Fitbug Holdings has secured the services of innovation specialist and former Nokia high flyer Dr Mark Ollila as a non-executive director.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, skincare brand L’Oreal debuted its My UV Patch, a stretchable skin sensor designed to monitor UV exposure and help consumers educate themselves about sun protection.

Having been named the biggest fitness trend of 2016 by the ACSM recently, wearable tech is continuing to dominate proceedings at the annual CES technology show which is now underway in Las Vegas.

Vicki Loomes of trendwatching.com outlines five key consumer trends your health and fitness business should be looking to embrace in 2016

Steven Ward, executive director of ukactive, gives his views on what’s in store for the UK fitness and physical activity sector in 2016 – including new technology, sector diversification and assisting with public health remits

Cancer Research UK has teamed up with exercise reward app bounts to inspire charity fundraisers to keep active all year round.

Leisure industry analyst David Minton has warned that fitness businesses must take heed of technological advances and future-proof their business, or risk being wiped out entirely.

It seems the word on everyone’s lips at the moment is beacons. Partly because it’s fun to say, but more so because these simple devices are being tipped as a potential gamechanger for the leisure industry.

Weight loss apps are no more effective in helping overweight people shed pounds than a paper flier from the doctor’s office, according to a new study.

Brands today must challenge their customers to do and be better – but how? Global trend agency trendwatching.com offers insights into how this might be achieved

Health and fitness software provider Virtuagym is targeting significant international growth after securing €2.1m (US$2.3m, £1.5m) in funding from Belgium-based Saffelberg Investments.

Spafinder Wellness Inc has announced a new partnership which will see massage-on-demand company Zeel become the exclusive provider of in-home massages to Spafinder Wellness’ millions of customers.

Bryan K O’Rourke takes an in-depth look at beacon technology and considers its future implications for health and fitness clubs

Personalisation of products and services is the key to future-proofing your fitness business, says Ken Hughes of Glacier Consulting

Behind every seamless customer experience lies a raft of back-of-house admin tasks that are no less essential to business success – and Gladstone can help

The health club of the future will have to be more flexible and adaptable, says Imke Schuller of The Futures Company

A ‘wellness ring’ that uses health stats to make lifestyle suggestions has taken crowdfunding website Kickstarter by storm, raising more than double its US$100,000 (€88,601, £63,737) target in a matter of days.

It’s often said that you get what you pay for, and it seems that fitness apps which cost nothing provide little more than that, according to a new study.

Mobile developers and coding experts from across the UK are being invited to create an app that “facilitates social change through sport” at the inaugural Sport England Sport Technology Awards Hackathon.

Members hate a crowded gym and operators hate an empty one, so a new sensor that can help regulate footfall could well be the answer to everyone’s prayers.

Spotify has sought to tackle the often-tricky task of finding a decent playlist that will help runners pick up the pace through the launch of Spotify Running.

The Wellness Lifestyle CRM platform allows members to track all their activity, and operators to base programmes on real-time data

Fitness operators must be heretical towards their brand heritage, asking challenging questions about what they do – and, crucially, who for – says Kate Cracknell

Kristen Walsh looks forward to the IHRSA European Congress being held in Marseille, France, in October

Under Armour – the sportswear giant and owner of MapMyFitness – on why it bought the MyFitnessPal and Endomondo apps for US$560m

A new running app which aims to ensure runners of all abilities stay on track with their training and reach their race goals has been launched as a free download for Apple device users.

upmysport – the platform for booking recommended local sport and fitness instructors – has announced a successful seed round of fundraising totalling £1m as it bids to ramp up its online and mobile offerings.

The ability to buy online is key for consumers – so how should membership sales be managed in this context?

ClassPass targets those who want to cherry pick the classes they attend. Co-founder Payal Kadakia talks about its swift rise to success and expansion beyond New York

Nuffield Health has secured an exclusive tie-up with the recently-released Microsoft Band to produce a series of workouts for wearable tech users on the move.