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Woman exercising with dumbbell

Source: John Giustina / Getty

Of course a large number of people vow to commit themselves to practicing healthier habits at the beginning of every year.  Most of that commitment falls in the category of increased physical activity.  For the year of 2018, a few trends are standing out with a heightened and sustained amount of participation among seasoned and novice fitness fanatics.

According to “Men’s Health”, wearable technology like Fitbits, Apple Watches, heart rate monitors, and activity trackers are becoming even more utilized.  It may be due to the personal accountability that’s with you every step of the way throughout your fitness journey or the convenience and continuity of usage with an app on your smart phone that makes them so useful and effective.  They certainly help with daily and long-term goal setting and with the rate at which technology advances, the diagnostic information relayed by these devices will assuredly get more precise, intuitive, and user-friendly in the near future.

Group training and or class style workouts are also more appealing to the newcomer and fitness veteran alike, upon this year as well.  The increased participation and sign-up rates for group fitness classes may be due to the fact that first-time attendants are more comfortable with the idea of working out, if they have a good friend or confidant that can be right there with them a controlled environment for support and focus.  Or some just may be natural competitors and want to gauge themselves against the efforts and progress of their peers, up close and personally.  Either way, classes are designed to teach you something new, motivate you, and help you reach your fitness goals within a safe and judgement-free zone.

The number 1 fitness trend thus far for the year of 2018 is called high intensity interval training or H.I.I.T. for short.  A high intensity interval training (HIIT) session usually only lasts 30 minutes or less, but requires short bursts of (you guessed it) high intensity exercise followed by a slower-paced recovery period. For instance, you might sprint as hard as you can for 15 to 30 seconds and then walk for 45 to 60 seconds. You’d alternate between the two for a set amount of time. There’s a reason people can’t get enough of it: The workouts are time efficient and effective if you’re looking to fry fat, research suggests. One catch, though. Fitness pros don’t love recommending HIIT to their clients, since it has a higher rate of injury, according to the ACSM. [Men’s Health]

Bodyweight Training and number 4, Strength Training at number 5, Personal Trainer Certification at number 6, Yoga at number 7, Personal Training Clientele at number 8, Fitness Programs Targeting Older Adults at number 9, and Functional Fitness round off the TOP TEN Fitness Trends for 2018.