Just last month I shared the annual fitness trends. If you missed it, you can catch the article here.
It’s only February and already there are more amazing technological advancements to share.
You may have seen this in the news. Elon Musk’s Neuralink implanted it’s first brain chip into a human! This neural implant apparently decodes “movement intention”. If you would like to read more, here is an article from the BBC on the topic.
February is American Heart Month and it also happens to be the 100 year anniversary of the American Heart Association.
They are celebrating this year by renewing focus on CPR training and teaching as many people as possible this lifesaving skill. If you would like to learn CPR, here is a list of classes with the American Red Cross.
Also, World Encephalitis Day is happening this month. If you would like to get involved, you can learn more here. Or you can show your support in other ways, like wearing red on Thursday, February 22.
February is a busy month! In addition to Black History Month, Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day, here are a few lesser known events that you may want to celebrate:
Happy New Year! Hope you had a beautiful Holiday with your loved ones and that you are looking forward to an exciting and purposeful 2024! To help you along the path, here are some of the top fitness trends. One of them might even be a little surprising! Keep reading to find out what it is.
To get things started, here’s something new that I have begun recommending to students. I think you’ll enjoy…
How would you like to improve balance and focus? Not to mention your movements and coordination.
I’ve mentioned before that there are 3 systems that work together for balance – the proprioceptive, visual and inner ear. You can read a previous article on the topic here.
While Pilates is very strong on the proprioceptive component, the BrainSpeed Ball® is a wonderful compliment to Pilates by exercising the visual component of balance.
Developed by fellow Pilates Educator, Trent McEntire, I think you’ll find the BrainSpeed Ball® useful and fun!
The bright orange ball has the alphabet and the numbers 1-12 randomly placed on the ball. There are a variety of exercises where you literally keep your eyes on the ball. It is more like playing a game than an “exercise”.
It is used for balance & fall prevention, ADHD, enhancing athletic brain performance. They have also had success with programs for neurological conditions. The BrainSpeed Ball® has recently developed a program for Parkinson’s and another for concussion recovery.
The BrainSpeed Ball® is appropriate for ages children to seniors.
Whether a kid needing focus and motor control, or an adult who stares at a computer screen all day, or a senior who needs to work on balance, the BrainSpeed Ball® can be of benefit to you.
Their tagline is “Fire Up Your Brain”. You’ll find it does that and a whole lot more!
2. Recovery – Light Therapy
One of the top trends and buzzwords this year is recovery.
This is the surprising trend for 2024. That is a bit of a change from the traditional “no pain, no gain” mentality.
Post workout recovery is something that sports have used for years but is now moving more mainstream.
Whether cryotherapy or specialized massage therapy, there are a lot of possibilities.
One I specifically wanted to focus on is light therapy.
You might have seen it in the anti-aging arena – from lasers for hair growth like the Laser Hairmax® to face masks like the Omnilux.
The benefits of red light therapy include increasing collagen, decreasing inflammation and helping muscle recovery and pain relief.
But you can also find smaller straps that you can wrap around a certain part of a body (like a knee) to give a targeted treatment.
3. AI – Tonal and Tempo still lead the pack
The trends for 2024 would not be complete without a look at AI.
ChatGPT is being used as a personal trainer along with various AI fitness apps.
As you might imagine, there are advantages – like brilliant, speedy computation for recommendations on reps and sets based on all the data it collects from everyone that has used it.
But as they are finding in other industries, there are some downsides.
Mainly lack of human interaction and feedback to know if you are performing the exercises properly.
It sounds like Tonal and Tempo are still leading the way in terms of having proprietary motion sensing technology that is able to offer feedback as you workout.
These are just a few of the fitness trends for 2024. The BrainSpeed Ball® could be a valuable and fun addition to your routine. The focus on recovery is a surprising change of trends this year and light therapy is just one of the many possibilities in this category.
As the world and technology continue to grow and change, we’ll see what AI and the future holds.
Ever dream of flying like Superman over beautiful snow-capped mountains in the Alps. Well, with the hottest fitness tech trends for 2023 now you can.
Though fitness tech using virtual reality has been out for a couple of years, it is no longer just the domain of techies and geeks but becoming mainstream.
Facebook Meta has manufactured their Meta Quest 2 which you can use for gaming, watching movies and… working out.
