Major fitness trends for 2009 have just been released by the American Council On Exercise (ACE). This information represents the opinions of a global network of fitness professionals.
Abbreviated for your convenience, this is how they look:
- fitness bootcamps ... total body fun, cardio and strength benefits
- free, or inexpensive resources ... no surprise here!
- specialty classes ... yoga, Pilates, dance fusion, boxercise ... fair enough
- back-to-basics ... in spite of advancing technology ... I'm all for this
- circuit training ... strength and cardio for busy people ... intensive calorie burning
- kettlebells ... whole body strength and stability benefits ... plus hardcore mystique
- baby boomers ... the over 50's proving that 50 is indeed the new 30!
- technology-based fitness ... hold on, I thought we were going back to basics?
- sports and recreational activities ... get outdoors, get active and have fun
- undulating periodization ... creative variable exercise loading ... just like elite athletes
It looks like they've covered all the bases.
A couple of things jump out at me:
- It would seem that the message is finally getting through that hours and hours of cardio overtraining are not the way to get get in shape and lose weight. This is good news for busy people who haven't the time nor the inclination for sessions lasting over an hour and need a better mousetrap.
- People need to have fun in order to stick to a program long enough to see results ... be it bootcamps or high-tech interactive technologies ... there's no denying human nature.
- People also seem to be understanding the importance of balanced muscle development ... enabling them to move with greater freedom rather than just pack on redundant muscle bulk ... that looks, umm ... bulky?
- People appear bored of gyms and want more value for less bucks ... a bit like the high street retailer ... dinosaurs eventually adapt, or die. Oh wait ... there's no more dinosaurs.
- Finally, I'm delighted to see that fitness is no longer seen as the exclusive province of the young, with middle age the point in your life where you just go into symptom-control mode.
If people are going to enjoy any quality of life as they get older, they must grasp the nettle and take steps to get informed and make the necessary lifestyle changes. Old age should be a gentle yet elegant wind-down, not a grimly terrifying sentence in solitary confinement.
Each year more and more people become progressively more dependent on medical intervention to manage symptoms of preventable degeneration. This is a part of our culture that is accepted without question. Here, take these pills ... the doctor knows best.
Not only is this unsustainable economically ... but it is also undignified for our elderly.
An ounce of prevention ...
-
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment