Kickstart 2016 - and your New Year's wellness resolutions - by checking out the hottest in fitness this year. After all, a good measure of novelty in your workouts may help amp your motivation to be healthy and stay that way this time around.
Wearable Tech
What's a better motivator than a shiny new gadget to move about with? It could be your best excuse to exercise, after exhausting all other methods. You wouldn't want to put that Fitbit or Garmin purchase to waste, don't you?
According to Fitbit's Woody Scal, an increasing number of individuals affected with weight-related issues helped boost the popularity of wearable tech. Fitbit, for one, thinks that "tracking activity level, sleep, and nutrition can have a positive impact on health and well-being, which may also benefit those living with chronic diseases," Time quoted Scal as saying.
"Wearable devices also provide immediate feedback that can make the wearer more aware of their level of activity and can motivate the user to achieve their fitness goals," affirmed Walter R. Thompson, Ph.D., author of the study that assessed this year's fitness trends, according to Shape.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
This isn't new - many athletes have been using this approach for many years already. So, if you want a ripped bod, or at least a toned one that you can show off in a swimsuit, you'd do well to give HIIT a try.
HIIT has been described as "versatile, effective, and efficient, taxing both aerobic and anaerobic fitness, increasing endurance, and building muscle and increasing strength, all at the same time." It also produces that after burn that makes your body continue to burn calories even after you're done working out.
"This afterburn is referred to as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and is the reason why intense exercise intervals will help burn more fat and calories than regular aerobic and steady-state workouts, and translates into a metabolic boost for up to 48 hours after a complete HIIT routine," explained fitness studio founder Kari Saitowitz, as noted by Time.
Body-Weight Training
The great thing about this trend is that you don't really need gym equipment to exercise. Your body is the only equipment you need in doing lunges, pushups, planks, squats, and pull-ups. This kind of training also helps you hit more muscle groups than with static exercises, which are typically done with traditional machines.
Strength Training
Strong is the new beautiful - this is one battlecry that's getting more buzz in recent years. Women are now opening up to exercises that not only make them lose weight but also helps them build a stronger body, and consequently, stronger bones and lesser diabetes and heart disease risks.
Which ones will you be trying out first this year?
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