n 2017, there are more fitness choices than ever before. Do you try HIIT or resistance workouts? Calisthenics or German volume training? Wellness or mindfulness? Crosswords or sudoku?
The answer, of course, is completely personal. You do whatever works for you. The good news is that we live in a very rich time for health and fitness options – with just a bit of work, you should be able to find an approach that works for your personality, your location, and your daily calendar (however busy it may be).
2016 was a good year for these options; as someone who works in the health sector, it felt as though my industry was evolving in a positive direction. Now that we’re over half way through 2017, it’s time to look at this year’s major emerging trends and analyse what they mean for the wider future of our physical and mental fitness.
1. Mind the gap
For a while now, the fitness industry has been pushing in opposite directions on cost: a race to the bottom at the affordable end, versus vertiginously escalating prices at the top. In 2017, the disparity between the two is growing ever more exponential.
One of the big factors in falling prices at the bottom end is the rise of the low-cost chain gym, which benefit from economies of scale to offer their service at attractive entry points. Largely, this is proving to be a positive thing: the gyms are now more likely to offer pay-as-you-go membership, rather than a monthly subscription fee that puts off a lot of people. And generally the environment in these gyms is conducive to getting in shape: the chains can offer a range of equipment that wasn’t previously possible, and the knowledge base of their trainers is improving (although arguably it still needs work).
At the other end, a lot of personal trainers, physiotherapists and nutritionists who have gained an online following are charging far more for their services than in previous years. In London, for example, it used to be that only a rarified few could command a £100hr fee; that kind of money is now more commonplace, as health professionals use their websites and social media accounts to highlight their credentials and the kind of results they get.
What we’re now starting to see is that there’s a squeezed middle between these two magnetic poles. Health pros who do not yet have a following are competing on price and forcing one another out of the industry.
It’s becoming harder for consumers to find quality personal training options without paying top dollar.
2. Better together
Group fitness classes have evolved markedly in recent years – symptomatic, perhaps, of the difficulty of finding good personal trainers at a reasonable price.
It used to be that group classes amounted to legs, bums and tums at your local, municipal leisure complex. Now, you can get a range of different classes, whether they’re at a specialist centre or simply in a meeting room at work.
HIIT, movement, yoga, pilates, cross training, spinning: there should be something for everyone. And, importantly, because these classes are devised by influential experts in the industry and delivered via partnerships with large gym chains, they work from good, thoughtful syllabuses.
A great way to get in shape.
3. Wear your heart on your sleeve
Wearable technology is on the up and up, allowing us to track our hours of sleep, daily steps, calories burned and a myriad other metrics related to performance and workout tracking.
The great news is that we’re firmly out of the gimmicky stage. For the first time, I now find I trust the stats provided by modern devices – which means we can actually embrace them as legitimate fitness tools that can bring about significant improvements in our health and fitness endeavours.
