Best Fitness Trends in 2022
Just like most of the world, COVID-19 has had an impact on working out and how that is done. Meaning, the majority of these exercises are things you can do on your own and at your home. However, that doesn’t mean you can meet with other people and do exercises together, as long as social distancing is practiced and all safety measures are met. Before we go through our list of trends, we want to point out we have also reviewed the best podcasts for personal trainers – those offer an additional source of information for all things current and up-to-date.
What are the best fitness trends in 2022?
Let’s get started with the list. Don’t forget to let us know if we’ve missed anything!
Wearable Technology
It is something that can make it easier for you to connect with other people while staying at a safe distance, like working out in your home gyms. It also allows someone to easily track and log the progress you have made. Some technology can automatically track things such as steps and more. You can also use specific apps to add other forms of exercise. Not only that, but they can follow you along every step of the way during the workout.
Wearable technology is also able to help people stay focused on their goals. Most technology and apps make this easy for you. Managing your time as a personal trainer is everything – so you can place everything you want in the app and set reminders, meaning you don’t need to remember to do your exercise. It reminds you to do it at a specific time.
No matter what you are doing or where you are working out, wearable technology is with you and will log your progress. It is the perfect little addition to your normal or new workout routine.
Walking
It is something that kicked off doing at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdown forced people to stay at home with their family members. In some cases, there are big families. It makes it difficult to find something to do on your own and to have some peace.
Walking is an easy thing to do, and it doesn’t require much equipment. All you need is a pair of walking shoes and maybe your phone and headphones for an extra measure of comfort and peace. Or if you want to find a way to connect with your family in a new place, walking is a good way to do it.
Even just a low-intensity exercise of 15 minutes a day can make a difference in your health. Just 15 minutes a day, without any breaks, can bring a benefit to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, walking isn’t enough for a full and rounded workout routine. Meaning you would need to add more to your exercise.
Strength Training
Strength training has been on a rise lately. It is a workout you can do on its own, or it is something that will mix well with walking to achieve the well-rounded routine experts say is best to have. It can lessen the risk of injury, strengthen bones, and improve overall heart health. Not only that, but strength training can help people feel strong and empowered.
The majority of home or neighborhood gyms have free weights that not many people use. These weights can include barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, and medicine balls. So the next time you are at the gym and see the weights sitting off in the corner, why not go over and give it a shot?
There are a handful of myths out there about weightlifting. For example, you have to start when you are young, you need to have lots of fancy equipment, or if you work with strength training, you will look like a bodybuilder. These are all wrong, and trainers will tell you that. You don’t need to have fancy equipment. The free weights at the gym are a perfect place to start.
Exercising Outdoors with Dogs
During the pandemic, gyms were closed, meaning people didn’t have a chance to go out and exercise in ways they were used to. Most people were trapped at home and were feeling the loss of their daily routine and their normal exercises. As mentioned earlier, people had taken up walking, but that is not enough.
There are other ways to work out outdoors. Such as, if you have a dog, you are still required to go outside. You can use that to your advantage and create some exercises. At the very least, it gives you a good excuse to go outside and take a break.
It doesn’t matter if you use your dog as an excuse to go outside, or if you want to involve your dog in your exercises, outdoors can be nice. One way to involve your dog in your exercises is while doing squats. You can squat down and have your dog lay down as well. Then when you jump up, you can kiss your dog. Whatever you do, it is important to remember dogs need to recover after exercises as well. That is a perfect time to go home and cuddle up with your best friend.
Online Sessions
Being forced home with COVID-19 and having it still happen means we are still exploring new ways to work out. There are also new ways we are experimenting with finding ways to connect and meet new people. One way this is being done is online live and on-demand exercise classes. This trend actually had us write an entire article on how to become an online personal trainer.
Coaches can record themselves and broadcast live videos to reach people from all across the world. That way your viewers can decide if they want to work out on their own, or if they want to work out with a group of people. Ultimately, if they want to work out with a group of people, this is a way they can work with the people they feel the most comfortable with.
Also, when having recordings, you can post them to your website or social media where clients can view them 24/7, so if they can’t make it for the time you set up, then they can do it on their own time when it works for them.
Women’s Only Gyms
This is something that started increasing in popularity in 2021 and is still steadily increasing in 2022. However, it is not a new concept. According to Women’s Health, women’s only gyms first emerged in the 1930s.
This concept is becoming widely promoted on TikTok where female fitness clubs use the hashtag #WomensOnlyGym with their posts. These posts have shown up all across social media on places where you can share both photos and videos of your workouts.
The owner of the gym Her Flex Fitness, Samaiyah Williams, saw during the pandemic while classes turned virtual, women’s attendance increased. Following that, she realized there was a market for women-only gyms. It was done to empower females and give them a space free from the male gaze.
Health and Wellness Coaching
Health and wellness coaching is becoming more of a popular thing. You can become a trainer for almost everything that deals with health and wellness. One option is specializing, like becoming a yoga instructor, and drilling down into that. Alternatively, you can choose to be a personal trainer and just want to work with people in helping them become more active and healthier.
Being a health and wellness coach, you can integrate behavioral science into health promotion and lifestyle medicine. This can be done in a one-on-one session or in a small group where people can have support, create and stick to goals, and provide encouragement. Another amazing thing about health and wellness coaching is that it can be in person or you can offer sessions online.
Starting your health and wellness business is easy! There are many software out there that will help you create and continue to help your business throughout the process. This software will have help such as hassle-free scheduling, payment collection, and expense management.
Closing Thoughts
Trends come and go on pretty much everything in the world, and includes fitness and wellness trends. However, the COVID-19 and the pandemic might have had a bit of an influence, but that doesn’t mean these trends aren’t good ones. One thing that is standing out more in 2022 is becoming a health and wellness coach. As mentioned in that section, there is software that can help you out with that process.
Persona, widely considered one of the best apps for fitness professionals, will take it a step further and be able to do all that for you! You don’t need to worry about the nitty-gritty. You get to focus on the fun part of running your business: getting more personal training clients and enjoying your time with them. Sign up for Persona today, it’s completely free.