We’re always looking for the next “big trend” or latest gadgets and gizmos that are out there in today’s society. Fortunately, for you this remains true in the health and fitness world, as well! Every year the American College of Sports Medicine conducts a survey to ask thousands of fitness professionals about new and upcoming trends, and this year was no different.
Today I want to share 10 of the top trends for 2021 according to professionals, review what each trend actually is, and talk about reasons we should all be incorporating these trends into our new healthy lifestyle in 2021.
1. HIIT
We’ve all heard about HIIT workouts and how great they are! In 2021, this is no different as these High-Intensity-Interval-Training workouts continue to gain the spotlight in the fitness industry, and for a good reason! (Well, a couple of reasons in my opinion, but let’s see what the experts say.)
HIIT workouts are exactly what they say, interval workouts that alternate between high intensity bursts of activity and low intensity recovery activity. The idea of these types of workouts is to get a great workout in without spending hours at the gym, so these typically last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.
According to Eric Salvador, NASM, NSCA, “A high-intensity workout increases the body’s need for oxygen during the effort and creates an oxygen shortage, causing your body to ask for more oxygen during recovery. This after burn effect is referred to as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption and is the reason why intense exercise will help you burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts.” During HIIT workouts, your body has to pull from all sources of energy, causing homeostatic imbalance (unstable internal environment). As you recover, your body is still burning energy and calories while it tries to repair itself and return to a balanced state of
homeostasis.
For those of us on our new year’s kick to become healthier, gain more energy, and maybe lose a little weight on the way, this HIIT fitness trend is a MUST to add to our routine. If you haven’t heard yet, the benefits from these workouts are tremendous! As we mentioned, they boost metabolism and lead to fat and weight loss (especially in women), protect against aging and reduce risk of dementia and osteoporosis as we get older, and (one of my favorite bonuses!) combat fatigue, anxiety, and depression. This topic deserves an entire post, but we will save that for a later date.
2. Functional Fitness
Although it has been around forever, functional fitness sadly has not been top on the fitness radar in past recent years. In my opinion, these exercises are a great way to stay in shape and keep your body ready for all it may encounter! Functional fitness exercises are those that mimic your everyday body movements, such as squats, overhead press, yoga, pushups, etc. These types of workouts focus more on multiple joint movements to engage multiple muscle groups.
Dr. Rhodes talks about the many reasons why functional fitness is growing in popularity and what benefits come with it! My favorite part about this fitness trend is the fact that it doesn’t just target one group of people or one type of athlete, it’s a very broad range of exercises that anyone and everyone can benefit from, they can be done anywhere, and they can be done with or without equipment! Dr. Rhodes says, “The benefit of functional fitness is that it helps you do your job or live your life in a better, safer way.” Functional fitness training can improve posture, balance, coordination, range of motion, muscle memory, and reduce risk of injury in our daily lives! I don’t know about you, but anything that I can do to reduce my risk of being in pain and help me to be able to move without groaning is a top choice in my book. I will definitely be adding more of these workouts into my routine in 2021!
3. Fitness Apps (for Apple & Android)
In our technology-filled world today, it’s no surprise that apps for our mobile devices are creeping to the top of this list for 2019. There are thousands of fitness apps for mobile devices now, which make them so much easier to access than the jam-packed gym. Dr. Litman and his team actually conducted a study to see if these apps were even being used, and if so, if they were producing any results. Sure enough, he says the “data also suggest that one way that exercise apps may increase exercise levels and health outcomes such as BMI is by making it easier for users to overcome barriers to exercise…”. They are fun and user-friendly, also a great way to have health and fitness information right at your fingertips! I like to also use them as an accountability tool because we all know that those are extremely important (in fitness and every other aspect of life).
There are so many options, such as your nutrition tracking apps like MyFitnessPal, on demand workout apps like Sweatflix or Fiit, workout music apps like FIT Radio or RockMyRun, social fitness apps like Fitbit or Nike+ for those of us that like the community feel, competitive fitness apps like Inkin for you hardcore athletes out there, and even altruistic fitness apps like Charity Miles for those of us that want to do it for someone other than ourselves. This new trend is one I’m excited about and encouraging because like research suggests, they are a great way to get ideas for workouts, set goals, and keep track of your journey from anywhere!
4. Recovery Tools
“Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” (Mark 6:31)
These are the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples after they had been sent out to work and there are many other places in His Word that instruct us to be still and to rest and rejuvenate.
So, here’s the deal. I workout quite a bit, and I work out hard because it’s one of my ways to release and just ‘get away’. When I say workout, I mean I lift weights, and I do this because this is the type of ‘workout’ that I enjoy the most. Everyone has their favorite, all of which will (or should) at some point cause a little bit of muscle soreness and aches. This is where my new found friends known as recovery tools come in.
