Active Overwatch 047

Here’s your weekly roundup of news, trends, and stories in the health and fitness space. A list of what’s happening, new innovations, interesting finds, and more.

This week we’re covering:

• FlyKitt launches AI fitness travel app.
• Life Time acquires HPLT.
• Bold Bar launches caffeinated protein bar.
• And more...

Hope you enjoy!

Recent Headlines

FlyKitt Fit launches an AI fitness coach for travel. You take a photo of the gym space you’re in and FlyKitt will generate a workout using the equipment available. Along with tailoring it to your body, your goals, and your schedule.

• So many health and fitness apps tack on basic AI features simply for the buzzword. But that is not the case here. This AI feature by FlyKitt is actually practical and makes sense. This is a real frustration with travel. Every hotel gym is different, with varying equipment availability. And that frustration usually ends up in the consumer not attempting to workout because it’s not worth the headache. Along with that, I’ve talked about the trend of hotels focusing more on wellness and fitness, so having a travel companion app like this slides in perfectly. Big fan of this product.

Ketone-IQ launches 4 new products. Including new flavors of green apple and raspberry lemonade, both coming in a caffeinated and non-caffeinated version. And also announces expansion of nation-wide distribution in Vitamin Shoppe and HEB.

• I have been obsessed with the ketone drink space recently, and Ketone-IQ has been at the forefront. Alternative energy drinks are a growing trend, ranging from ketones, mushrooms, functional coffee, and more. But ketone drinks have been far and away my favorite. It gives me a type of wired energy that no other drink has replicated. The only time I’ve felt similar is when I did a 48 hour fast and entered the state of ‘Ketosis’, which is what these drinks essentially try to emulate. Really bullish on this space.

Life Time acquires High Performance Lifestyle Training (HPLT). Founded by Brian Mazza, HPLT hosts immersive experiences that challenge individuals to reach their physical and mental limits. Cultivating health, wellness, and community.

• A couple weeks ago I made a video about how fitness brands should start acquiring run clubs and event based companies, and MANY of the comments said this was a horrible take. Reasons ranging from “they already sponsor clubs“ and “this will ruin the genuine community“. Valid, but my response to that is 1) Of course it has to be the right fit or else the acquisition will fail, just like any business acquisition. And 2) Sponsorship can be dropped by either party at any moment, acquisition gives you full control. And here we are just 2 weeks later and Life Time acquires HPLT, known for their event experiences. I stand by my take and expect more of these transactions to happen.

Gymii launches social AI nutrition tracking app. Users can take a photo of their meal and instantly receive calories and macros. Along with a social experience that shares their journey with friends.

• There’s a handful of AI nutrition tracking apps out there and with the state of AI progression, I don’t think this is a huge moat. It’s easy to replicate and all come with similar accuracy. The add-on component of a social experience is what intrigues me here. Accountability is a major component of someone sticking to their nutrition and fitness goals. And “accountability-as-a-service” is something we’ve seen more of in recent years, especially with technology making our day to day lives more isolated. Social is one of the hardest things to successfully tackle with an app, but if Gymii does it right, I think this could be the differentiator needed in this space.

Bold Bar officially launches their caffeinated protein bar. The bar is sweetened with honey and includes 20g of protein paired with 100mg of caffeine. Coming in a mocha chip flavor.

• Functional snack stacking is a big trend these days. Things like protein, caffeine, electrolytes, and creatine are all already apart of many consumer’s daily routine. So we’re seeing brands launch more and more products combining them. Such a protein + electrolyte drinks, caffeinated electrolyte energy drinks, and now protein + caffeine with Bold Bar. There’s certainly a market for ingredient stacking products. Consumers want to save time and cut decision fatigue. I expect to see more products like this launch going forward.

ICYMI On Social

• Fitness events are the new Coachella.
• Health product trends of 2025.
• “This week in fitness” featuring Cadence, April Fool’s Day, and FlowHaus.