ICAROS Pro, a German company, has designed a machine for therapeutic settings. It is a piece of workout equipment where you are on your tummy with legs and arms resting on movable pieces. As you wear the Virtual goggles, you are moving and working out on the equipment. “Combining fitness with virtual reality.”
One particularly interesting bit of tech is for Basketball lovers. It’s called Dribbleup and it’s “gamified virtual training”. It’s geared more toward kids and is a subscription model. But what is really interesting about this is not only the gaming virtual training but the use artificial intelligence (AI) with it as well.
Similar to some of the AI Fitness technology discussed in last Years Fitness Trends Newsletter, Dribbleup monitors the quick hand motion of the participant and gives feedback so the player can improve their speed and also the use of their non-dominant hand.
Please note in the last couple of months since writing this article, technology moves so fast that Dribbleup has already expanded their offering to include Smart Soccer, Boxing, Strength Ball and more!
On the topic of fitness tech, there is a fitness tracker worth mentioning as it takes a slightly different approach. It’s called the Oura. Rather than a watch it is a ring. It monitors sleep, heart, activities and recovery. While the tech and experts behind the Oura are top-notch, it looks like a piece of jewelry rather than a fitness tracker. You can look sleek and stylish while staying healthy.
Though there are many fitness trends and tech pieces out there, this is a short list of some of the most interesting developments. Hope you find this whole new (virtual) world fascinating.
Wishing you good health and blessing in 2023 and beyond!
Imagine a computer that could analyze your movements and assess where you are vulnerable to injury. It could not only make strength training recommendations but could also actually guide you through the training, offering feedback and correction as you go. Though this may sound far-fetched, the technology is already here and the future only promises for this trend to grow.
As advances in technology are made, devices become more powerful, compact and accessible. What was available to only a privileged few, over time becomes accessible to the masses and even commonplace.
In 1969, the computer used for the Apollo 11 was large in size but had limited storage capacity. A few years later, computers would no longer be exclusive to government and large businesses but personal home computers would start to rise. And today, “the iPhone in your pocket has over 100,000 times the processing power of the computer that landed man on the moon (over) 50 years ago.”*
Similarly, fitness technology has followed this same trajectory. Decades ago, research was done on college campuses with large, clunky computers and cameras analyzing human movement. Expensive equipment was developed and used for advanced level athletes – olympic competitors, premier football or golf players.
What was once only available to a few elite athletes is now becoming like the personal home computer, something more accessible for regular, everyday people.
Fitness Trends for 2022
Many of the trends in fitness are what you might expect considering the times:
online – a trend that looks like it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. hybrid – a combination of online and in person classes as some gyms and studios reopen. walking – both for fitness as well as a change of scenery with people spending time at home. fitness trackers – a myriad of watches, apps and even smart rings. home gyms – and most unique are the “smart” home gyms…
Of all the trends, the most interesting on the horizon is the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in fitness technology, especially as it is combined with fitness equipment.
You may have seen the Mirror where you can stream classes. Though there are a number of new pieces of similar equipment as everyone tries to get in on this new fitness tech wave, we’ll focus on just a couple of the most advanced ones that have also added AI to “the Mirror”. (Called mirrors because you can see your reflection but technically they are not mirrors). If you haven’t already seen or heard of this type of equipment yet, you probably will soon as this trend becomes more commonplace.
Geared toward weight lifting this offers up to 200 lbs of digital resistance. What’s nice about this fitness technology is that Tonal does an initial strength assessment and then the weights are based on that assessment, and of course, it is adjusted as you gain strength.
There are multiple sensors that monitor your movement offering real-time guidance. It can sense as you fatigue and adjusts appropriately. It’s also supposed to be able to sense if you are favoring or pulling on one side more than the other.
Advertised as “The only home gym with a built in personal trainer.”** While it apparently doesn’t have a camera but uses 3D Tempo Vision™, a sensing technology. This “creates a model of your body and captures its range of motion and pace to determine the appropriate weight you should be lifting for each exercise.”***
For the sensors to work you need about 6 ft of floor space between the Tempo and where you’ll be exercising. Cues with corrections will pop up on the screen when needed to help you maintain form.
There are various weights and props neatly tucked away in a built-in cabinet underneath the Tempo.
Though a virtual fitness trainer developed from AI may sound like fantasy, it’s already here and only likely to continue to advance. Though there are a number of fitness trends for 2022, this seems like the most fascinating one to watch. Compared to putting a man on the moon, these might be small steps for technology but they are certainly making giant leaps for mankind.
