a more connected care ecosystem for fitness businesses this signals increasing overlap between consumer wellness and clinical grade health tracking Samsung's consumer wellness efforts also expanded this week through a new partnership with ifit Select ifit content will soon be available on the Samsung Health platform across major global markets the goal is to deliver personalized wellness at scale by merging hardware coaching and AI integrated insights the partnership leverages IFIT's extensive programming and Samsung's device ecosystem to reach new users where they already are on their phones wrists and soon fingers as the line between fitness and health tech continues to blur partnerships like this are reshaping digital distribution models Olympic gold medalist Sir Mo Farah is entering the fitness tech race with you run a new AI powered running app built alongside coach Adam Clark and developed in partnership with with you the platform offers adaptive training plans across all race distances delivering personalized support that mimics the responsiveness of a human coach Farah says the app reflects decades of elite training insight made accessible to the everyday runner with real time guidance social engagement and AI powered customization you run is yet another entrant in the expanding market of personalized fitness coaching Club Pilates is flipping the script on traditional fitness marketing through its first ever film partnership with Disney timed with the August 8th release of Freak Your Friday select studios offered flip your Friday reformer classes that started July 11th themed workouts mirror the film's message of transformation and perspective well a sweepstakes will give participants a chance to win a trip to the Hollywood premiere for Club Pilates the partnership reflects a broader push to integrate fitness into pop culture and meet consumers beyond the studio setting one Life Fitness has announced plans to open more than 15 new locations across the Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill region over the next several years the brand's second North Carolina location a 58,000 square foot facility in Durham Chapel Hill will include premium amenities like saltwater pools recovery zones and boutique style group fitness CEO Ory Gorfine says the brand is doubling down on its promise of affordable luxury as it targets high growth suburban markets the strategy reflects continued investment in large format clubs with broad appeal and multi use value in a major regulatory development the US Court of appeals for the 8th Circuit has vacated the Federal Trade Commission's click to cancel rule halting what many viewed as a disruptive mandate for fitness businesses the rule would have required gyms and studios to offer cancellation via the same method of sign up raising concerns over billing systems contract compliance and operational cost The Health and Fitness Association LED advocacy efforts against the rule and called the court's decision a victory for practical sector specific policy making the association says it remains committed to working with lawmakers on transparent consumer friendly cancellation laws that respect operational realities that's a wrap on This Week in fitness I'm your host Chrissy Van and remember stay fit stay informed and keep your fitness business in shape