The experts predict that Americans will continue to be involved in indoor cycling, interval training, group fitness classes and other methods to burn body fat, but that many will use hi-tech devices that monitor their fitness on many parameters. Fitness
The experts predict that Americans will continue to be involved in indoor cycling, interval training, group fitness classes and other methods to burn body fat, but that many will use hi-tech devices that monitor their fitness on many parameters. Fitness tracking devices are frequently used as evidenced by more than 84 million such devices being sold in 2013.
The fitness industry has never been more scientific and technologically sophisticated. Other tech applications have to do with determining optimal food choices, comparative shopping between brands of food, checking gluten-free food choices and protein content of various foods and brands of food, simply by snapping a photo of the barcode.
Indoor cycling continues to be a popular fitness pursuit as does high intensity interval training which alternates all-out effort with low intensity recovery periods. CrossFit is another trend that continues to gain momentum if you can pardon the pun, and although Zumba and other dance/aerobic classes are still popular, they have dropped significantly in popularity.
Personal fitness training as well as small group personal fitness training is on the rise. Because people realize that classes and the “one size fits all” approach to fitness simply doesn’t maximize their results, many people are turning to personalized fitness training to get exercises specifically tailored to their problem areas, their fitness level, their goals and their capabilities.
In a class, your areas of weakness are rarely addressed and that holds you back from achieving your best results. This is why bootcamp type classes are on the wane. Working with a personal trainer also is motivating.
The industry of working with an educated and experienced fitness professional continues to expand, because it is a thoughtful and specific approach that allows for individual evaluation and programming. If you are comfortable with training in small groups with a trainer then you can save a little expense by sharing the fee with friends.
Exercise just using body weight is gaining in popularity because it can be facilitated with a minimum of equipment and therefore can be performed just about anywhere and is economical. This type of training focuses on planks, pull-ups, push-ups, lunges, squats and other old school type exercises. Do squats while brushing your teeth or hold a plank while you’re on hold on the phone? Why not?
Strength training can and should be added to most fitness regimes and people are becoming more aware of the benefits of strength training which go beyond the gym to reach into functional fitness (fitness that helps you in every day pursuits) to aging well. Specialized workouts for older adults continue to attract Baby Boomers and Beyond Boomers who want to age well.
Yoga also continues to be a fitness pursuit that many people develop into a lifestyle. Yoga goes well beyond just increasing flexibility and balance by improving the immune system and general health, as well as providing a means for relaxation.
The connection between exercise, lifestyle and nutrition is a growing focus as people realize that you can exercise all you want, if you don’t change dangerous and unhealthy dietary or lifestyle habits, true fitness will not be achieved.
In the case of nutritional supplements, superior companies now use phytosomes, which are molecule carriers that allow you to absorb the nutritional value of any supplement that you may take. You should feel a difference when you consume your vitamins or protein shake!
Most fitness video games are not good at burning calories or have any significant impact on fitness levels. Research on these games showed they burned only about 90 calories per hour. However, an innovative approach is a virtual reality device termed Omni that allows greater activity.
It is about the size of a recliner and has a 360 treadmill and allows such virtual activities as mountain climbing, hunting, running, pivoting, crouching and jumping and so on. It also allows you to take virtual scenic walks/runs in modern day cities or ancient ones. Sounds like fun!
Fitness and exercise options continue to expand. Some fads come and go and some modalities such as yoga and strength training have been around for centuries. As people’s awareness and knowledge expand, more and more people are likely to become engaged in the pursuit of health and fitness, since the benefits are undeniable.
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Jane Riley is a certified nutritional adviser and certified behavior change specialist. She can be reached at janerileyfitness@gmail.com, (808) 212-8119 cell and www.janerileyfitness.com
