With 2022 underway, millions of Americans have set a goal to improve their health this year. Let’s take a look at the new or reinvented fitness trends that are popular this year and how the pandemic has impacted how people workout.

The top trends include:

1. Wearables; 2. Home gyms; 3. Outdoor fitness activities; 4. Strength training with free weights; and 5. Mindfulness & Meditation.

Wearables

Many people are now connected to a smart wearable device that helps them in monitoring their health to enable them to live a healthier lifestyle. The wearable technology enables individuals to monitor and keep track of their fitness journey from their mobile devices. The motion sensor technology in wearable gadgets can take pictures and sync them to your device. It helps you track your fitness through your mobile gadget. Wearable technology uses rapid digitization to enable you to manage your health and physical fitness. The availability of technology-backed and real-time data from the wearable devices. It helps its users to tap into their physical fitness and satisfy their medical needs from their own hands. Most wearables can track steps, record fitness activities, monitor heart rate and even check sound levels nearby that might affect your hearing.

Home gyms

No lines, distractions or pressure come with a home gym. Home gyms offer convenience and flexibility for you to exercise anytime you choose. Initial costs can be higher, but you may end up saving money in the end. Especially if you use it for many years to come. Since you or your family are the only ones that use your home gym equipment, you will never have to worry about cleanliness either. Home gyms can help eliminate excuses and have the potential be one of the best investments you can make for your health.

Outdoor fitness activities

Outdoor exercise is also becoming more popular. It is a natural antidepressant and being outdoors can help ward off seasonal affective disorder, depression and anxiety because sunshine naturally increases serotonin, a hormone that affects your mood. And exercise itself produces endorphins, another feel-good hormone that boosts your mood and reduces pain. Exercise can become a lot more fun if you involve family and friends, so turn it into a social outing. Exercising outdoors is free and all you need to get a fantastic workout is a safe, well-lit park, track, neighborhood or walking trail, and your body weight.

Strength training with free weights

Strength training can help you get stronger and look and feel better with just a few short workouts each week. You can do strength training with free weights, weight machines, or with no equipment at all. Free weights are becoming more popular because they are commonly more parallel with tasks you perform day to day. For example, performing squats with free weights in each hand can mimic you bending down to pick up a heavy bag. Free weights also allow you to exercise anywhere, are easily moveable and are affordable.

Meditation

Disruption to our way of life, school closures, large-scale shifts toward working from home, and general anxiety have led to 4 in 10 adults worrying about their mental health since the start of the pandemic. This has led to an increase in interest in relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness and a surge in technology-based solutions. More than three million people are said to use meditation apps daily, and popular health platforms that now include functionality designed to help track and improve stress and other mental health factors.

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are,  what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. It’s not all in your head—you can practice mindfulness by sitting down for a formal meditation practice. Being more intentional and aware of the things you do each day. It has been shown to have may positive impacts on one’s well-being.

Fitness trends come and go but ultimately it’s finding what works best for you and your fitness goals. Making a lifelong commitment and sticking to it.

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