By: Ashmar Mandou
From “cold yoga” to Zumba classes, fitness trends often come and go, but finding new ways to stay active can mean starting off the new year with a healthy new habit. If you’re looking for new and interesting ways to get in shape this year, we’ve got you covered. These are the fitness trends that will likely be taking over your gym, fitness studio, or even living room this year.
Exercising at home
Working out is no longer solely resigned to hitting the gym. Tom Holland, MS, an exercise physiologist from Connecticut, said home workouts will continue to be popular in the new year. Many Americans are creating home gyms, or using streaming technology to exercise under their own roofs. “Getting started doesn’t require a large amount of space or investment,” Holland said.
Shorter workouts
“Science tells us that no workout is too short, that every minute matters,” Holland said. Three 10-minute bouts of exercise have the same benefits as one continuous 30-minute session. Wherever we’re exercising, some of us may be doing it in shorter spurts — and that’s okay, Holland added. High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, also follows this trend.
Boxing
When it comes to what workout trend more of us will be trying, that will be boxing, according to Jawaid. Combat sports in general are becoming more of a part in mainstream culture in part due to rising popularity of mixed martial arts, or MMA. Second to boxing is spinning, Jawaid said. The controlled aspect of pedaling typically means less injuries than other recent trends such as CrossFit.
Smart training
Having a fitness wristband to track calories and steps is one thing, but workouts will get even smarter in 2019, says Von Collins, an ACE-certified professional with Complete Tri, said that smart treadmills and other fitness equipment that features streaming apps is quite a game changer.
Being fit is trending, overall
Other trends to watch out for in 2019, according to the annual American College of Sports Medicine predictions report, include more personal training, fitness programs for older adults, and the continuation of yoga as a popular fitness trend.
