Fitness Trends to Watch -- Terra Wellington's Balanced Living

2005 - 2006 fitness trends to talk about.
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Originally Published June 30, 2005 -- Your Wellness Guide

Fitness Trends to Watch
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More fitness information:
Yoga Becomes Part of Fitness Core -- 2-Part -- Consumer Wellness Series
Get Outside for Mind-Body Health

Every year the international fitness community gathers at the IDEA World Fitness Convention to learn the newest personal training strategies, gym trends, and fitness classes. As a result, what moves you now may be old news in the future as fitness centers and professionals are constantly looking for new ways to keep you passionately energized and to motivate you to want to stay fit.

“With the increase in the media attention on health and fitness and the focus on obesity, fitness professionals are being taken a lot more seriously than in the past,” says Kathie Davis, executive director of IDEA. “I feel that fitness professionals take their jobs very seriously because they have people’s lives in their hands, and I’m seeing [these professionals] be more serious about their continuing education.”

For 2005, and moving into 2006, there are several fitness trends that are worth watching:

Surge in Mind-Body Fitness
Yoga and Pilates will continue to be hot -- more so that Tai Chi. Davis says that at this year’s IDEA convention they have added twice the number of Pilates sessions for training professionals, as well as have added additional mind-body training in related areas such as NIA and meditation.

Not only are you finding yoga more available and widespread, as is also evident by a recent Yoga Journal survey, but also you are seeing both yoga and Pilates integrated into strength training sessions at fitness centers and by personal trainers. In fact, in a recent survey by IDEA, the group found that over half of all personal trainers are adding yoga and Pilates to their sessions -- but no word on how much or the quality of training these professionals have in these arts. And many professionals appear to simply be adding more “flexibility and stretching” into their programs without the “yoga” or “Pilates” label.

Photo Courtesy: American Council on Exercise

The stability ball continues to be a
hot fitness trend.

Personal Training Going Gangbusters
While 10 to 15 years ago personal training would have seemed new and luxury based, now it is for the masses and considered the norm. Results from IDEA’s 2004 “Fitness Programs and Equipment” survey hold true for the organization’s newly updated 2005 version -- 88 percent of fitness professionals and centers responding said they offer personal training services.

And the long-predicted shared personal training option is up 29 percent -- shared means two or more clients are sharing one personal trainer during the same session. However, notes Davis, it is important that a personal trainer be highly skilled if more than one client at a time is attempted.

Fitness Reaching New Customers
One of the best fitness trends news is that many people who haven’t embraced fitness before are now trying it. IDEA’s 2005 fitness survey records that 40 percent of fitness patrons are considered beginners. “To me this is a great sign,” says Davis. “People are moved somehow to come to some sort of program.”

This trend is also confirmed by the president of Healthcare Dimensions, the company that administers the SilverSneakers Fitness Program through Medicare for seniors. “50 percent [of participants in the program] had never stepped into a fitness center before SilverSneakers,” says Mary Swanson.

There are also some startling results from seeing how fitness is changing the lives of these newly participating fitness members, says Swanson. For example, her company is able to document a 17 percent reduction in healthcare costs, as a result of utilizing SilverSneakers. “Physical fitness has become a cornerstone of other lifestyle management activities,” says Swanson. With better fitness you have “greater medication compliance, they become interested in improving their nutrition, vitality is improved, and depression rates are reduced.”

Trends to Watch
In terms of hot accessories, anything related to yoga continues to be a sure bet. Also, the stability ball is found in fitness centers and classes everywhere. And, new gadgets that train your core and balance like the Bosu ball and foam rollers continue to be of interest.

Bringing the club and personal training outdoors continues to be on the rise.

Finally, according to IDEA’s newest data, boot camps seem to be carving out a mainstream niche by combining sports drills and calisthenics. For example, 35 percent of fitness businesses are now offering boot camp-oriented classes indoors.

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