6 FITNESS TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2022
Adaptation was a key theme while navigating the impacts of the pandemic. This adaptation was a necessity related to various aspects of daily life such as how we grocery shopped, spent time with family and friends, and even worked out to stay fit and healthy. During the pandemic, exercise habits (and personal trainers alongside those changes) pivoted to accommodate for fitness facility closures and social distancing. More specifically, many individuals transitioned to exercising outdoors when the weather allowed for it. Additionally, others embraced virtual fitness offerings and/or expanded access to home workout equipment to exercise in the comfort of their living room.
Trends to look out for include implementing wearable technology, prioritizing shorter and HIIT style workouts, exercising outdoors, and building a smart home gym. Read more about these trends below. 6 FITNESS TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2022
Wearable Technology Mini Workouts HIIT Workouts Building a Smart Home Gym Leveraging Virtual Classes Outdoor Exercises With Social Groups
1. WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY During the pandemic individuals did not have the same resources at home that they did at their onsite fitness facilities and studios. To ensure that they were still engaging in high quality workout routines at home or outdoors, many turned to wearable technology. People wanted a convenient and accurate way to focus on their health and wellbeing goals while being able to track their success along the way. Wearable devices were the answer to this need. This helped individuals measure the impact of their exercise sessions and ensure they were challenging themselves as it relates to heart rate zone, caloric burn, steps taken, blood pressure level, recovery time, and exercise intensity. Utilizing wearable technology has only continued to grow in popularity over the last two years. Wearable technology options include fitness trackers, smart watches, heart rate monitors, and GPS tracking devices. There are a variety of wearable devices on the market many of which allow individuals to track their fitness metrics along with other areas of their wellbeing like sleep, nutrition, etc. This desire to measure and track aspects of one’s health and fitness using technology is likely to continue to grow in the year ahead.
2. MINI WORKOUTS
During the pandemic prioritizing daily movement became essential for many due to them being stuck indoors and at home more often. This led to more individuals fitting in shorter yet effective exercise sessions throughout the day. This necessary adaptation has now led to the popularity of “mini workouts” as a current fitness trend. A mini workout is a short bout of exercise that lasts for ten minutes or less and can be done multiple times throughout the day if desired. Mini workouts often incorporate a combination of cardiovascular, muscular strength and endurance, and mobility exercises all into one routine. They can also be tailored differently as well. There are a variety of benefits from mini workouts. Firstly, engaging in mini exercise sessions can help busy individuals stay fit despite a variety of work and life priorities.
