INDUSTRY INSIGHT
FITNESS
SPONSORED CONTENT
My Favorite Fitness Trends of 2017
By Lisa Troyer
Every new year comes with its own exercise trends. When we think of a trend, we think of something that passes through quickly. However, in the fitness world a trend is actually something that is sustained for several years. The American College of Sports Medicine( the largest sports medicine and exercise science organization in the world) published a solid list of trends for this year and these are a few of my favorites:
1. Wearable Technology & Smartphone Apps – How many of you received a Fitbit ® over the holidays? About 1 out of 4 of my clients wear some type of a tracker. The market is booming. Technology has come so far and can be so useful in reaching your dayto-day fitness goals. And isn’ t it fun to track how many steps you are taking on a daily basis? There are also several helpful apps that are available for your smartphone. Calorie intake vs. caloric expenditure; they chart it all.
2. Bodyweight Training – It’ s hard to think of this as a“ trend” as it has been around for decades. You don’ t need fancy equipment; you can perform a bodyweight routine anywhere, any time. Even with a busy lifestyle, you can fit in a few minutes each day to“ drop and give me 20.” There are literally hundreds of variations of a push-up.
3. High Intensity Interval Training( HIIT) – We’ ve all heard of P90X ®, Insanity ®, Beachbody ®, Boot Camps, etc. Instead of spending a long time exercising at a moderate pace, with HIIT you’ ll engage in short bursts of exercise – all out! You literally
This Industry Insight was written by Lisa Troyer.
Lisa Troyer has been in the fitness industry for more than 24 years and is the owner of Fitness Fanatics in the Great Southern Shopping Center. She currently holds four nationally recognized fitness and personal training certifications and can be reached at 412.220.4190, ext. 3 or at fitnessfanatics @ verizon. net. Check out www. fitnessfanaticsinc. com for more great fitness tips. can burn more calories in 20 to 30 minutes than you would working out moderately for an hour.
4. Yoga – As the mother of a true yogi who owns her own studio in the city, I have been following this trend closely. It certainly isn’ t new, but the level of popularity is. My daughter’ s studio is thriving and our wonderful city has hundreds of yoga studios, with new ones popping up each day. There is no denying it; the benefits of yoga are vast and this trend will continue to grow.
5. Circuit Training – This one has my heart. It is exciting to see so many new facilities that offer or are completely themed toward circuit training in a group setting. I
am proud to say that my own gym has been circuit training for over 20 years. Circuit training is when a certain number of exercises are chosen and completed one after another in a circuit, with a small rest in between each exercise. The circuit is repeated two or three times. I personally prefer to circuit strength training with small bursts of cardio, building strength and muscular endurance … efficiency and effectiveness at its finest.
There will always be a new trend, but the key is to find what you most enjoy doing and stick with it. When people ask me what is the most effective form of exercise, my answer is simple: anything that you love to do, because that is the trend that will never go out of style.
Chartiers Valley | Spring 2017 | icmags. com 9