SpinCo:
Harassing Patrons & Proudly Supporting the IDF

With the growing popularity of franchises, fitness businesses have become a major trend. Many of us are familiar with popular fitness studios like F45, SpinCo, and OrangeTheory—great options for those who prefer the structure and motivation of an instructor-led class alongside supportive classmates. However, even the fitness industry hasn’t been immune to getting caught up in political controversies.

Here’s a closer look at SpinCo:

• SpinCo is valued at around $4.7 billion CAD

• SpinCo has over 29 locations across 6 provinces

• SpinCo revenue estimated at $4.34 million CAD

GoodLife:
Live Your Goodlife.

A fantastic alternative to SpinCo is GoodLife Fitness, a proudly Canadian brand founded in London, Ontario. With nearly 40 years of experience, GoodLife has grown to become the largest fitness club chain in Canada and the fourth largest in the world. While it operates as a privately owned franchise, GoodLife focuses solely on its mission: helping people get fit and stay fit. They steer clear of political involvement or fundraisers, which is something we truly appreciate.

For those looking for a more budget-friendly option, GoodLife also offers a sub-brand, Fit4Less, with memberships starting as low as $7.99 bi-weekly. Here’s some details on them:

• GoodLife operates over 450+ locations internationally as of 2024

• 2024 revenue estimated at over $1.6 billion USD

• Employs over 5290 employees globally

• GoodLife supports over 6 NGOs, research & community funds nationally

• Total of 1,716 employees 

Clothing:
Synthetic Plastics in Your Clothes Are Harming You

We’re going to dive into a topic many people don’t know about. Your clothes, and how the fabric of your clothing, something that you rarely look at, is harming you, every single day. Specifically synthetic fibres such as polyester, rayon, acrylic, nylon, and even spandex. We must remember our skin is our largest organ, it absorbs microplastics and as well as the cocktail of chemicals used to create fast fashion.

Let’s dive into some information on microplastics as well as the dyes used in clothing and how it affects us:

• Azo dyes comprise of 60%-70% of all dyes used in food and textiles

  • Many studies show Azo dyes induce skin allergies in humans and are shown to be carcinogens to animals

  • Azo dyes include benzidine, and benzidine is known to induce tumors in animals and humans

  • Workers exposed to textile dyers, leather dyers, and hairdressers, have an increased risk of bladder cancer

• Microfibers in our clothes and their effects:

  • Nylon & Polyester can potentially hinder the recovery & development of our lungs

  • 33% of floating dust in your home is from microplastics from clothes

  • Inhaling microfibers can lead to respiratory problems, inflammation, asthma, bronchitis & autoimmune disease

  • Studies recognize textile & clothing industry workplaces contributes to chronic lung diseases

Natural Clothing:
Stick to the natural fibres and certified dyes

Now as shocking as all the information was about the negatives of synthetic fibres and dyes, you don’t need to be overwhelmed. It’s easy to stay away, and the easiest way is to stick to natural fibres; cotton, hemp, linen, wool, silk, cashmere, leather and so much more. See below a list of benefits of natural clothing and dyes:

• Look out for the OEKO-TEX® label, OEKO-TEX® standards enable everyone to make responsible decisions and protect natural resources

  • They certify that the dyes are free from harmful chemicals

  • They certify the fibres such as cotton and leather and made organically and ethically

  • OEKO-TEX has over 35,000 partnered companies and over 53,119 certified & labelled products

• Natural fibres not only protect you from the harm synthetic fibres can cause, but are also are more absorbent, eco-friendly, and durable

• Natural fibres are considered better for working out, as they are also more breathable

This wraps up our newsletter for this week. We hope you enjoy it, and make 2025 your best year yet. From fitness to health, we love to see everyone live better, and we hope you learned something that helps you achieve that.

We hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, give us your feedback below and we look forward to seeing you again next week!