Chantel Pipe
INSTAGRAM: @chantelpipefitness
I’m a 41 year old mother of two girls and one French bulldog, and I’m a Personal Fitness Coach. I work one to one with clients aged 18-80, and have additional specialisms in pre and post natal training, GP exercise referral, cancer rehabilitation and pilates. I also run community fitness classes in the Suffolk coastal area.
The challenges of the last 18 months have forced the fitness industry to adapt and evolve to meet our new and developing needs. For 2022 I think the fitness trends will very much focus on fitness being accessible for everyone, no longer just looking at ‘fitness’ as something we do in gyms, making it an important part of our normal daily activities.
Exercise as medicine
Fitness professionals know only too well, the importance of exercise to support general health, both physical and mental. No longer just something to aid weight loss, more and more people are waking up to the fact that regular exercise is absolutely vital in maintaining a healthy immune system, and reducing your risk of many life-threatening illnesses including, stroke, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. It also helps greatly in the management of many conditions. With fitness related initiatives already in place within the NHS to help manage many of these conditions, and many more in the pipeline, this is a fitness trend I wholeheartedly support! Check out the fantastic physical activity services provided by the John Le Vay centre in Ipswich Hospital to support people with a diagnosis of cancer
www.ipswichcancerinformation.co.uk/up-and-active
Online training
Online training has really exploded since 2021. The variety available is phenomenal, there is quite literally a workout to suit everyone! Stream workouts live into your home with an instructor you can interact with, or stream on demand replays at times that suit you. No need to worry about childcare, going out in the cold and dark, and no problem if you are interrupted! No excuses! This trend is here to stay!
Outdoor exercise
The closure of gyms and studios and lockdown restrictions forced lots of people outside, and meant that many found a new love for outdoor workouts, whether that be dog walks, bootcamps, PT sessions or couch to 5k! The physical aspects aside, being outdoors also provides a great boost to mental wellbeing. OurParks is a great organisation that delivers free outdoor workouts, for all abilities all over the country, to find out if there is one near you visit www.ourparks.org.uk
Wearable technology
Most of us will be familiar with the concept of smart watches, but did you know there are also rings, chest straps and even glucose monitoring tech for the elite athletes among us. With the ability to monitor so many physiological functions, they can provide much useful data to help you set targets and make changes to your health and fitness. One of the easiest ways to start to improve your health and fitness is by increasing your daily step count. You can pick up a basic activity tracker watch like this one from Huawei for less than £20 to get you on the right track!
Mind and body training
I think this is the biggest trend we will see for 2022. Fitness programmes taking a whole person approach, not just focusing on physical exercise, but also on other habits that are key to overall health such as sleep quality, mindfulness, hydration, food quality, relaxation and taking care of your mental health.
Of course if you have money to burn you can always head down the Apple route…
Apple Watch
Series 7 GPS, 45mm Midnight Aluminium Case with Midnight Sport Band – Regular £399