Recovery tools are pieces of equipment or other tools that are used help reduce the soreness and inflammation, while helping to repair torn muscle tissue. A few of my favorites are the foam roller, stretch strap, trigger point massage ball, and a forever favorite-the TENS unit. There are a ton of great tools out there today that can help you recover faster, increase blood flow to those aching muscles, and even increase flexibility and muscle tone. I will just go ahead and confess that last one there might be one of my top motivating factors to using these great tools, but I can assure you my body (regardless of how tone it is) appreciates it more and more after each use!
5. Streaming Live Workouts
As we talked about in number 3 with our fitness apps, streaming live workouts will only continue to grow in our technology-driven and fast-paced world. It is a great way to work out for less (always a win in my book), you can do it from virtually anywhere, and there are SO many options to choose from. If you travel quite a bit for work or leisure, if you’re a busy mom that has no option to go to the gym, or if you’re just beginning your faithfully fit and fabulous journey and would rather try a few different workouts from the comfort of your own home before leaping into a commitment of a gym membership, streaming live workouts is probably one of the best options for you in 2021! A few options for streaming would be through Aaptiv, Glo, Peloton, SweatFlix, or DailyBurn. As I mentioned earlier though, there are a TON of options for this, so be sure to check them out and find one that works for you!
6. Group Training
Community; this is what we were created for. In Hebrews 10:25 we are instructed to not give up the habit of meeting together, but instead to continue to encourage one another. In Romans 12:5 we are reminded that we form one body, each belonging to one another. Group training offers this and so much more, so there’s no doubt that it will continue to grow in popularity in 2021. Instead of personal training that is a more expensive route of 1-1 coaching or your traditional group exercise classes where teachers instruct and students follow, group training can be thought of as a hybrid of these two.
Group training classes are smaller classes that are big enough to be fun and encouraging to others like group exercise classes, but still small enough to have the quality coaching and training you would get in your 1-1 personal training sessions. Christ created us for community and because of that, we push harder and are able to achieve more when we have those accountability partners and group of others to encourage and motivate us. Group training can offer these things in a smaller, more close-knit group, which can be beneficial for a lot of us today.
7. Treadmill Workouts
Choices, choices, and more choices. Yes, having more options can be a good thing for some, but for most, it can be overwhelming. As we’ve seen so far, our fitness options are only continuing to grow and according to David Siik, “People are getting really hungry for that return to basics, that feeling of showing up for track practice.” Now I don’t know about you, but I was never a fan of track practice; that was, until AFTER the workout was over. I dreaded showing up for track practice and definitely had a love-hate relationship with running, but for some reason I always felt so good after the workouts. If you are a runner, or just need that simplicity back in your fitness life, treadmill workouts are a great way to go! They are easy to use, you can control your speed and workout, they are great for cardiovascular health, and can even be a good tool to use while learning better form.
8. Body Building and Weight Training
According to Google’s dictionary, body building is “a sport involving strenuous physical exercise in order to strengthen and enlarge the muscles of the body.” Some like to define a body builder as ‘anyone who builds a better body’. When you think of bodybuilders, you probably picture someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he’s an extreme example. If you lift weights or do any type of strength and resistance training, you are a body builder. This fitness trend is growing fast, especially for women, and rightfully so. Weight training can increase your ‘feel-good’ endorphins, increase functional lifespan, improve cholesterol levels, increase bone density (preventing osteoporosis), and even increase your discipline and mental strength. Need I say more?
9. Wearable Technology
In today’s “I want it now” society, we are seeing a rise in wearable technology such as Fitbits and Smartwatches that are able to track your activity and vital signs, such as heart rate for your immediate access. There are some devices that can already track heart rate, blood sugar, and signs of sleep apnea. Soon we will see things like shirts that can detect oxygen levels, heart rate, blood pressure, and even produce EKG readings of your heart! While some might not agree, wearable technology has increased personal accountability in the health and fitness world, allowing for real-time data collection and a rise in awareness and empowerment to take control of your own health.
10. Mindfulness and Mental Training
When I hear the words mind, thoughts, or mental I can’t help but think about Philippians 4:8 when Paul tells us to think about noble, pure, and excellent things. Mindfulness and mental training is all about training your mind to focus on living in the present moment and being more aware and in-tune with your body. Things such as yoga, breathing exercises, visualization and aromatherapy all fall into this category and are becoming more popular at an extremely rapid pace. This is also one of my favorite things to study, as I continue to learn how powerful our minds can actually be!
Conclusion
Now, I know this is a lot of (great) information to take in all at once! As you embark on your journey to a healthier and happier life, just pick a couple that you would enjoy the most and GO FOR IT! Be sure to sign up for your 21 Day Transformation Package for fail-proof tools and tips on becoming a better you!
