New year, new trends. Throughout each year there are various trends that come into fruition relating to health, wellness, and fitness. Social media plays a role in these trends as people see what others are doing and most of the time want to mimic it. With the new year finally here, it is time that new trends will likely emerge. Over the past few years there has been a large influx in the number of health and fitness trends that have become a priority or large part of people’s daily workout routine/schedule. In today’s blog, I will be discussing a few of the predicted fitness trends for the year of 2022. Personally, I love trying out new trends as it gives me an easy and fun way to mix up my usual workout routine and see what works best for me. The effects of the COVID-19 virus have also affected how some are working out. Therefore, with all things considered, below is a list of things that I feel like will become trendy within the new year of 2022.

Predicted Fitness Trends for 2022:

1. Wearable Workout Technology
   • As we have seen in recent years, wearable fitness technology has become increasingly popular. Things such as fitness watches by the brands FitBit or Apple are seen everywhere. In the year of 2022, I feel as though wearable technology will take a turn for the better with various different devices that have tools that can measure your heart rate, sleep patterns, stress levels, and other metrics. This technology will be able to track fitness goals and health benefits like calorie loss. 
2. At Home Workouts
   • With the rise of the COVID-19 virus, at home workouts are a new normal. Although we are all hoping the world will return back to normal as soon as possible, I think that at home workouts are here to stay. People slowly started to realize that performing a workout at home can actually be enjoyable. Some great at home fitness options include things such as HIIT workouts or high intensity interval workouts, Peloton activities, and other movements on various cardio machines. 
3. Exercising Outdoors
   • Again, with the virus so widespread, a lot of people are taking a different approach for working out. Many people have been preferring to workout outdoors rather than inside at a local gym. I think this preference will become even more popular in the coming year of 2022. Some of my favorite outdoor workouts include going for a walk with friends, running around a neighborhood, body weight park lifts, etc. 
4. Mental Health Brain Workouts 
   • I read about the term mental health workouts for the brain recently and thought that the idea was interesting. In today’s day and age mental health is a huge topic that is talked about. It is important to maintain a healthy headspace. A new form of “working out” is the working out of the brain. This means exercises that help you think and make decisions for yourself that will benefit your mind, body, and soul. 
5. Group Fitness Classes 
   • One of my favorite forms of working out is group fitness classes. I feel as though it is encouraging to workout as a group rather than alone. Group fitness classes let you learn new forms of working out while also meeting new people along the way. I think in 2022 people will continue to participate in these types of classes both in person and virtually due to the coronavirus. 
     • UW-Whitewater offers a variety of group fitness classes right on campus! They are located in the Williams Center. Click here for more information on group fitness classes! 

Obviously there will most likely be a lot more fitness trends in the upcoming year. However, these are just a few that I predict will soon emerge, or will continue from last year. For more information click here. I wish you all a happy and healthy new year! 

Do not get discouraged, 

Cora Shircel