Like many other people, I enjoy looking back at the expected trends for the year and seeing which ones took and which ones did not. I also like to reflect on what worked for me and what did not. I enjoy trying new fitness and health classes and ideas and 2012 was no exception.
I looked up the hot fitness and wellness trends for 2012 from Well+Good NYC and Fit Sugar.
Well+Good 12 Health and Fitness Trends for 2012 were:
> The “Everywoman” yoga teacher (I didn’t do teacher training but took class with many of these)
> Happiness without Prozac-(check)
> Fitness night life – (I did not try any of these evening/happy hour replacements because the husband is not really in – nor my friends – did you?)
> Tough, entertaining classes – (check! Hello, Shred 415!)
> Food as medicine – (Ate more whole foods-check)
> Inner life is “hot” – (I have been talking about meditation all year… Just not doing it š )
> Diet advice from fitness professionals – (I read a few books and lots of articles. Can’t say I followed any!)
> Brushless beauty (Make Up) – (check – I tried some new make up that was brushless)
> Better for you vacations – (check- Hello Canyon Ranch and lots of running weekends!)
> Eat while you cleanse – (check tried a Joule Body cleanse for 3 days that I got on Gilt City– liked it!)
> Boudoir-inspired fitness wear – (nope- not for me!)
> Mainstream beauty brands add natural ingredients – (check)
Fitsugar’s Biggest Diet and Fitness Trends of 2012 were:
> Diet pills (uh, NO!)
> Barre work outs– (I tried it a few years ago and hated it! My tight hamstrings and lack of grace made me feel like the awkward 1st grader who went to a few ballet classes and refused to ever go back! That and the instructor who kept calling me out by name and made me use the remedial bar!)
> Color runs– (the competitive runner in me can’t understand this one. An untimed 5k where they throw colored powered on you and ruin your clothes. This falls into the same camp for me as muddy runs and warrior dash- great for getting people out there. Just not for me!)
> Juicing – everywhere (Whole Foods and other places carrying designer juice cleanse juices. I am not a big juice person, so not for me)
> Social media motivation– (I like the occasional motivational quote/photo on Facebook or Pinterest, but they are not driving me to do more. I don’t like the posts of “my time was…” for me that has a negative effect.)
> Indoor cycling studios (check, I tried and liked Flywheel, but not enough to join or pay full price)
> Fitness trackers – (check! I was obsessed with my heart rate monitor and Fit Bit for a while. I killed 2 Fit Bits before they made them waterproof from sweat. TMI? Sorry. It did help me move more at the office. I did quit them after a while. I should wear my HRM again for spin and intervals.)
> Exercise happy hours (nope)
> Crossfit – (nope- I know everyone LOVES Crossfit, and I wish I had invested in a gym with Natalie when she mentioned it to me 4 years ago! I have issues with jumping and heavy lifting from old back and hammy injuries and the competitive aspects scare me. That and the paleo diet combo have steered me away- no offense to the many people this works for intended!)
I asked the Greatist Ambassadors group on FB and some of my friends what the best and worst fitness and health things they tried this year were. This is what they said:
> Jacki @ Dare 2 Dream, Dare 2 Do says -” Power Yoga and Crossfit. Both leave me feeling incredibly alive is completely different ways. Don’t really have a worst.”
> Katelyn @ Chef Katelyn“Best: CrossFit. Led me to getting Level 1 Certified and competing with the goal of 2014 Regionals. Worst: Trying distance running again. Turns out, not my thing I now spend all of my time lifting heavy things up and putting them down.”
> Mindy @ Just a One Girl Revolution” Best: Hot yoga (power vinyasa). I’ve gone off and on for a couple years now, but recently committed to a regular practice of at least once a week, and it was an amazing decision. I feel so much stronger and more flexible as a result. Worst: Pure Barre. I know a lot of people rave about it, but it just wasn’t for me. My instructor gave little to no instruction throughout the class, and we used the bar for maybe five minutes. In fairness, I only tried once, so had I gone again, I may have liked it more.”
> Crystal @ Fun2Race “Best: archery; great for calming my mind/breathing, but also a great strength training exercise (finally getting my swimming arms back!) and good for core/posture…Worst: svaroopa yoga; not sure if it was just the instructor but I found it to be very boring and left feeling like I had done nothing but sit my butt on a chair for 45 mins!”
> Wendy had a list of adds for this year of things she tried and likes:
“1. I am a new Lululemon fan after buying a few pairs of their shorts/shirts and running that awesome race in Vancouver. (Just not those white polka dot things.)
