Tom Daley teams up with Vodafone to create ‘VodaYoga’ routine as new research shows Brits spend 93 days a year sitting down.
- Vodafone has partnered with Tom Daley and Nuffield Health to help stiff Brits get off the sofa with VodaYoga – a new yoga routine to help the UK combat the effects of a year of home working and get into a more flexible state of body and mind.
- The campaign marks the launch of Vodafone EVO, the new flexible mobile offering that makes the latest smartphones easier to afford than ever before.
- Customers will get access to exclusive offers with Nuffield Health when they sign up for their new Vodafone EVO plan.
- VodaYoga is launched as new research shows the average Brit is spending 93 days a year sitting down – with 27% suffering more aches and pains than before the pandemic and over four in ten (44%) wanting to improve their flexibility.
- Vodafone’s VodaYoga routine is available free on Vodafone’s YouTube channel.
Thursday, 1 July 2021, United Kingdom – Vodafone has teamed up with Tom Daley, Olympian and Double World Champion diver, to get the nation feeling more flexible in body and mind this summer with a specially crafted yoga routine to combat the effects of a year of home working. The new VodaYoga routine is inspired by Vodafone EVO, which offers customers a new level of flexibility. Customers can get the phone they want at the price they choose, with amazing flexible benefits like phone contracts up to 36 months, battery refresh for up to three years and unlimited data boost.
VodaYoga has been specifically created to combat the impact of home working, which has seen people often having to work from the kitchen table, the sofa or the bed. Vodafone’s research1 revealed how much time the average person in the UK now spends sitting down, and the rise in people suffering aches and pains as we come out of lockdown.
Created in partnership with Nuffield Health, the UK’s leading healthcare charity, and one of the nation’s most flexible athletes, Tom Daley, the bespoke VodaYoga workout incorporates unique sequences aimed at targeting the nation’s biggest aches and pains. It is available for free on the Vodafone website or via Nuffield Health 24/7 digital platform for EVO and Nuffield Health customers.
The class – as demonstrated by Tom Daley and Zoe Simms, Wellbeing Personal Trainer and Yoga Instructor at Nuffield Health – includes posture-improving poses as well as breathing and mindfulness exercises to combat the physical ailments resulting from sitting in front of laptops and on sofas, so Brits can regain a flexible and balanced state of body and mind.
The VodaYoga routine builds on the Vodafone EVO customer promise. EVO offers them a new level of flexibility with flexible contract lengths, the flexibility to trade in their old smartphone and flexible upgrades, all on the UK’s best network3. And this flexibility extends to the length of the VodaYoga class: the routine has been designed to suit people’s needs so, much like Vodafone EVO’s contract lengths (of up to 36 months), VodaYogis can choose whether they do the full 36-minute routine, or opt for a shorter workout at 12 or 24 minutes.
Vodafone’s research found that the average person spends six hours and 20 minutes a day sitting down. This is the equivalent of sitting down for 43 hours during a typical week or a total of 93 days a year.
Research suggests the pandemic has exacerbated the problem, with four-in-ten admitting that they have spent more of their free time sitting down than before the onset of COVID-19.
The average person is now spending four hours sat down during the working day, and a further three hours sitting down each day watching TV.
Working from home has resulted in Brits going an hour and a half without getting up from their chair to stretch their legs, shoulders and back. Another third (33%) slouch in front of their desk or table, rather than sitting up straight and supporting their back.
Poor posture, as well as time spent bound to sofas and desks, means that more than one-in-five (22%) have been left with aches and pains. Over a quarter (27%) say they are experiencing more discomfort than ever before.
Poor posture, as well as time spent bound to sofas and desks, means that more than one-in-five (22%) have been left with aches and pains. Over a quarter (27%) say they are experiencing more discomfort than ever before.
Almost half (44%) of the nation want to increase their flexibility. Despite a desire to improve flexibility and fitness, research indicates many feel stuck in a rut, with one-in-six of us feeling apprehensive about returning to gyms and exercise classes.
