Every New Year sees the birth, growth and eventual demise of trends and fads in all aspects of society and life. Health, fitness and nutrition are no different. In fact, because much of the American population is preoccupied with beauty and weight loss (the faster the better), these industries are particularly fertile fields for the growth of new ideas and approaches to diet and exercise. Look for these trends to take off in 2014:
- The 22-Day Vegan Challenge: Created by Marco Borges, an exercise physiologist, this program is based on the idea that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. On day 22 you’ve broken through and can join Jay-Z and Beyonce in your new eating lifestyle. Just be sure to supplement with vitamin B-12. There is no vegetable source of this vital nutrient.
- DIY Juicing: It is unclear why juicing is being touted as something new. Jack Lalanne and “The Juiceman” have been selling their juicing machines for decades. Gwyneth Paltrow must have said it’s good for you. Whatever the reason, making your own fresh juice is far superior to drinking prepackaged juices; but beware the loss of all that natural fiber in the pulp. Fresh juice has lots of natural sugar and can cause blood sugar spikes and the resultant load on your pancreas to secrete insulin. Take your fresh juice in smaller amounts with a good source of protein and healthy fat and you’ll be fine.
- Gluten-Free: This trend will only get bigger as the food industry continues to find ways to provide for this growing market. Be careful to avoid GF foods that add a lot of fat and sugar to replace some of the texture and flavor lost with the gluten.
- Ancient Grains: An offshoot of the GF movement, adding ancient grains to the diet is becoming a popular way to replace wheat, and offers higher levels of fiber and protein and flavor. Look for quinoa, chia, teff and other old-new grains on the shelves in breads, flours and other grain-containing products.
- Healthy Swaps: Buckwheat pancakes, Portobello mushroom steaks and mashed cauliflower (instead of potatoes) lead the way in the healthy alternatives to traditional foods category. Look for red meat to be the primary target of food swapping with numerous low-fat alternatives, including turkey, ostrich, bison, legumes and nuts.
- Focus on Labels/Ingredients: The growing passion against GMO foods has led to consumer demands for more informative labeling on foods. Look for more specific information on ingredients, portion sizes and claims regulation beyond just calories and daily value recommendations.
- Flywheel Training: This concept combines Spinning (group stationary bike workouts) with upper body strength training using a weight bar. Sounds cool and apparently the experience in fun, with great music and lots of encouragement from trainers, but it’s pretty expensive ($25-35/session) – and how much total body conditioning you can get on a bike is questionable.
- Trampoline Workouts: Not just for birthday parties anymore, indoor trampoline parks are offering bounce workouts for big people. Sounds like fun, and it’s attracting names like Julianne Hough; but you’d have to assume this is high-impact no matter how soft the trampoline and there seems little room for resistance training in this method.
- Aerial Fitness: Also called aerial yoga, this up-in-the-air exercise routine is becoming very popular as celebrities like Mariah Carey, Britney Spears and – you guessed it – Gwyneth Paltrow extol its benefits.
- The ACSM Top 10: Unless you are Lance Armstrong, Mary Lou Retton or a Cirque du Soleil performer, the above-listed exercise programs don’t appear to offer the kind of real life movement training that the average “lunch-pail” athlete requires to keep fit, healthy and functional. So thanks to the American College of Sports Medicine for their survey of the top 20 fitness trends for 2014, which reassures us all that common sense still reigns in the gym, here’s a list of the top 10 in order, all terrific:
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
- Body Weight Training
- Educated Fitness Professionals
- Strength Training
- Exercise and Nutrition for Weight Loss
- Personal Training
- Fitness Programs for Older Adults
- Functional Fitness
- Group Personal Training
- Yoga
Even the goofy stuff indicates that the movement toward fitness and healthy living is gaining momentum in the USA, which is wonderful and long overdue. And celebrities that trumpet the benefits of exercise and good nutrition do a service to their fans and the general public. Just remember that Gwyneth and Beyonce are talented entertainers – not health and fitness professionals. Check with a real expert before embarking on a new path to health and fitness.
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