As we venture into 2016 and 12 months of getting our sweat on, what is happening in the world of fitness to keep us inspired and working out to our max?
The ACSM's (American College of Sports Medicine) just released its annual "Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2016," in which nearly 3000 exercise pros predict what you'll see in fitness next year. We took a peek at this to see what’s trending in fitness! !
If you are wearing it you are trending it! Wearable technology leads the way for 2016. Fitness trackers, smart watches, heart rate monitors and GPS enabled gadgets are a trend that’s here to stay for a while! The wearable technology market is predicted to reach a whopping $6billion dollars in 2016 They are the perfect work out mate for the tech savvy, time poor fitness enthusiast. They give us low cost access to great apps that not only help educate and motivate us but give us complete accountability for our own fitness!
BWT appeared for the first time in 2013 but its popularity is growing fast. No equipment or gym is needed for this back-to-basics workout which makes it the most accessible workout out there. If your workouts include squat jumps, push ups and the dreaded burpee you are already on trend. This workout is versatile, can be done anywhere and improves both strength and movement.
This workout is powerful. It involves short bursts of exceptionally high intensity activity followed by much shorter period of rest. Typically this workout only lasts a mere 30 minutes but, be warned, it can feel longer. We love HIIT because it’s versatile, it can be used in everything from swimming to bike riding, its effective in building muscle, increasing strength and works both the aerobic and anaerobic fitness.
Old school style strength training remains popular. It is growing ever more popular with women who are embracing strong bodies over thin bodies! Whether you are body weight training, power lifting or traditional strength training, strong is “on point”.
Nothing beats the 1-2-1 attention of a personal trainer if you want to up your fitness game. The ACSM are predicting a big increase in Personal Training in 2016. The benefits are endless. Someone who knows how your body works and give you a personalised plan to suit it. The $ investment is greater. But sometimes you get what you pay for. Make sure the trainer comes with the right qualifications and they understand your fitness goals!
Yoga still ranks highly as it continues to reinvent itself. From hot yoga to SUP yoga there is a practice to suit everyone. It is one of the best workout for your mind and body. Along with being strong we need to be flexible and focused. Yoga compliments absolutely any of your chosen fitness methods. It will, of course, keep your physical body supple and your spine healthy but it provides so much more! Scientific studies supporting the benefits of yoga were once rare but as yoga has grown it has gained its fair share of attention. It is well known that a regular yoga practice will keep your body supple but Studies ranging from Harvard Medical school to Psychology Today list numerous benefits of yoga including;
So whilst we work on getting strong and lean let’s not forget the yoga to keep us bendy and focused.
So that’s our top six fitness trends. Other ones to watch out for are community-based fitness and support systems such as the F45 group who offer a team training facility in which members are challenged every day and IG and Facebook support groups such as the Kayla Itsines movement that has one of the fastest growing social media support system, it currently stands at 4.2m!
