With 2022 behind us and a new year beginning, many are wondering what 2023 will bring in all aspects of life. The health and fitness industry usually sees an influx of new recruits in January, and these individuals see a new year as an excellent time to start improving their lives. So what fitness trends will they have at their disposal in 2023? As usual, with every fast-moving and constantly changing industry, there are many different trends that are influenced mainly by technology, but which ones are worth following?
No matter which trend we follow, the message remains the same every year: Exercise and a healthy diet are vital to our physical well-being and, more so than ever before, to our mental health. With this in mind, here is a preview of what are likely to be the biggest fitness trends coming your way in 2023.
Online workout apps
The continual advances in cell phone technology mean that apps have become part of everyday life. Health-tracking apps have also been part of this revolution. In 2023, health apps will take over what started in 2022 and expand the popularity and development of online workout apps.
Workout apps grant you access to various online exercise routines that are available 24/7. They are both practical and easy to use, with numerous videos available of whatever exercise routine you choose to follow.
Matt Claes, the founder of weightlossmadepractical.com, supports the view that workout apps will be even more popular this year than last. His reason is that the major players in the health industry, such as Peloton, are putting more extra resources into their workout apps than ever before. This means that users can access recorded or live workouts at their convenience. These apps also allow organizations such as Peloton and Tonal to link these workouts to their fitness equipment and products that they sell, thus, advertising them to the public worldwide.
Matt credits the practicality of being able to join a fitness class from the comfort of home, along with the addition of some fun features that have been added to these apps, as the significant reasons behind the apps’ success. These features make for a more immersive exercising experience, whether walking, running, or cycling.
He also thinks that adding virtual reality fitness workouts using VR glasses can help people find greater enjoyment in their workouts and help them to keep coming back for more.
AI-assisted medicine
Artificial intelligence is a phrase that is creeping more into our daily vocabulary because its use is on the rise. Many industries are starting to assimilate AI into everyday life with the hope that it can improve services. The world of medicine is one of the industries that has embraced this groundbreaking technology.
Benjamin Okyere, a data engineer and fitness trainer, is also the founder of stressreliever.club, based in Chicago, Illinois. He believes that 2023 will be the year that sees several new trends emerge as technology and evidence-based science advance. He believes that AI-assisted medicine, including digital health sensors, will enable individuals to track their biometrics.
Furthermore, he expects this tech development to combine with remote medical consultations, allowing patients to receive care from specialist doctors online from anywhere in the world.
Okyere also expects technology to make personalized health tracking part of mainstream medicine in 2023, allowing individuals to take charge of their health through easy access to their personal health data. This will inform them of their health risks so that they can make appropriate lifestyle changes.
Trackable workout devices
Whether it is for better physical health or improved mental well-being, these smart devices can track our efforts and progress in a timely manner.
Hayley Whear, MS, CSCS, Noom Coach, expects 2023 to be the year of the trackable workout device. She sees trackable devices and quick workouts as a perfect fit for an age in which people expect immediate results and want valuable information to be readily available to them so that they can focus their efforts on individual goals.
Fitness professional John Solle, NASM CPT & CES, Precision Nutrition Pn1, Noom Coach, echoes this sentiment and agrees that wearable devices allow us to track our exercise, sleep, and other aspects of health more efficiently. He also feels that we can get an adequate home workout thanks to these devices, a hypothesis backed up with proof during the pandemic.
Fitness snacking
You may be excused for believing that fitness snacking involves healthy eating. However, the phrase actually refers to a new exercise trend that includes small sets of exercises throughout the day instead of long gym sessions.
Fitness snacking makes exercising less daunting and can be fitted in during the busiest of working days. Frame Fitness cofounder and CEO Melissa Bentivoglio recommends fitting ten minutes of Pilates into our daily routine. A full-body Pilates fusion can be completed in this amount of time.
Focus on longevity
Bentivoglio expects longevity to be the buzzword in people’s exercise regimes in 2023. People are searching for physical activity that benefits them in the long run and keeps them feeling fit and well for longer rather than just having a quick activity fix. She expects the uptake of low-impact training to continue increasing in popularity, as it is gentler on joints and the body in general.
Despite the name, low-impact training can still incorporate resistance and weight-bearing exercises but should also include something like Pilates, which helps to prioritize flexibility. Exercises such as a plank and lunge series are great weight-bearing exercises that can be incorporated with Pilates.
Pilates
Despite Pilates being around for over 100 years, it continues to grow in popularity even among the younger generation. Bentivoglio puts this down to it being a low-impact exercise that fits into the growing trend of fitness snacking and physical activity focused on longevity.
That it can be practiced by all ages and promotes flexibility, increased bone density, stability, and core strengthening are additional reasons for its continued popularity.
Quality sleep
Jeff Byers, retired NFL lineman turned CEO and founder of wellness brand Momentous, says quality sleep will be one of the most significant factors of optimum health in 2023.
We already know that good-quality sleep can help prevent diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Byers goes even further and suggests that sleep is important for every function in the human body. He believes that enough quality sleep every night positively impacts mental longevity, cognitive function, and physical performance.
Because of this, he feels people will invest more time, energy, and resources into making sure they get better sleep in a world that discourages this due to artificial light, caffeine consumption, and working late into the night.