2. Sweatybands – the headbands that I am currently addicted to – they even come in reflective! and glitter!
3. I started doing hot yoga and LOVE it – just can’t fit it in my schedule.
4. Naked Juice (Green Machine). Yes, I am too lazy to juice, and I used to be too cheap to buy this, but now I drink one for breakfast on occasion. Delicious.
5. Quinoa! (yes I know, this is so “2011”)
6. Nike Frees. Still love them.
7. Colored running shoes and gear – love this trend! Neon shoes are the best (although they do not help me to run faster.)
8. Compression socks.”
> Deb says “YOGA, YOGA, YOGA, can’t say it enough. gives buff arms, tight stomach and zen attitude….”
> Danielle @ Dish and Dash says “Best: starting Crossfit. It has made me stronger and really changed my outlook on what it means for me to be healthy. Worst: straining an ankle tendon in March, and then a stress fracture in the same foot in August. I actually think it was from using minimalist shoes for running and not having enough cushioning. Both injuries have led to decreased activity levels. Boo!”
> Stephy: “Best: Tabata (great for those who don’t like the high impact of CrossFit) and also cutting out (most) dairy out of my diet! No dairy makes me feel physically ligher, plus soy/coconut/almond/veggie substitues don’t taste that much different, sometimes even better!”
> Lynn: “Best thing I have tried for fitness this year: Crossfit, and Running with people faster than I am. I am stronger than I have been in a long time, and consistently challenged to improve my pace. Worst thing I have tried for fitness this year: Crossfit and Running with people faster than I am. I have never been so perpetually sore. Ever.” [love this answer and the idea of pushing yourself to run faster with a faster group, too]
> Kathy: “The best: forcing myself to take a 6:15am spinning class every week. As you know, I am not a morning person (to say the least), but I’ve been able to consistently haul myself out of bed for class, and it feels pretty good to have my workout done. The worst: coconut water. I know many folks love it, but something about the flavor/smell/consistency is nauseating to me.”
> Andrea: “I have a couple of bests: 1) Rest – it does a body good. 2) Joining a triathlon club kept the training interesting. Good support system in those dark mornings and I made new training partner friends, too”
> A friend who is a working mom of 3 small boys said her best was a combo of Pilates, barre, yoga and cardio… And worst was “hmmm… eating my way through November??” [i saw her this week and I am calling BS on the worst ;)]
> Maureen @ Ryan Wellness says “if I’m truly thinking about new additions for this year, I’d have to mention my choice to bike more and drive less. I do it more as a form of a transportation than a workout, but it makes me feel good. I notice that I feel more calm, grounded and in less of a rush than I do when I’m behind the wheel. I know I have to be very aware of my surroundings on my bike and I think this forces me to slow down and to be a bit more in the moment than I sometimes am when I’m on autopilot behind the wheel.”
> Amy @ Anthologie “2012 was a good year for me fitness-wise. It was finally the year where I was getting everything back together after the detour of pregnancy/infancy. The best thing has been that I finally have integrated a regular yoga class into my life this year. It was my goal last year (2011) but had trouble committing whereas 2012 was my yoga year. I definitely think it has helped my running.
I don’t know if this is really a “thing” but the worst thing fitness wise this year for me was the lack of a running buddy. I have made a few attempts at locating someone but things haven’t really panned out.” [We miss you here in Chi-town, Amy!]
> Jen agreed with Maureen on biking to work and also strength training and Pilates to strengthen her core and improve her overall strength.
> Stacy said “is racing my way into shape a best?” [12 half marathons and a marathon ending with personal bests in both distances. I would say YES!]
> Molly @ Doughing Rogue says Shred 415 [(a killer treadmill/weight interval work out) and I would have to it is pretty awesome!]
> My MIL also advocates Pilates – she thinks it is a MUST, especially for older people. She feels it has improved her posture and core muscles as well as loosening her hips. She has gotten her husband involved, as well! She also has been losing weight by eating more protein and watching portions. [Great job, Libbie!!]
As for me, I would say, bests this year were Pilates for runners and yoga to stay injury free and strong. From a health perspective, I ate more whole foods and gave up diet soda cold turkey in April and that was awesome. I also used shorter running races as speed training and that worked well, too. Fortunately, not too many “worsts” to report! Molly and I tried the Salt Cave for better respiratory health and noticed no benefit (but we did catch up which was nice!) I tried some wellness and food products that I wound up dumping out. I also bought a slew vitamins after seeing a naturopath that have remained sealed I the cabinet (why do I have an inability to follow through with vitamins??)
What were your best and worst health and fitness tries this year? What do you want to try next year??