Fitness

How luxury gyms aim to reach the next wellness frontier

Published

6 months ago

May 27, 2025

How luxury gyms aim to reach the next wellness frontier

Altea Ottawa occupies a former 129,000-square-foot Canadian Tire at the corner of Carling Avenue and Clyde Avenue North. The new fitness and wellness centre offers a variety of classes, including reformer pilates.Supplied/Altea Active

What was once an expansive garage is now home to a large swimming pool in Ottawa’s newest wellness destination – a members-only health and fitness sanctuary that merges self-care and sophistication.

Altea Active, a chain of new fitness and wellness centres, opened the pool at its 129,000-square-foot Ottawa outpost in early May, says chief executive officer Jeff York, a former executive at both Farm Boy and retailer Giant Tiger.

With high-class amenities such as aquatics facilities, recovery areas and multiple types of fitness classes, Altea Ottawa – which officially opened in November – is redefining how and when Canadians get their sweat on in a postpandemic world.

Renewed focus on fitness

In the year after June, 2022, almost 400 fitness and recreational sports centres opened across the country, according to Statistics Canada. At the same time, fitness industry revenue hit nearly $4.3-billion in 2022, up from $3-billion a year earlier as pandemic restrictions relaxed.

It’s “a new day in fitness” across the country, says Sara Gilbert, president of the Fitness Industry Council of Canada. While Canadians once spent money on trips they had postponed during COVID, they’ve “turned to themselves again” with a renewed sense of urgency, she adds.

The renovation of an old Canadian Tire into arguably Ottawa’s most modern fitness facility reflects an industry that has “always been at the forefront of innovation,” Ms. Gilbert says.

“You look back in the 1980s and we had these huge step-aerobic studios, and that took up most of the space in gyms. The gym industry … our strength is the ability to innovate and always listen to what members need, and the ongoing transition of our facilities to meet those needs.”

Redefining Canadian workout culture

Altea Ottawa is now Canada’s largest fitness and wellness centre.

The $30-million facility boasts nine fitness studios (the spin room alone cost $1-million), six pickleball courts, exercise machines of all kinds and zones for emerging fitness-class concepts such as HyRox (the new CrossFit, Mr. York says). There’s also a postworkout recovery area with red-light therapy and Hyperice cold-therapy boots, a women-only exercise space, the new 25-metre pool, as well as a smoothie bar and a Starbucks in the lobby.

The $30-million Altea Ottawa boasts nine fitness studios, including its iconic spin room, which alone cost $1-million.Supplied/Altea Active

There are four other Altea locations across the country. A fifth will arrive soon in the former 31,000-square-foot Nordstrom Rack in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville neighbourhood. The forthcoming location will open under the name of AVANT by Altea Active – the company’s ultrapremium offering that’s specific to urban areas such as Yorkville.

“We tend to look at real estate as a static thing, but it services a fluid world, and as that world ebbs and flows, change abounds,” says Shawn Hamilton, principal at Proveras Commercial Realty in Ottawa. “Spaces get occupied with uses we would never have dreamed of.”

Unlike other large-scale gyms, Altea’s facilities won’t be popping up everywhere.

“It’s the opposite of GoodLife. We want to be exclusive,” Mr. York explains. “We are going to [places] where the market is already there for people who want the best. But we want to deliver it at a competitive price where people are still getting value.”

Standing out in a crowded market

Mr. York says Altea’s competition are mid-sized fitness studios. If you’re a regular at hot yoga, boot camps and spin classes, you could pay upward of $1,000 a month in fees, he explains. Altea offers all that and more in one place – something that is becoming more common across the country.

Altea is not the only fitness centre working to redefine exercise culture in Canada. At Toronto’s The Well, a mixed-use complex less than a kilometre from the CN Tower, sits the newest Sweat and Tonic – a cheekily-named boutique gym that offers more than a half-dozen classes, personal training, a spa with registered massage therapists, a pool and sauna. The city’s Yorkville neighbourhood is also saturated with fitness options, including luxury gym Equinox, Barry’s Bootcamp and three GoodLife gyms.

“You’ve got to be where people live, work and play. That’s the key for the future,” Mr. York says. “You upgrade your facility because that’s where the market is going. The murky middle is not where you want to be.”

Altea Ottawa features a strength-training area and exercise machines of all kinds. CEO Jeff York says it’s unlike other gyms thanks to its exclusivity and to targeting a part of the market where people ‘want the best.’Supplied/Altea Active

Altea’s Ottawa plan was clear from the start, Mr. York explains, with 80 per cent of the original blueprint becoming reality. It eliminated a restaurant and members’ club from the plan – the same thing it did at the Liberty Village location in Toronto – because it wanted to focus on fitness.

Challenges of renovation

Altea’s renovation in Canada’s capital took just over a year. A full month was needed just to remove shelves, nuts and bolts from the Canadian Tire for what would become the facility’s hotel-like lobby, Mr. York says.

The challenges also ranged from laughable – swapping the directions of the old escalators – to serious, such as installing individual HVAC systems in each room and studio. It was a hurdle, but it was a success. Despite the facility’s roughly 6,000 members and upward of 350 fitness classes per week, there’s a reduction in body odour because of the new system.

That work was all taking place on the inside.

“No one knew we were working on it because we never changed the physical structure,” Mr. York says. “The biggest question was, ‘When are you going to start construction?’ but we had already started for six months.

“Making a big building feel comfortable is hard to do.”

Only 16 per cent of Canadians have a gym membership, according to the Health and Fitness Association, so it’s no surprise that fitness facilities in Canada would aim to strike a balance between value and choice.

“Many boutiques under one roof is the way fitness should be delivered,” Mr. York says.

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Fitness

Winter Work Outs: Beware Of Vigorous Exercise That Can Harm Your Knees And Back

Published

6 hours ago

November 30, 2025

Press Room

Winter Work Outs: Beware Of Vigorous Exercise That Can Harm Your Knees And Back

Last Updated:November 29, 2025, 19:15 IST

Winter is the peak season for preventable injuries, especially among people who go from zero to beast mode without warming up properly.

It is important to focus on the basics while working, especially in winter months

Winter and year-end have that weird motivational magic: the cold hits, the guilt kicks in, and suddenly everyone wants to “fix their fitness” overnight. Gyms fill up, running tracks get busy, and people jump straight from hibernation mode to high-intensity everything. And honestly? That’s where most winter workout injuries begin.

If you’ve ever felt your knees crack louder than your New Year’s resolutions or your lower back screaming after a surprise sprint session, you’re not alone. Orthopaedic doctors say winter is the peak season for preventable injuries, especially among people who go from zero to beast mode without warming up properly.

Dr Ashis Acharya, Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, puts it straight: “Cold muscles are tight muscles. Tight muscles get injured faster. Most knee and lower-back injuries in winter happen because people start vigorously without allowing the body to transition from cold to active.”

Why Winter Makes You More Vulnerable

Think of your muscles like cold rubber bands. They’re less flexible, stiffer, and more likely to snap under sudden stress. When the temperature dips, your body goes into “leave me alone” mode.

Your muscles don’t get the same easy blood flow, so they take longer to warm up. Your joints feel a little creaky, like they’ve been sitting in one position too long. And your tendons? They tighten up like stubborn rubber bands, which means your knees and lower back have to work way harder than they should.

The Usual Culprits: Mistakes Everyone Makes

‘I’ll warm up as I go’: That’s like starting your car in freezing weather and immediately hitting 100 km/h. Your knees, especially the patellofemoral joint, take the first hit.

Jumping from desk job to deadlifts: If you sit 8–10 hours a day, your hip flexors tighten, and your glutes go on vacation. Winter amplifies this. So, when you suddenly lift heavy, your lower back ends up doing the job your hips should be doing.

Running with cold shoes, cold muscles, cold everything: Runners are notorious for this. Cold mornings + no mobility work = knee pain that sticks around longer than your enthusiasm.

Overconfidence because ‘Winter feels good for workouts’: Sure, cold air feels refreshing. But inside, your joints are screaming, “please stop”.

What Actually Helps

Warm up for 10–15 minutes. Light mobility, marching, ankle circles, hip openers, simple but magic.
Start slower. Build intensity gradually over 2–3 weeks.
Layer up. Warm muscles = safer movements.
Strengthen the basics. Glutes, hamstrings, quads, core. These stabilise your knees and back.
Stretch after workouts. Winter tightness lingers, so cool-downs actually matter.

As Dr Acharya sums up, “Consistency beats intensity. Winter workouts are great, but only if your body is ready for them.” You can absolutely crush your winter goals. Just don’t treat your body like it’s auditioning for an action film on day one. Warm up, ease in, stay smart, and your knees and back will thank you all season long.

First Published:

November 29, 2025, 19:15 IST

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Fitness

I tried the Wattbike Proton smart bike for a month and it’s the best exercise bike I’ve ever used

Published

23 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Press Room

I tried the Wattbike Proton smart bike for a month and it’s the best exercise bike I’ve ever used

I’ve tried a lot of stationary exercise bikes in my time as a fitness writer, but I can safely say the Wattbike Proton is my favorite.

And now you can get your hands on the Wattbike Proton with $450 off in the Black Friday sale—down to $1,845 from $2,295 (excluding shipping). This price includes a free subscription to Hub+, the premium version of the accompanying app, worth $80.

I was lucky enough to test this smart bike out for 30 days and it’s surprisingly addictive. I’ve been using it every day without fail and it’s become my new way to de-stress.

I got into a routine of getting on the bike every night before dinner and not only did it give me a much-needed energy boost, it felt good to spin the legs and the day’s stresses away. Here’s what else I discovered.

