boiMAG.com "Fitness" Article

FITNESS - Stay In Shape, Get Fit and Stay Healthy

Whether your 2022 sights are set on running a half-marathon, lifting heavier weights, or just moving more, working with a personal trainer or coach can help you get there. Sure, there’s a time and place for following cookie-cutter workouts, but sometimes real change comes from having personal feedback around your specific exercise needs and lifestyle.

While some might have seen personal training as a splurge in the past, more people are considering virtual personal training or online fitness coaching now because they see it as a way to prioritize their self-care and health, especially if they’ve canceled or put a pause on their gym and group fitness memberships.

“I really think personalized fitness is going to be important and doing workouts that are sustainable. People are smart enough to understand that there are no quick fixes and that they need to find something that they really enjoy doing. They also want to know the reason behind the exercises that they’re doing and how it’s going to help them get to their goals,” says Sal Nakhlawi, a certified functional strength coach with an online health coaching program that provides customized training and nutrition plans, lifestyle guidance, and community.

Over the past year, we’ve seen many trainers expanding their personal-training businesses digitally, offering one-on-one training and customized workout plans, as well as smaller group fitness classes that follow a specific program geared toward honing a certain goal or skill. Training apps like True Coach and Talent Hack have allowed them to do that.

And the numbers show it: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for personal trainers and fitness instructors is projected to grow 39% from 2020 to 2030, a rate that’s much faster than the average of any other occupation. While the pandemic affected personal trainers’ job prospects, most have been able to adapt and earn more by offering online services, according to a 2021 survey from the Personal Trainer Development Center.

Even digital fitness brands like Kemtai, Peloton, Mirror, Tonal, and Tempo are realizing the demand for more personalized fitness by developing at-home technology that corrects your form, offers feedback, and designs workouts made for your goals.

Many of us still mostly work from home and because of that, there’s a greater appreciation for 10, 15, 20, and 30 minute workouts you can easily squeeze in during your lunch break or between Zoom meetings. Apps, including Equinox+, Peloton, Apple Fitness+, obe fitness, and Nike Training Club, have libraries of express workouts that allow you to incorporate more movement into your day.

“Something that I continue to lean into is telling my community to commit to less so you can show up more. My quickie category of fiveand 10 minute arms, abs, and butt workouts allows my clients to be able to commit to that. They find that moving for just five minutes can really turn their day around, and it has the mental health component,” says Megan Roup, founder of The Sculpt Society, a dance cardio and sculpting workout app.

Dedicating just five or 10 minutes to moving can give you a mental reset during your day by taking your mind off of stressful, allconsuming tasks. Shorter workouts also help reduce the hassle of making room in your schedule for larger blocks of time to work out.

In addition, shorter workouts give you the freedom to mix up your routine and get a well rounded workout. Irace says that 40% of Equinox members “class stack”: for example, doing a 15 minute run before a 30 minute strength class.

“My instinct is that many will lean into shorter workouts when they are squeezing something in at home and dedicate themselves to somewhat longer gym visits when they work out in a club or studio,” Irace says. “But clubs would be smart to have classes or workouts of varying durations to allow members to choose what works for them on any given day. More options will be key for 2022.”

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