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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 .
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