A HEALTH club with a new branch in Ringwood is trialling an unusual new workout - consisting of a 45-minute group nap.
David Lloyd Clubs has revealed plans to start the 40 winks workout - or Napercise - where a fitness studio is filled with beds for guests to take a nap in.
The health brand claims napping classes are scientifically designed to reinvigorate the mind, improve moods and even burn the odd calorie.
Upon arrival, 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 shut-eye, before continuing on with their day.
The club states research has revealed a tiredness epidemic across the UK, with 86 per cent of parents admitting to suffering from fatigue, with 26 per cent regularly getting less than five hours sleep a night.
With 19 per cent of tired parents admitting to having had a kip while at work, 11 per cent having found themselves drifting off while driving, and five per cent having forgotten to pick up their child from school due to their tiredness, the club says it’s "clear the class is needed".
The new class is being trialled this weekend at David Lloyd Sidcup, but could be rolled out to other centres if it's a success.
Napercise has been developed alongside Dreams sleep expert, Kathryn Pinkham.
She said: "Sleep is a lot more important than people realise. We tend to focus on the short-term 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 spokesman for David Lloyd Clubs said: "According to our research, 86 per cent of parents admit to regularly suffering from fatigue which is alarmingly high when you consider the important role getting a good night’s sleep can play in our overall mental and physical wellbeing.
"Here at David Lloyd Clubs, we’re always looking for new ways to tackle the issues that everyday families face, which is what ‘Napercise’ sets out to do. 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."
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