Tom Daley commented: “After being stuck at home through the pandemic and lockdowns, it’s no surprise Brits are feeling stiff, achy and more inflexible than ever. Like many people in the last year, yoga is something I’ve turned to, and I’m really pleased to be a part of this Vodafone campaign, sharing some of my favourite yoga poses and stretches to help everyone get more flexible.
“In preparation for the upcoming Olympics, we’ve done a lot of yoga to help loosen up our bodies and maintain peak flexibility and increase mobility. My favourite poses – which are included in the VodaYoga routine – are basic moves that address tightness in your hip flexors, glutes and hamstrings, such as forward fold and downward dog, which both allow gravity to do a lot of the work for you.”
“My favourite poses – which are included in the VodaYoga routine – are basic moves… which both allow gravity to do a lot of the work for you.”
Max Taylor, Consumer Director at Vodafone UK, commented: “EVO is all about giving customers the phone they want at the price they choose – giving them the most flexible mobile plans they’ve ever had, at what is a really difficult time for many people – and VodaYoga takes that one step further. People have been stuck at home, and home working is set to continue for a lot of us, so it’s vital that we stay fit and flexible. We’re injecting some flexibility back into the nation – to people’s wallets, bodies and minds.”
EVO customers can choose the contract length that suits them, from 12 to 36 months, they’ll have the flexibility to upgrade their device after 12 months, and trade-in an old device for a guaranteed instant saving. EVO also includes Vodafone’s Unlimited Data Booster, Battery Refresh for up to three years, and a two-year total care warranty.
Sharon Helsby, Senior Physiotherapist Lead at Nuffield Health commented: “Classes like VodaYoga are so important, not only for a healthy body but also for mental wellbeing. We know that sitting in a sustained position for a long period of time can lead to pain; this has been exacerbated over the pandemic. During the last six months over a third (35%) of people seeking physiotherapy treatment with us have had neck or upper back pain, which comes as no surprise given the trends the Vodafone research has revealed.
“By far, the best way to combat this is by making regular movement throughout the day. When people were working from an office they would regularly get up from their desk to chat to a colleague, go to a meeting or grab a coffee. The research highlights how these essential, daily movement habits have decreased. VodaYoga includes specific movements to combat stiffness and foster greater flexibility. The fluid routine will encourage people to move more during their everyday lives and aid relaxation.”
The VodaYoga class is available to access for free at Vodafone.co.uk or via Nuffield Health 24/7 for Nuffield Health customers.
To keep up their flexibility, EVO customers will have exclusive free access to a 3-day pass at any Nuffield Health fitness and wellbeing centre as well as 3 months’ access to Nuffield Health 24/7, which they can redeem via VeryMe on the My Vodafone app.
For more information about EVO and VodaYoga, visit the Vodafone UK website.
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Notes to editors
1Research polling 2,000 UK adults, 72Point, June 2021.
3UK’s Best Network as voted for by readers of Trusted Reviews (October 2020): this award was based on online votes by readers of Trusted Reviews. Readers were provided a list of the major UK network providers to vote on, based on their customer sentiments. The category for ‘Best Network Provider’ received 1,007 votes in total and Vodafone received 603 of those votes (59.88%).
4Offer valid from 15 July at 00:01 to 31 August 2021 at 23:49 on VeryMe. The offer is a three-day trial to a Nuffield Health fitness and wellbeing centre of your choice, plus three months access to Nuffield Health 24/7, Nuffield Health’s digital online service. To receive the three-day trial, you must claim a unique code in the VeryMe app, click through to the Nuffield Health website, select your chosen fitness and wellbeing centre, input the code and your personal details and submit. The manager of the Nuffield Health fitness and wellbeing centre will get in touch with you within 5 days to arrange your trial. To receive the three-month trial to Nuffield Health 24/7, click on the same link from the VeryMe app, then click the banner and input your name and personal details and submit. To receive the offer, you must accept Nuffield Health’s terms.
