Is this the laziest workout?
HOW 40 WINKS COULD BOOST YOUR HEALTH
Reporter FORGET exercise bikes, push-ups and weights.
A new way to get healthy is to go the gym – and sleep.
David Lloyd gyms have launched Napercise classes where customers can sleep it off for 45 minutes.
The scheme is said to combat an epidemic of tiredness.
Napercise – a combination of nap and exercise – is being rolled out at a David Lloyd gym in Birmingham this weekend.
If successful the idea will be expanded to other outlets, including Newcastle.
The classes have been scientifically designed to reinvigorate the mind, improve moods and even burn the odd calorie.
The class arrives in the wake of research revealing the ‘tiredness epidemic’ across the UK, with 86% of parents admitting to suffering from fatigue and 26% regularly getting less than five hours sleep a night.
Almost one in five tired parents admit to having a kip at work and 5% have forgotten to pick up their child from school due to tiredness.
Now they can be sure of an uninterrupted ‘40 Winks Workout,’ aimed at exhausted parents and those stressed out with modern life.
Upon arrival in the studio guests will find the spin-bikes swapped for single beds and upbeat workout tunes ditched in favour of atmospheric sounds, to create the perfect environment for the soporific sessions to take place.
The studio temperature will also be dropped to a level that promotes calorie burning during sleep.
Napercisers will be invited to curl up in one of the beds and indulge in some restorative mid-afternoon shuteye, before continuing on with their day.
The development of Napercise is inspired by past academic studies into the important health benefits that napping in the day can bring.
This includes helping boost alertness, alleviate feelings of anxiety or stress, and improving your mood.
Napercise has been developed alongside Dreams sleep expert Kathryn Pinkham, who says: “Sleep is a lot more important than people realise.
“We tend to focus on the shortterm effects such as being tired or lacking concentration, but it is also essential for our long-term physical and mental wellbeing too.
“In addition to a lack of sleep bringing with it a higher risk of developing anxiety or depression, when we are sleep deprived we lack the energy to exercise regularly, and also the mental clarity to make good decisions about the food we eat, which could negatively impact our physical health in the long-run.”
A spokesperson for David Lloyd said: “Filling an exercise studio with beds might look unusual, but if it proves to be a success, we’re definitely excited at the possibility of rolling out the programme to more of our clubs down the line.”