The world of health and fitness is ever changing. This evolution isn’t only about constantly finding new things to keep people interested. New trends are driven by new research, new technology, and new scientific discoveries, that shift the landscape on what are considered the most effective ways to get (and stay) fit, healthy, and strong.

In 2017, we’re seeing some new trends emerge as well as elevated interest in some older trends.
Here are some of the key fitness trends to look out for this year:

Wearable fitness trackers
Fitbit. Jawbone. Garmin. Moov. Apple Watch. The list goes on. An increasing number of wearable technologies that are entering the market are pushing the envelope on functionality and design. In 2017, the trend of fitness trackers continues to grow, with more people using devices to track various aspects of their workouts, such as heart rate and counting approximate calories and distance. People are also integrating these devices more into their everyday life so that they can measure their overall daily activity and their sleeping patterns.

Exercise as medicine
While it may seem obvious that exercise should be used as a path to health and wellbeing, recently it has also been promoted as little more than a means to weight loss. 2017 signals a continuing shift in this trend, because people are recognizing exercise’s ability to prevent disease, reduce stress, and enhance increase mental well being. Regular people, not just athletes, are taking a more scientific approach to understand what exercises are best for their bodies.

HIIT — in the pool
HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training , remains a huge trend in the fitness world, owing to its ability to torch fat and increase fitness levels in a relatively short span of time. In 2017, you might notice gyms and fitness centres expanding their options on how to creatively design HIIT workouts. One popular option is to “HIIT” the pool, using the resistance of water to build a highly effective — and fun — workout routine.

Boxing
The trend of boxing for fitness shows no signs of slowing down — in fact, it’s only gaining more traction. Not only is boxing a great outlet for stress, but it’s also a fun and challenging way of getting a full-body workout. So, for muscle burn and cardio, get your gloves on and start punching.

Focused recovery
Recovering from a workout used to simply mean doing as little as possible until the next workout session came around. Now, recovery as a focused activity has become a huge trend. Using foam rollers and rubber balls to self-massage and release tension from muscles is one popular example of this. Acknowledging the mind-body connection, carefully scheduling rest periods, and using diet as a tool for adequate muscle and metabolic recovery, are also growing in importance.

Functional training
Sore shoulders from sitting at a desk all day? Penchant for pulling a lower back muscle every time you lift something heavy? Functional training continues to sidle its way into becoming a fitness norm because more people are recognizing the need to strengthen muscles and correct imbalances that affect their day-to-day activities. This year, as the medical and fitness fields become increasingly more intertwined, you may notice more functional training being offered by gyms and fitness studios, as well as being referred to by physicians,