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Exercise does a body good. So does sleep. Research indicates that physical activity and sleep contribute to a healthy immune system, which is critical in the ongoing battle with COVID-19.
With more people turning to their smartwatch or fitness tracker to monitor exercise and sleep quality, it’s not surprising that more than 4,500 health and fitness pros surveyed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) identified wearable tech as the new top trend in fitness for 2022. ACSM released the survey results today in the article “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2022,” published in the January/February issue of ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal.
“Tech advances have made it easy for users to collect important health metrics and work with fitness professionals and health care providers to develop healthy lifestyles and increase quality of life,” said ACSM Past President Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., FACSM, ACSM-CEP, lead author of the survey.
Now in its 16th year, ACSM’s annual survey helps the global health and fitness industry make programming and business decisions that affect consumers. This year’s survey assessed 43 potential trends. Notable trends include home exercise gyms debuting at No. 2 and outdoor exercise moving to No. 3. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) dropped to No. 7, and online training, now online live and on-demand exercise classes dropped to No. 9 (No. 1 in 2021).
The top 10 fitness trends for 2022 are:
“The fitness world continues to feel the effects of the pandemic. The more widespread use of vaccinations and our need to get back to a normal lifestyle are definitely reflected in the 2022 trends,” added Dr. Thompson.
ACSM also published a separate article comparing the top 20 fitness trends in North America, Australia, Brazil, China, Europe, Mexico and Spain. The article provides a more global understanding of the health and fitness trends in different regions around the world.
“With ongoing uncertainty from the pandemic, understanding global consumer behavior can help stakeholders create a multi-faceted strategy to drive business growth,” said Vanessa M. Kercher, Ph.D., ACSM-EP, lead author of the global comparison article and a clinical assistant professor in the school of public health at Indiana University.
The full list of top 20 trends is available in the article “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2022” with key takeaways from the global rankings available in “2022 Fitness Trends from around the Globe.” Resources are available on ACSM.org.
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