A gym that captures energy from people using exercise machines has opened in Bristol, the first of its kind in the South West.
Feel Fit Fitness Studio on Regent Street will be able to recycle 74 per cent of electricity generated by people exercising on one its seven SportsArt’s G516 Indoor Cycles.
Feel Fit creator Ellie Crawley said: “When you’re sat on a normal spin bike, it’s wasted energy.
“If I can do this, imagine what a commercial gym could do.”
Feel Fit started out as a PT brand before developing its own sustainable clothing line last year, and now its first gym.
Alongside the bikes, Feel Fit also has a ‘wellness space’ with comfortable chairs and a book exchange.
“I wanted the space to be a home from home – a lot of my clients feel intimidated by regular gyms,” Ms Crawley, 37, said.
When the pandemic struck last year, Ms Crawley had to move her PT business online. However, following the success of virtual classes, she now plans to continue running them.
“A lot of my ladies have kids, and some are a bit nervous about coming back – people still need that option,” she added.
Feel Fit also runs body confidence and positivity workshops.
“We do a lot of work around mindset, trying to break that narrative of how society and social media say you should look," added Ms Crawley.
“Health doesn’t have a size or a look – it’s how you feel.”
With plans to collaborate with Bristol shelters to provide free fitness classes for disadvantaged people, plus an active wear donation and tree-planting schemes already in effect, Ms Crawley said Feel Fit aims to redefine sustainability in the fitness industry.
“Exercising should be a right, not a privilege.
“I want some of the bigger chains to be looking at us because protecting the environment needs to be a collective effort.”
