Matthew Januszek, co-founder of Escape Fitness and a partner in Escape Fitness USA, and Mo Iqbal, Founder and CEO of SweatWorks, welcome Huw Edwards — CEO of ukactive — to LIFTS for a conversation about what it would take for the physical activity sector to become a genuine partner in addressing the UK's public health challenges.
The discussion spans the newly appointed Labour government's public health agenda, the potential for a national framework built through collaboration between the fitness sector and the NHS, and what it means to move the fitness industry's value proposition beyond aesthetics toward measurable population health outcomes.
What This Episode Covers
Huw Edwards leads ukactive, the UK's leading not-for-profit body for the physical activity sector, representing operators, suppliers, and partners across gyms, leisure centers, and active recreation. Under his leadership, ukactive has positioned itself as an active advocate for policy change and sector investment at the national level.
This episode is framed around a specific political moment — the Labour government's early months in office — and Edwards brings a detailed understanding of how the physical activity sector can engage constructively with a government that has made population health a stated priority.
The conversation also surfaces the long-running challenge of integrating fitness facilities into the NHS pathway, exploring both the structural barriers and the genuine opportunities for operators who can demonstrate their value in prevention and long-term condition management.
Key Moments from the Conversation
- The physical activity sector has a credible case to make as a partner in improving population health and driving economic growth — Huw Edwards outlines the strategic framework ukactive is using to make that case to the new Labour government.
- Moving beyond aesthetics is essential for the fitness industry to claim a seat at the public health table; the conversation explores how to reframe the sector's value proposition around health outcomes rather than body image.
- Population health has measurable economic consequences — reduced demand on NHS services, lower absence rates, better long-term productivity — and Edwards makes the argument that fitness investment should be understood in those terms.
- Data will be critical for defining the sector's value; without robust evidence connecting physical activity to health outcomes at scale, the industry's policy arguments remain anecdotal rather than compelling.
- The fitness industry needs to diversify its services to reach populations currently underserved by traditional gym models, particularly those managing long-term health conditions and mental health challenges.
- Engaging young people early — with programming that addresses childhood obesity and builds lifelong activity habits — is identified as one of the most impactful areas for collaboration between the sector and government.
- Prevention-led collaboration between the physical activity sector and the NHS represents the clearest near-term opportunity for systemic change, with local delivery feeding into a national framework rather than operating as isolated initiatives.
- Storytelling is underutilized as a tool for driving engagement — both with policymakers and with the communities the fitness industry most needs to reach — and Edwards makes a case for investing in the narrative alongside the data.
Why This Conversation Matters
The argument Huw Edwards makes on LIFTS — that the fitness industry belongs at the center of public health strategy, not at its margins — is one that resonates well beyond the UK context. Matthew Januszek has spent years building a brand whose products are used in facilities that serve millions of people; the conversation about what those facilities can accomplish when connected to healthcare systems is one that matters to every serious operator in the global market.
As governments in multiple countries face unsustainable healthcare cost trajectories, the fitness industry's ability to articulate its prevention value in clear economic terms could define how much public investment flows into the sector over the next decade. This episode is a practical guide to how that conversation can be shaped.
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube
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About Matthew Januszek
Matthew Januszek is the co-founder of Escape Fitness, the functional-training equipment brand he built from a UK startup into a global name supplying many of the world’s leading gyms, studios, and hotel fitness spaces. Following the separation of the UK and US businesses, Matthew’s focus today is Escape Fitness USA and the next chapter of the brand in North America. He hosted more than 300 episodes of the Escape Your Limits podcast and now co-hosts the LIFTS Podcast with SweatWorks founder Mohammed Iqbal, covering the business, science, and technology shaping the fitness industry. Explore more interviews and episodes on MatthewJanuszek.com.
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