A word which didn’t even exist until recently, “wellness” has become big business in recent years. Ever since the likes of Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow made yoga and healthy lifestyles aspirational, Europe has opened its sports club doors to a wave of new health and fitness disciplines and programmes.
With Summer just around the corner, Italians have been preparing for what they call “the swimsuit test” at the country’s top fitness and sports expo, Rimini Wellness. 14 expo halls with 42 stages, 4 inflatable pools and more than 1,500 hours of lessons, offered visitors the chance to try out the latest fitness industry novelties and trends.
Normally only interested in trade fairs with fine foods to be sampled, I agreed it was time burn off some of those calories, and went to Rimini to discover the newest ways to sweat, stretch and tone.
(First broadcast on European Business Week, Deutsche Welle Radio, 4th June, 2011)