5 Health & Fitness Trends for 2021

2020 didn't look the way anyone anticipated, including a general reversal or complete change to health and fitness goals due to gym closures, quarantine, and a colossal shift in our day to day lives. There's hope that 2021 will return to normal, and if not, we will be better prepared to thrive in our new norm. 

As a result and as a part of an already growing trend, health and fitness companies have exploded on the scene to address this new opportunity and provide us with numerous options to help us adapt and reach health and fitness goals.  

Here are my top 5 trends for personal health and fitness in 2021.

1. Continued Investment in your Home Gym Setup 

Since early March, prices for essential gym equipment like treadmills and dumbbells have gone through the roof. Having a home gym setup is excellent if motivation, proper form, and space are not issues. Fitness experts recommend that in high-stress times, the best exercise modality is the one that has the fewest barriers. 

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” - Jim Ryun.

Having a full home gym is great if you'll use it. Before covid, my home gym was only good for collecting dust. Now, my wife uses it 4-5 times a week for HIIT classes, and when I am not running outside, I use the bike trainer in the morning several times a week. The convenience is undeniable. I can finish a complete workout in the same amount of time it previously took to drive back and forth to the gym. 

But if you're like many, working with a virtual program or coach for accountability, motivation, and even healthy competition is often a necessary aspect of a successful home exercise routine to keep it fresh and fun. 

Some of this years' top home training programs include: the Peloton Bike, Zwift - another biking and running virtual program, the Mirror - a personal training virtual mirror program, and participation in solo or virtual group races tracked online such as the FKT or Fastest Known Time.  

Personal trainers have also taken their businesses online, and zoom training sessions are as intense as in-person workouts with little to no equipment. 

I don’t see this trend becoming a fad because of the convenience and emphasis these online training programs place on the social aspect. You are probably more likely to engage with new people, follow friends, and provide encouragement from the privacy and comfort of your home than in person at specific gyms. 

2. Healthy and Delicious, Delivered! 

With many restaurants being closed for dining, there's been a significant shift to home cooking.

Numerous studies show that home-cooked meals contain fewer calories and more nutrients than meals eaten outside of the home. So while this trend is welcomed by waistlines everywhere, it doesn't take the guesswork out of the time, energy, or expertise required to put together healthy gourmet meals from scratch. 

Luckily, there are multiple options and food delivery services with everything from fully cooked gourmet low-calorie meals, to vegetarian meal prep kits, to local produce and meat subscription delivery programs. Even the local grocery stores have increased their ability to process orders online for pickup or delivery to your home. 

A few months into the pandemic, my wife and I started ordering Purple Carrot and have continued using the plant-based meal delivery service since. All the meals come with the ingredient list and set of instructions, so it’s fun and straightforward.

The convenience, variety, and focus on healthy ingredients outweigh the costs of meals. I am not even sure we spend more overall. We waste less food and spend less time at the grocery store, figuring out our meals for the week, and eat much healthier than before. And even if we do, I see it as an investment in our long-term health. 

3. Fitness Trackers 

With more focus on our physical well-being, digital health devices have seen an upsurge in the market, and for a good reason. Working out at home, managing children, meals, and general stress during the pandemic has created a universal need to focus on self-care.

There has never been such emphasis on recovery or sleep to care for our burnt-out minds and bodies. So regardless if you are a triathlete or a weekend warrior, chances are the latest apps, straps, and devices have caught your attention at least once. 

Is all the hoopla worth it? It depends. In an uncertain world, many find comfort in metrics and data. Peace of mind is worth its weight in gold. But if you feel like you need your Ph.D. to analyze the data, it's probably a waste of money. 

If you want to be more proactive in improving your health, sleep, recovery, and training efficiency. Tracking your progress with measurable standards can be the difference between a needed rest day and an avoidable stress injury. 

The Whoop band is the perfect product for anyone who trains and is interested in metrics about recovery to optimize performance. While it's subscription service is pricey at $30/month, those who want to optimize performance for endurance events find the heart rate variability and "readiness" metrics worth the cost. Knowing when to back off and when to push is the most critical intel for any elite athlete. 

Apple Watch and Fitbit don't hold a candle to Whoop's coverage but do provide steps, time, and other essential basics. As for accurately measuring calories burned or body fat levels, few consumer goods offer value. Calories burned are notoriously difficult to estimate, and body fat is nearly impossible to measure accurately from a digital scale. The dunk tank and the DEXA scan are the gold standards for body composition measurements.

Bottom line, unless you're willing to invest in the Whoop band for serious progress measurement, a digital scale, step counter, or pulse oximeter will provide sufficient data for most active bodies. 

I’ve increased the use of my Garmin GPS watch over the last few months to track my runs and daily activities and recently bought a Whoop subscription on Black Friday. The most significant benefit that I have enjoyed from these devices has been the interaction with old friends. These devices have allowed us to reconnect online, encourage each other towards our fitness goals, and be social in a new way. Overall, it’s finding a device that matches your needs and tracks what measures are essential to you. 

4. Continued Adoption of Telehealth 

Among the many hidden benefits of the pandemic, Telehealth has emerged as an efficient solution for healthcare. Telemedicine allows ease of access for routine checkups across state boundaries, improved healthcare 24/7 for vulnerable populations like older adults, and reduces typical medical care barriers like time, travel, and cost. 

Teletherapy is also making a massive comeback, as more therapists are taking new clients over zoom and phone appointments. Convenient access to medical services means that more people can receive care faster, across the board, and with more specialized providers. No more missed days at work for a long wait in the doctor's office when you can schedule a virtual visit. 

Another upside to telemedicine is that the consumer knowledge base expands as they are often more involved in providing health information pertinent to their visit. Patients now have reason to get more involved with checking their vitals and staying on top of general health hygiene practices. Medical devices, such as pulse oximeters, thermometers, and blood pressure cuffs, have become regular household items. 

Thanks to a change in regulations, almost all health insurance providers offer 24/7 Telehealthcare with qualified nurse practitioners on standby to issue prescriptions or refer out to specialists. Telehealth services cut time and resources and deliver quality and service. Post-pandemic, Telehealth will remain the "new normal" given its tremendous upsides. 

5. Time on the Homefront and Self-Care

Additional time at home means extra time to focus on the essential things - like health, self-care, family, sleep, the great outdoors, and many others.

Less time commuting translates into added hours for sleeping, exercise, cooking family meals, or reading. Fewer external obligations can mean more time to spend being active, hiking, walking the dog, or gardening.

More time at home can reduce costs - less money spent on gas, convenience meals, professional expenses, etc. This change in your schedule leaves more funds to allocate to healthy food, home fitness equipment, education, and support for local businesses like farmers' markets or health coaching.

With more time on your hands, you now have to decide how to use it. But this too has been made easier with free apps like Headspace and Calm. 

To a Healthy 2021!

The world is changing daily, but trends in 2021 will focus on cultivating better health and self-care practices. While there's certainly never been a more pressing time to focus on wellness, there's no shortage of excuses, anxiety, or fatigue to prevent progress.

Suppose 2021 is about the gift of time. 

In that case, it's up to us to use it wisely by looking within for reinvention, celebrating our capacity for health, and caring for ourselves and loved ones like never before.

What are your predictions for health and fitness for 2021? Look forward to hearing your responses!

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