It’s really compact

As well as a writer, I’m an independent personal trainer and my kitchen-living room is overflowing with fitness equipment, so I was pleasantly surprised that the Wattbike Proton was much smaller than I expected—just 57cm x 102cm.

At 48kg, it’s quite heavy to move, so I’d recommend setting it up next to an outlet. It does have rollers to help you move it, however.

It’s family-friendly

It’s simple to adjust (something I had to do a lot because my two daughters were obsessed with it!) and the magnetic resistance results in a smooth and quiet ride—ideal if you want to do a workout early morning or late at night when the kids are asleep.

The Proton automatically adjusts the resistance, too, so you don’t need to worry about changing it (unless you want to) and you can just concentrate on pedalling.

The app is free—no monthly fees for once!

Fans of Peloton might bemoan the lack of inbuilt screen and instructor-led classes, but one thing I loved about the bike is that you don’t have to pay for the excellent Wattbike Hub app.

There is a subscription option if you want to unlock premium features like personalized workouts, but honestly, you don’t need to.

I worked my way through multiple workouts—from HIIT, endurance, speed, aerobic all-rounders and climbs—and I still had plenty of classes to try. There are even workouts designed to improve your running performance.

And in just 30 days I felt like my cycling ability had improved. Cycling felt easier, especially riding the heavy longtail cargo bike I cart the kids around on.

You can also connect it to many of the popular cycling apps, including Zwift and Rouvy, and it will sync happily with Apple Health and Strava.

The data helps you stay motivated

When I first started using the bike, the amount of stats on the app was a little overwhelming. But as I got the hang of things I found them really motivating, and enjoyed the traffic light system that indicated when I was hitting my targets for both power output and cadence.

I’m still a little baffled by the PES (Pedalling Effectiveness Score) system, which gives a visual depiction of how well you are pedalling. Not very well in my case. My left leg was always pushing harder, according to my stats, generally around 54% compared with 46% for my right. But I put that down to my physio’s assessment that my pelvis twisted in childbirth, causing my right leg to be slightly weaker than the left.

“A perfect PES score is 75, but it’s just a guide of where you are,” Wattbike’s Tom Crampton told me. “We have some beginners who get on and just nail it and some seasoned riders who are still hovering around the 55 mark. The key thing is that it’s a visual aid and you can improve it with the simple coaching points on the app.”

The Proton is well designed, but I have some notes

The Proton is set up like a road bike with drop handlebars and a very thin racer-style saddle. It’s fine for short rides, but not that comfortable for longer ones. Padded shorts were definitely needed for any workouts longer than 40 minutes.

The Proton has two bottle holders and caged pedals, but these can be swapped for ones with toe clips if you prefer.

There’s no inbuilt screen, but it has a small media holder, which I used for my iPad and I balanced my phone on the smaller shelf below, however it fell off several times. Something more sturdy or slightly bigger so you can use a tablet and phone at the same time would be helpful.

Fitness

Is morning or evening exercise better for weight loss? Researchers find out

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

Is morning or evening exercise better for weight loss? Researchers find out

Any exercise is better than no exercise when it comes to losing weight, and ultimately, you should go when you know you can stay consistent because it fits in your schedule. For some people, that’s first thing in the morning, and for others, that’s in the evening after work. Others like to mix it up depending on what’s on the agenda.

In a thought-provoking study, researchers found that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, such as running, cycling, sports, and brisk walking, is protective against obesity. However, what’s less clear is the optimal time to get those muscles moving and break a sweat. Does it really matter that much? Are we overthinking it? Researchers dived deeper to understand more.

The study

In a study published in the journal Obesity, researchers placed 5285 participants into three different groups based on when they did most of their exercise:

Morning workout group
Midday workout group
Evening workout group

The researchers tested the patterns and associations between the timing of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and obesity. They compared how exercising at different times related to both waist size and body weight.

The results

The results revealed the following:

Morning exercise seemed to be the most effective for weight control.
Those who were the most active in the morning had a lower body mass index and smaller waistlines overall, even when they did the same amount of exercise as those who mostly exercised midday or in the evening.
Exercising at any time of the day was beneficial for obesity, but morning exercisers had the strongest link to lower obesity.

Meeting the exercise guidelines

Among the individuals who met the weekly exercise guidelines of at least 150 minutes every week, their average body mass index was:

Morning — 25.9
Midday — 27.6
Evening — 27.2

For those who met the exercise guidelines, their waist size was:

Morning — 91.5 cm
Midday — 95.8 cm
Evening — 95.0 cm

Overall, morning exercisers were leaner.

The takeaway

Exercise helps prevent obesity and promotes weight loss, no matter what time you get your muscles moving. This study shows that morning exercise may be superior and offer an extra advantage for weight loss compared with midday or evening exercise. In this study, morning exercisers had lower BMIs and smaller waists. There’s more to the weight-loss picture than exercise alone; other factors like nutrition, hormones, toxicity, sleep, certain medications, and stress also play a role.