#hot workouts

Trend articles often spotlight hot exercise routines and diets du jour. As a longtime gym-goer and fitness professional, what interests me most are the mental and emotional habits of my students -- what drives them to stay in shape, inside and outside of the gym, and how their attitude towards working out translates to real life. Thousands of people have passed through my yoga classes, all attending for a variety of reasons. As someone who balances yoga with running, cycling, weight training, swimming, basketball and Pilates, I know the value of speaking a diverse fitness grammar. With that in mind, here are four trends I see emerging in the people that I teach, talk to, and study with on a daily basis. They are as socially relevant as they are personally important, and I can only imagine each flourishing as we pass into 2012.

Becoming Your Own Boss

One of the distinct consequences of economic downturns is an increase in entrepreneurial endeavors. In 2010, 565,000 new businesses were started every month. The fitness industry is undoubtedly one of the great beneficiaries of this trend, as dedicated legions of health fanatics and novice seekers flock to trainers, instructors and nutrition experts. This means plenty of work for self-employed fitness professionals.

New York-based yoga instructor Tara Stiles, owner of downtown studio Strala Yoga, author of the forthcoming book Yoga Cures (Three Rivers Press), and a Nissan Innovator, was born to be her own boss (if you ask her mom, Stiles tells me). "I thrive under conditions where I can steer my own ship," she says, reminiscing to her days of 5 am private clients and late nights blogging nutrition advice by candlelight. Having flexibility in her schedule is not only healthy for her body, but also her creative spirit. She credits her ability to stay inspired to a diehard work ethic, something that tens of thousands of people witness with her free online nutrition and fitness videos. "Seeing people get ridiculously happy and healthy and connect to their internal inspirations because of some little nudge I possibly helped out with will never get old," says Tara.

The Art of Self-Care

What we call "spa culture" includes treatments once considered everyday maintenance for many societies throughout time. Archaeological ruins dating back 3,500 years in Greece show public baths erected next to gymnasiums. Such bathhouses were social gathering spots as well as opportunities to sweat out the day's impurities. With insurance plans increasingly offering massage therapy, as well as more people understanding the anxiety-decreasing and immune-strengthening benefits of regular bodywork, we may finally be giving up the idea that massages are a luxury.

New York City massage therapist Loretta Young, who specializes in Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy, recommends monthly massages, and more often if you’re athletic. “Massage may be considered a treat to some, but it provides physical and mental benefits that are truly immeasurable,” she says. “The basic results help improve circulation and range of motion, reduce muscular tension, and recovery time, and alleviate mental stress. But, in my opinion, it most importantly delivers nurturing touch, which resets our mind-body connection to gain a deeper understanding of our body's messages.” 

Yoga as an Adjective

While yoga "fusions" are nothing new –- even classical Hatha Yoga was a merging of various yogic schools –- more instructors are today employing yoga as an adjective instead of a noun. Yoga Fusion, Yoga Abs, Yoga For Runners, and Spin In, Yoga Out (a 45-minute indoor cycling class followed by 45 minutes of yoga) are taught at the Equinox clubs where I work. The real value is in introducing yoga to athletes of all stripes who may not have understood how to integrate the postures and movements into their workout routines.

Santa Monica yoga instructor Kathryn Budig, author of the forthcoming The Big Book of Yoga (Rodale), is gifted in her ability to teach a wide range of students in an approachable manner that is both challenging and transformative. Her open-minded approach has resulted in longtime practitioners and newbies alike flocking to her classes and Internet videos. “Hearing a student say they don't do yoga because they're not flexible is like hearing someone say they don't work out because they're not fit,” she says. “Flexibility is not a pre-requisite to practicing yoga—it's an awesome reaped benefit from the dedication. I've worked with all walks of flexibility from hamstrings of steel to wet-noodle spines. The grass is always greener, but the ultimate response is that flexibility is equally as important as strength. A workout routine solely focused on strength leaves our body stiff, often sore, and prone to pain.”

Bringing the Outdoors Inside

Until recently, I lived in Brooklyn, where you’ll find an array of outdoor activities brought indoors for the colder months. Besides the expected Spin class and treadmill training, I lived near Brooklyn Boulders, a warehouse-sized climbing studio. Now that I call Santa Monica, California, home, I see this trend accelerating. Even with California's year-round mostly mild temperatures that make outdoor exercise easy, I notice that indoor rowing and indoor surfing are finding devoted audiences.

The best instructors utilize their students’ imaginations by bringing to life the wind, waves, and hills that you'd find on the road or in the ocean. While the elements may be tamed inside, the strength- and balance-training techniques create one solid workout. This has the added bonus of temptation: Many newcomers are soon confident enough to try their hand in the real environment.

What fitness trend do you foresee in 2012? 

—Derek Beres, Women’s Health Reporter