Finding is my thing and fitness is also my thing. This means that each year I try many new exercise classes, apps, tools and health tips and blab about them. This year was no exception.
Some trends that we saw in 2014 for fitness and health were: “functional fitness,” continued domination of CrossFit and the paleo diet, theme/fun runs, tabata or HIIT (high intensity interval training), barre classes, treadmill/strength workouts and group personal training. The American College of Sports Medicine reported that pilates and spinning were “out” this year. Hello? Have you seen the crowds at Soul Cycle and Flywheel. Pilates and spin were alive and well in Chicago and for me.
Another cool change I saw was ClassPass. This $99/month service lets you try unlimited boutique fitness classes (up to 3 per studio/month). It debuted in Chicago this fall and is a great way to try any new fitness trend without shelling out a ton of cash. Also trackers were BIG – tons of wearable trackers, apps and websites. So many in fact, that I gave them all up.
My 2014 Fitness Year in Review
- Top activity: running. I ran over 2,200 miles this year including 2 marathons, a 6 hour run (33 miles) and 9 half marathons so far this year and I have one more on 12/28. See my quarterly reviews (Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 – TBD)
- Consistent workouts other than running: Pilates with Maureen at Ryan Wellness; body weight strength training with my fave apps – J & J 7 minute workout (which has other workouts, too and is free) and Hot 5 Fitness (great 5 minute workouts – no equipment needed – many are free); yoga at Core Power Yoga; Spinning with Richard C at LVAC.
- New things I tried: Sproing, Group Training with Chicago Running Bloggers at Chicago Primal Gym, Pilates Pro Works (thanks to Burn This), new fitness machines and equipment at the Club Industry Show in Chicago (faves: lateral elliptical machine, Woodway treadmill, CRT Method, an Alter-G treadmill (loved it!), a “no cardio” bootcamp class, virtual fitness classes online, posh personal training with GHFitLabs and a progressive race and timed run/ultra (6 hours on a one mile loop).
- Trends I did not partake in: Themed runs, CrossFit (I hate burpees and lifting weights – sorry crossfit peeps) and Paleo diet (no peanut butter? No way!)
- Fitness News: Sitting is the new cigarette (too much sitting is bad, bad, bad – I guess that is not really news but it was a big topic), short workouts with bursts of cardio (like 10 minutes) can be just as effective as long endurance sessions at improving your health and just ten minutes of exercise per day can keep the doctor away.
- Diet: I did not do Whole 30 or paleo, but I did give up candy and sugary sweets from 9/8 – 11/2! This is a record for me. I also have been very focused on eating whole foods whenever possible and bringing healthy foods when I travel. It makes a difference!
- Trackers – I got overloaded with data and I just stopped using all of them including my GPS watch and heart rate monitor. I went au naturale and it WAS AWESOME. In 2015, I am interested in monitoring my sleep with a Jawbone Up and may start step tracking for days that I don’t run. Working at home means SO MUCH SITTING!
As a former consultant, I can’t help but to evaluate my fitness year into “Stop, Start and Continue.” In 2015, I will:
- Stop: Sitting so much, mindless eating and “beating myself up” for “bad” races. (There is no such thing! I need to remember to be grateful for every step)
- Start: Tracking sleep and steps (especially on days I don’t run) and try out the awesome Bia Sport GPS watch I bought and have sitting in the cabinet. Focusing on eating less sugar again.
- Continue: Eating whole foods as much as possible and when I travel, running, pilates, spin, yoga, body weight strength training with my handy apps, trying new healthy food options and sharing them on the blog,
Here are some of the new 2015 Fitness Trends from around the web:
- HIIT is still hot. High-intensity interval training is an exercise program that uses short but very intense bursts of exercise, followed by short recovery periods, and it will continue to be super popular.
- Men doing yoga. While yoga has become a fairly mainstream fitness activity, it hasn’t yet caught on as much for men.
- Body weight training is still big. In an effort to avoid reliance on machines and have more flexibility to work out anywhere, people are becoming more attracted to the benefits of body weight training, according the ACSM survey. Body weight training uses back-to-basics exercises such as push-ups and lunges, and best of all – it’s free!
- Boutique studios for workouts like Barre, combo-workouts, spinning, yoga and pilates continue to be popular with ClassPass and similar programs greasing the wheels.
What were your best and worst fitness moments of the year? What will you “stop, start and continue” in 2105?
Want to share your fitness year in review, what you are looking forward to in 2015 or holiday fitness tips? Link up below! The link is open through 12/31. I would love to hop on over to see what you think!