Ground Report

For the most of us, we find that fulfilling our New Year’s resolutions, in particular our health and fitness promises, tends to be something we give up all too easily. Be it due to work constraints, laziness, injury or other commitments that creep up, we tend to neglect or at least shift our focus from achieving our fitness goals. One sure way to stick to our fitness goals is to follow future trends in health and fitness.

Yes, fitness trends do change year to year. After each passing year, different standards of beauty surface, causing people to desire these man-made benchmarks. With the ever-changing perception on attractiveness come new workout styles. Check out the progression of workout styles over the past 100 years. So we too adapt to these new trends each year. Want to stay updated? Let’s look at some predictions on fitness trends of 2017.

Before we begin, we acknowledge that some of these trends predicted below are familiar to us thanks to their effectiveness in achieving overall fitness and active lifestyles.

1. Yoga

As mentioned, some trends have stayed around for quite some time. Our first prediction for 2017 is none other than Yoga. A practice that has lasted for centuries, Yoga originates from the belief of harnessing your inner energy through strategic stretching, breathing and meditation. These days, Yoga is widely practiced among celebrities and the more influential in society. People who practice Yoga are perceived as sexy, confident and attractive.

One thing that is proven is the ability to stretch your body and push it to its limits. Thanks to varying levels of difficulty, Yoga can be practiced by both men and women for fitness. From mothers who recently gave birth, to action superstars, Yoga is an ideal exercise routine to stick to for everyone in 2017.

2. Marathons and obstacle courses

In the past few years, we’ve seen events such as obstacle courses, marathons and reality game shows make a comeback into the world of fitness. Television programs such as American Ninja Warrior and Survivor challenge set the bar for physical performance. In addition to that, team sports such as Viper Challenge, Spartan Race and Zombie Run encourage people to train for the event and ultimately participate in gruelling physical challenges. As most of these events are organized annually, we can look forward to them in the coming year

3. Martial arts classes

It is ultimately important to keep our reflexes quick and our overall physique strong. We can do this with martial arts and self-defence classes. As events such as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and high-stakes boxing matches garner millions of fans worldwide, people take their own form of exercise with martial arts classes such as kick-boxing and Muay Thai. Self-defence classes also train us to be vigilant and avoid danger when on our own. As we can never predict the upcoming events, martial arts classes keep us alert and physically strong to overcome potential risks. Hence, we will see people stick to their self-defence classes next year.

4. Home workout challenges

As much as people enjoy working out in groups, some prefer to workout in the comfort and privacy of their home. Included in this category are also the individual trainings such as daily jogging and crunches, along with the upcoming challenges that go viral. 2016 saw the entrance of the 22 Push-up challenge where we were dared by our friends to do 22 push-ups per day. We most likely will see more of these dares in 2017. As fitness technology has become more personalized, people are taking to fitness watches such as Fitbit and workout equipment to keep track of their fitness progress.

5. Predictions based on movies

Little do we know, Hollywood and other mainstream media has a huge impact on our fitness trends. Want to know what comes next year? Simply look at some of the box-office movies in the line-up. Superhero movies in particular are the prime example of Hollywood influencing current fitness trends. As movies such as Logan (3^rd and final chapter of Wolverine’s story), Justice League, Wonder Woman, Power Rangers and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 come out, we see fitness junkies looking to actors and their workout regimes to hit the body of their dreams.

6. CrossFit

At the pinnacle of fitness regimes we have CrossFit. CrossFit athletes breathe, eat and sleep CrossFit. This is why they are at top performance in their physique. To simplify what CrossFit is, it is a combination of resistance exercises along with weights and cardio to give an all-rounded workout that is not only physically but mentally challenging. Athletes are subjected to a course where no less than 3 challenges await. Everything from body strength to mental ability to push themselves are challenged. With new challenges being created as time goes by, we can rest assured CrossFit will stay as one of the top fitness trends of 2017.

Ultimately, fitness trends are for those who may be new in physical training or for those who want to go with the crowd. If you have been practicing viable fitness habits all along, stick to them and continue to push your body to its full capacity with your current workouts. If that doesn’t work, try out any of these trends suggested above.

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Written by Jeremy Chew from iPrice Group, a meta-search website in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.