The year 2020 was turbulent enough to seriously shake the fitness business and make an impact on future fitness trends in 2021. Still, more than ever before, people wanted to stay healthy and workout. COVID-19 pandemic made fitness goals a priority and a healthy routine a necessity.
But, how is the fitness business going to change in 2021? Will this year be the same as the one in which we did everything online? Or is everything going to turn back to the way it was before the pandemic? Well, the answer is somewhere in between.
Here are the top health and fitness trends in 2021 that are going to skyrocket.
At-home workouts and lunch break workouts
The transition to online fitness got accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. But, the 2020 trend is here to stay much, much longer. Since geography is not a barrier anymore, many people tried out new types of home workouts.
So, many have already found what suits them and made exercise programs that don’t necessarily need home workout equipment. As we get more and more comfortable doing everything from home (working, shopping, even traveling), we also made a habit of working out in our homes. That means that even when gyms reopen and it becomes almost completely safe to workout in shared space, people will still workout at home, at least for a part of their exercise regime.
Another trend that people are getting used to is lunch break training sessions. Those are great for physical and mental health, as well as productivity. The increase of this trend probably happened because many more people are working remotely, so this workout routine gives dynamism for otherwise Groundhog Days happening during the lockdowns.
Both kinds of routine are usually short and intense. Quickfire routines became most popular because they are convenient and most importantly, they show results. Short workouts with a maximum of 20 minutes are ideal for those who have busy schedules and feel depleted by juggling priorities.
Mental health and fitness
Having a healthy lifestyle includes working on mental health as well. And 2020 wasn’t kind to our anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and sadness levels, as well as depression. That’s why there is a rise in mindfulness and meditation classes. Many started visiting a therapist and even a new expression emerged – radical self-care.
The term means that we have a responsibility to take care of ourselves first before trying to do the same for others. And it has never been so clear that people need to be physically healthy to maintain mentally fit as well.
Some combined the two and enrolled in yoga classes. Some realized that yoga alone won’t cut it. Different methods work for different people, so fitness professionals should include meditation, yoga, mindfulness, or some other form of relaxation and self-care sessions into the workout regime they offer.
Preventive wellness
The pandemic made us realize that we need to stay healthy to prevent problems and illness. The body image isn’t that important anymore, but the focus is on exercise, good nutrition, sleep, and stress reduction.
Set some time for warm-up and cool-down exercises and your clients will be grateful in the long run. Always advise your clients to pay attention to their breathing – they shouldn’t hold their breath or breathe in and out with every single move they do.
Personal trainers need to work on the nutrition plans to maintain overall well-being, as well. Try to set micro-goals when changing clients’ diets such as eating healthy two times a week. Slowly increase the number of healthy-eating days and include occasions for unhealthy treats if the client really wants that.
Resting and recovering
One of the most loved fitness trends in 2021 will be “doing less”. People don’t need to do their best and give 150% of their energy to stay healthy. 15 minutes online workouts might just do the trick, together with eating whole foods, getting enough sleep, and staying hydrated.
Resting and recovering is just as important as working out. That is the time for the muscles to heal and get stronger. But also, it is time for clients’ to get their energy levels up between exercise sessions.
Another recovery trend is eye yoga. Since we have been spending far too much time in front of our screens, resulting in more often headaches, loss of focus, and dry irritated eyes, it is important to focus on eyesight care.
Next to taking regular breaks from computer/phone screens and working in good lighting conditions or even better in natural light, eye yoga will become more and more popular. It involves gentle movements and massage of the eyes and surrounding areas. But, make no mistake – eye yoga can’t improve vision. It can help with the ability to focus and relieve eye strain symptoms.
Digital fitness
Everything is online and so will the gyms be. Making your branded fitness app and post home workout videos will be necessary. Use whatever means there are (free of charge or not) to reach people – Facebook groups, Instagram TV, TikTok, Snapchat, other social media pages… – but also, white label solutions to make your own app.
A white label solution means that you don’t have to make the app from the scratch. Use it to make your customized app, like the one Lean On Digital offers, and don’t depend on the possibilities and rules of other platforms. All you need to do is brand it and fill it out with content. And they can assist you with that, too.
Besides using custom branded fitness apps, personal trainers will need to track the progress of their clients digitally as well. You can do that with an app combined with some progress tracking equipment that got immensely in demand during 2020.
Also, as fitness professionals spend more and more time in front of the cameras, their videos will become thrilling and better made. The ones that have the clearest and most interesting videos will be favored.
Virtual challenges
Since most people workout from their homes, after some time they lose motivation to keep going. An interesting solution for keeping your clients motivated is to organize a fitness challenge.
Enrolling in virtual challenges makes exercising fun and competitive activity, in which people can measure their accomplishment with other fitness enthusiasts. A little bit of healthy competition could be achieved by mentioning those who completed the tasks or even giving them some reward, like a 1-month subscription.
Organizing a fitness challenge will create an accountability system because your clients will do them together in an online community. You will nurture the relationship with your clients and they will enjoy working out together with other people – it’s a win-win thing!
So, those are the fitness trends in 2021 – research them, make your own versions of them, share them with your clients, and they will put their trust in you.