Four health and fitness trends to watch in 2022

Predicting fitness trends with uncertainty again next year is a bit like the challenges faced by weather forecasters such as Kenneth Arrow, who won the future Nobel Prize in Economics during World War II. I feel like.

Forecasters knew that their long-range forecasts couldn’t beat the inside out of a coin, Arrow later recalled. But the reaction they said to their boss was, “The general knows your predictions aren’t good, but they need it for planning.”

In that spirit, here are four health and fitness themes that I expect to grow in 2022-if the event doesn’t upset them.

Focus on mental health

One of the obvious points from the early pandemic blockade was that exercise was essential to our mental health. Indeed, researchers have known for years that physical activity is a powerful antidepressant, but now we all feel it.

But last year brought an unexpected twist in the plot.Athletes Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles have withdrawn from the famous tournament for protection Their mental health. And it’s not just the elite at risk. For example, recent studies have linked the idea of ​​perfectionism to the risk of burnout in athletes at various competitive levels.

Don’t get me wrong. Physical activity is an important tool for promoting mental health. But as more athletes speak openly about the struggles to find balance, more subtle social debates about how to exercise, especially how competitive sports can promote and challenge mental health. , And look forward to more scientific research.

Fighting false information about health

The myth of vaccine controversy, along with other pseudoscientific health belief constellations such as homeopathy, has existed long before COVID-19. Most of us had the luxury of ignoring them.

That’s no longer the case, and thanks to a group that includes Science Up First, a rant initiative that brings together researchers, medical professionals, and science communicators, efforts to combat false information are greater and better organized. rice field. They are currently focusing on false information on COVID-19 and vaccines, but when the pandemic is over, their work will not be done.

Take a walk in the wellness corridor, even in the most mainstream pharmacies. for example. You will see lots of supplements and herbal remedies, their benefits are less scientifically supported than the many ridiculed anti-COVID horse anthelmintic ivermectin. Science advocates such as Tim Colefield of the University of Alberta have long opposed unproven claims in the supplement industry. Perhaps we will start listening because we saw the result of incorrect information.

Lean on the power of nature

In 2019, UK researchers collected 20,000 leisure and health data, and those who spent more than two hours a week in’green’areas such as parks, beaches and forests accumulated in such places. We conclude that we are much healthier than those who have less time.

The idea that exposure to nature is good for the body and soul has been around for thousands of years, and science is now confirming it. Cumulative time in nature is associated with stress levels, mood, immune function, and even the risk of conditions such as heart disease and cancer. Organizations such as PaRx, Canada’s first national evidence-based natural prescribing program, encourage doctors to prescribe nature to their patients.

The next step is to find the ingredients that react the most strongly. Is it a tree? The sound of water? Is there no traffic? Or something else we never thought of? These are the types of questions researchers are working on using new tools such as the NatureDose app to track their personal exposure to different types of nature.

Can Jim make a comeback?

Imagine this. It’s a large room filled with exercise equipment of quality, quantity and variety that you can’t afford to install in your home. The lively energy of other people exercising nearby. An expert at hand that provides guidance as needed. And you can drop in at any time you like, all at a reasonable monthly fee.

Will this radical idea be popular in 2022? All recent hype is about the convenience of home exercise equipment and the amazing effects of virtual trainers. However, there are signs that at least some people are anxious for physical store replacements. For example, Peloton’s share price has fallen by more than 75% from its mid-pandemic high.

Public health conditions play a major role in determining whether this prediction will work. Therefore, the best solution for 2022 is to make time for physical activity at home, in the gym, in nature, or as circumstances permit.

Alex Hutchinson is the author of Endure: mind, body, and strangely the limits of human performance elasticity.. Follow him on Twitter @sweatscience..

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