The best health and fitness trends 2022
The best health and fitness trends for 2022 are, to a certain extent, outcomes of the pandemic. The way we have been forced to re-assess the way we live, work, and communicate. It took a pandemic to realise that there is a different and better way when it comes to our health and fitness too!
There will be the usual plethora of gimmicks and one-hit-wonder trends in 2022. But I think most of us have finally realised that that’s exactly what they are. Major fitness groups will be popping up with the new trendy ways to get you through the door (it’s their job).
The focus in 2022 will be rightly on emotional and physical health as a means to stay well instead of just how we look. Remember all social media platforms have filters!! More providers will jump on board, which has to be good for us all.
So let’s take a look at the upcoming (and already established trends) that will help change your health and fitness in 2022.
The holistic health and fitness trend
This simply means a number of disciplines delivered as one. The good mood method is a perfect example of this approach in action.
A focus on habits and behaviours that help to develop better ways to move more, eat better and think positively. Bringing together a team of experts to provide an online service that is all in one place. A holistic approach that covers mindset, exercise, and diet, because all 3 are linked, and all 3 matter!
The realisation that everyone wants better mental and physical health, and that looking better is a by-product. The best thing to come out of Covid!
Outdoor workouts health trend
The biggest free gym in the world is right outside your door.
When you know how to use it, it’s yours forever. This has always been the case, but during the pandemic, the usual places and methods were taken away. Yes, they are back now and will always be popular, but people have tried the outdoor options now and like them.
More classes and PT sessions are now outside and will continue to grow in popularity. Better outdoor gyms will spring up in our parks and green spaces. Most of the workouts you can do indoors, you can do outdoors with all the added benefits. Fresh air, different terrains, and workouts, vitamin D. Surrounding yourself with nature and the color green. Better stress release etc. Just google the benefits and give it a try.
Walking for mental and physical health
The benefits of putting one foot in front of the other as many times as you can throughout the day are well documented. It was always considered the least trendy of all of the fitness options out there. Not anymore because the walking trend is the new jogging.
Walking as a mental and physical alternative grew in popularity during the pandemic. Mindful walking, fitness walking and even dog walking has taken on a new lease of life. Companies that help develop this growing trend will survive. Apps to plan and track a walk. Podcasts to listen to while walking. Mindful walking apps. Wearable tech geared to walking, and outdoor clothing companies will flourish.
Online health and fitness and apps
It’s been there for a while and is always going to grow as tech develops. Not having to go anywhere, time money, and convenience is a big consideration for people in the current climate.
We carry a phone around with us all the time and there are apps for everything. Counting calories, monitoring our bodily functions, how many steps we take, for example. Workouts you can just follow at home or in the gym. Mindfulness and meditation. Relaxation and sleep patterns. The list goes on and it’s all in your pocket.
Interactive workouts on platforms like zoom or Youtube have made the online fitness trend much more attractive. Many gyms have had to incorporate it into their offerings to help future proof their business and retain existing memberships.
Exercise as medicine
GP referrals have been a thing for a while. It meant going to a class or a gym and joining in with their scheme for free for a few weeks, then starting paying the normal rate. Fine for people that can or actually feel inclined to.
With the development of outdoor workouts, walking, online options, and the holistic approaches mentioned above, this is now a real possibility for most people. With the proper guidance, all of us can do something to boost our natural immunity to disease and stay out of the doctor’s surgery or hospital.
Exercise is mentioned in almost all prevention guidelines, which are written by doctors and health pros themselves. Reducing stress, anxiety, and depression can be managed by prescribed exercise instead of prescribed drugs. Similarly, physical conditions caused by inactivity can also be a treatment and not just suggested as prevention.
Links between switched-on doctors, health professionals, and fitness providers are the way to go. In 2022 they are much easier to do with more options to do them.
The best health and fitness trends 2022. Summary
The empahasis will be on mental and physical health and not how you look. Organisations that take that on board will continue to grow. Yes there will still be a market for the image conscious, but with limited growth. Yes there will be new and exciting workouts to attend. Just remember, there is no such thing as a new workout, just new marketing. Convienence, cost, and above all, outcome, will be at the forefront of the average persons mind.
