2011 Fitness Trend Predictions

2011 Fitness Trend Predictions

With 2010 coming to a close, it’s time for all bloggers worth their salt to put on their super-special glasses and look into the future to predict the trends of the coming year. Of course, the wonderful thing is that everyone’s pair shows something different, depending on your interests and perspectives. So, having tried my best to avoid peeking at other bloggers’ predictions to keep things interesting, here are my predictions for 2011.

Convenience Fitness: In 2011, we’ll see more businesses dedicated to bringing fitness into lifestyle niches- From San Francisco’s Fit, Bernal, Fit, which sells memberships that include dogwalking packages so that Fido can play in the park while you pump iron, to hotel-based services for travelers like the WestinWORKOUT program which provides services ranging from guided outdoor runs to in-room workout equipment. Also included in this category are the local, store-front workout spaces that seem to be popping up everywhere these days. These spaces usually offer a pared-down list of offerings and equipment and can be more convenient than heading to a mega-gym. Just be sure you know what amenities you require in a gym-- some of the storefront gyms can be just as pricy (if not more so!) than a larger gym and may offer only classes, or only equipment but no classes, etc.

Functional Fitness: Functional Fitness is by no means a new concept- it basically means working more than one muscle group at a time to mimic the way your body works “in real life.” The benefit here is that you are working the whole body in concert, so that you don’t end up like my friend, the weight machine fiend, who could bench more than his bodyweight, yet threw his back out lifting a toilet seat. In 2011, we’ll see the many brands that play in this space, from TRX Suspension Training, to Cross Fit, to most Boot Camp classes and many kettlebell programs, plus no doubt some new ones, gain in visibility and popularity. One of my favorite things about functional fitness programs is that many of them can be done wherever you happen to like working out (home, gym, outdoors) and new workouts are constantly being created so you never get bored or fully adapt to the stimuli. (Note: If you try one kind of program and don’t like it, don’t be scared of trying another one- they each have very distinct personalities.)

Fitness-Based “Business Opportunities”: Without a doubt, the number of fitness-based “Home Business Opportunities” will quintuple in 2011. With everyday folks either looking for ways to merge their love of fitness with careers, or folks simply trying to make ends meet while waiting for the economy to rebound, it seems the there’s no shortage of supplements, diets, drinks, etc., being sold in a Multi-Level Marketing arrangement and promising you can make big money at home. (Indeed, many of the professional networking groups have gotten so overrun with multi-level marketing “fitness business” opportunities at this point as to be nearly useless for actual networking.) Whenever people ask about these products, I have a rule of thumb—if the person is talking about the product first and foremost, then maybe I’ll give the product a try. However, if you are more interested in getting me to sell it than you are in getting me to buy it, good chance the product is not worth my time.

Elite-Level Testing for Average Joes: This is a trend that I am so happy to see coming around, both personally and professionally. Historically, you had to be at least a top college athlete to have access to things like VO2 max and lactate threshold testing. Somewhat more accessible, but still expensive and tough to find, were things like metabolic testing, hydrostatic bodyfat testing, or video-based analysis of your biomechanics (by someone more qualified than the guy at your local shoestore, I mean.) Now, many university kinesiology or sports medicine groups are opening their doors to offer a whole slew of performance-related testing to weekend warriors and competitive amateur athletes alike. In 2011, I plan to visit UCSF’s Human Performance Center for a spin on the VO2Max treadmill, a service that just opened up to the general public late last year. Numbers nerds and medical geeks everywhere rejoice!

Gadgets and Gizmos: The proliferation of mobile devices and improvement in their GPS and motion-detection capabilities means more and more apps for the trackers, journalers, mappers, and number-crunchers among us. Also, products like the BodyBugg and FitBit will continue to vie it out as stand-alone calorie tracking devices, though I do suspect it will take a third player in the space to really make this technology precise, affordable, and useful to the masses.

Childhood Obesity: This will continue to be a hot topic as people carry on the discussions started in 2010 about school lunches and San Francisco’s ban on Happy Meal toys, among other things. I overheard a woman at a local sandwich shop fighting the war on childhood obesity one child at a time the other day as she gave her 3-year-old daughter a “tour of the table” listing all the things that made her body stronger and explaining why—I hope programs to educate and empower parents to have these kinds of conversation with their kids will see a surge in 2011.

So, that’s the view from here… what are your predictions, hopes, fears?

Here’s to a healthy 2011!


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Dr. Joshua Brooks
Chiropractor, Fairfax VA