Health and Fitness Trends for 2022

Mobility

Being able to move your body well is crucial to feeling and performing your best. Using fun fitness toys like slant boards, voodoo floss, and percussion massagers, gym-goers are getting more out of their workouts by improving their mobility. Many fitness professionals offer mobility-centered programs and workouts and most physical therapists take clients without a doctor’s note, great for those nagging aches and pains or old injuries.

Recovery

It’s important to work hard when exercising, but are you putting the same effort into recovery between workout sessions? A rest day can be easily upgraded into a recovery day with stretching, massage, mobility work, sauna, yoga, Pilates, tai chi, and walking. An acupuncture, chiropractic, or cryotherapy session can also help dampen the body’s stress response and aid recovery. Not sure if something is a recovery activity? Ask a fitness pro that you trust

Home Gyms

Home gyms are here to stay, and people will continue to add to their arsenals over the next year. Bands, dumbbells, and suspension trainers are staples, while fold-in squat racks, battle ropes, and cardio equipment have been gaining traction.

Online Training

The pandemic has shown many fitness pros and their clients how adaptable working with a coach can be. The use of apps, digital conferencing, and FaceTime help save time for busy people and allow clients to work with their favorite trainer from anywhere in the world.

Outdoor Workouts

Although there is a dip in the winter, outdoor activities and workouts will continue to be a popular choice throughout 2022. Mark Akin, the owner of Envision Fitness in downtown Memphis, says outdoor classes remain popular. He adds, “they are a great way to remain socially distant and still get creative using natural landscapes and environments.”

Minimalist Shoes

Brands like Xero and No Bull are a great option for people who want to improve proprioception (the ability for your body to feel and react) and strengthen stabilizing muscles in the lower leg and foot.

Weight Neutrality & Body Positivity

The goal of weight neutrality and body positivity is to get away from prescribing weight loss to fix health problems and instead focus on addressing underlying health issues. This is a concept that is often met with a lot of resistance by people who don’t understand it. The idea is that weight is not the cause of health problems, but simply a cofactor. Researchers are finding that problems like insulin resistance, high blood pressure, and heart attacks are not caused by weight. Unwanted weight gain is now being looked at as a side effect rather than a cause of disease, meaning you can be healthy or sick at any size.