What’s Going To Be Big This Year?
Posted on 28 January 2009
Big in 2009 – Health and Fitness
When we look back at 2008 and what took the fitness industry by storm it seemed to be a few main things; CrossFit and more short intense workouts exploded as did more natural style’s of eating as oppose to the carbohydrate laden/Protein shake diets of yesteryear.
So What’s going to take the Fitness and Health industry by storm in 2009?
Raw Food
For me this seems like something becoming more prevalent with people like Steve Pavlina doing Raw Food diets and reporting how good he is feeling eating purely Fruits, Nuts and Vegetables all raw. This basically consists of eating loads of raw foods, juicing them and basically trying to supercharge your body with vitamins and minerals.
The basic biological reason people feel so energetic on a raw foods diet is that sweet fruit is the easiest type of food for your body to digest. If you eat a meal of nothing but raw fruit on an empty stomach, it will normally pass through the stomach within a matter of minutes, since fruit is largely digested in the intestines. That assumes it’s all sweet fruit and not something fatty like avocado or coconut, which would greatly slow digestion.
There are many resources that you can look into with Raw Food diets. The Best of Raw Food is a great site and will give you a low down on some Raw recipes and benefits of eating raw.
- Full of Enzymes which aid in digestion
- Raw Food is Rich in Fiber
- High energy
- Clear Complexion
- More Nutritional value, as heating up food kills some of the nutrients
While this kind of diet is certainly not for me it has its benefits and we can all take something out of it. There is no doubt Raw Foods are awesome for our health but I have no qualms with supplementing them with some good old cooked meat.
10 Reasons Eating Raw is Healthier For You and the Planet
No-Gym Workouts
Due to the economic situation the world is going through at the moment I think we are going to see more and more people adopt an at home style of working out. With a bit of dedication and know how you can do some amazing workouts in your own home, the park or in your garden with little or no equipment. By doing combinations of Pushups, Squats, Burpees and Pull-ups you can get a great full body workout which will keep you fit and build muscle.
Fitness Back Book on BW Circuits
Who Needs a Gym – Men’s Health
20 Minute Body Weight Workout
Zen in the art of Self Resistance
I for one have substantially cut down my time in the gym. Most my workouts are done outdoors or at home with nothing more than some Body weight Calisthenics and a Kettlebell and its getting me pretty amazing results.
Main Benefits of Home Workouts:
- Shave off time spent traveling to gym
- Train spontaneously as you can hit a workout when your feeling high energy
- 10 Minute Body weight circuits can be snuck in before work
- Cheap, No need to pay gym memberships
- Develops Self Dicipline
So these are going to be huge this year and rightly so we often underestimate how much we can do with our bodies and a bit of motivation to have a good workout.
Being Frugal in 2009
This is another thing that will explode. Methods of saving money and being frugal whether its in Regards to Health and Fitness or general everyday life. Here are some great resources:
Beat The Flu for $4 a Month
50 Tips for Frugal Living
Eat Healthy and Save Money
Eating For $5 a Day
So there you have it. My tips for what’s going to be big in 2009, If you have any ideas what the next big thing is going to be please comment below, I’d love to hear them out!
Comment by Yavor
28 January 2009
The no gym thing is def gonna be big. Hell, I currently train in my bedroom – doorframe pullups, chair pushups, handstand pushups and floor l-sits kick ass.
Yavor
Comment by JC
28 January 2009
While the no gym thing may be big, I hope it doesn’t go over too big. I for one do not wish to have to find another place to train because my gym closes down, nor do I want to see many people lose their jobs either.
Comment by David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com
28 January 2009
I was a big believer in home workouts even before the economic stuff happened. Aside from saving your money, it saves you time as well (which is money in a different form). Depending on what you do, it is possible to get a truly kick butt workout in at home. Thanks for all the great links too!
- Dave
Comment by Mike OD - IF Life
28 January 2009
I love working out outside…although I do like going to the gym (mentally) to do a quick and heavy lifting session. I used to do it at home and found I need and enjoy the mental break at the gym. Spending less time in the gym is my goal though (I mean besides training clients). 20min lifting sessions 2-3x a week is all it takes…that and keeping it to the simple and most effective exercises like the DL, OH press, etc. That and I am going to try more Yoga…I need better flexibility as recent injuries have pointed out.
Comment by Rusty - Fitness Black Book
28 January 2009
I did nothing but that bodyweight circuit for 2 months and I was surprised that I maintained almost all of my strength when I went back to the gym a few weeks ago.
My plan is to travel the world, so I needed a perfect workout that I could do with no equipment whatsoever. Now I have the ability to stay ripped in even remote places.
Even if someone mainly works out in a gym, it is good to have this knowledge.
Great post!
Rusty
Comment by Tom Parker - Free Fitness Tips
28 January 2009
I agree with you Chris. I think bodyweight training is going to be very big in 2009. I also think flexibility training may become more prominent. It’s not for everyone but I think a lot more people are coming round to the idea of stretching this year.
Comment by Justin (GymJunkies.com)
28 January 2009
Killer post Chris!
I think that people are becoming more and more stricken for time in our lives. We need to find ways to cut back our work and gym hours so circuit style workouts will continue to thrive.
I also think that more people are oging to become aware of all of the fads out there that don’t work. Such as the ab exercises on late night infomercials.
-Justin
Comment by Chris
29 January 2009
@ Mike OD: Thanks for the comment, I too find it nice to have a break from the gym sometimes giving it a miss for a week or two. Usually though I end up going in for 20-30 minutes and doing a quick weights session then getting out of there. Yoga is pretty cool, the only one I would recommend is Hot Bikram Yoga, its a great workout and as its done in a hot room allows you to sweat out all those toxins!
@ Rusty: BW circuits for 2 months sounds cool. When I was traveling I did pretty much all body-weight stuff except the odd time I would blag my way into a gym with a friend (once every few weeks). As for staying ripped while traveling I am sure if anyone can do it, its you. With he knowledge you must have accumulated writing the blog I’m sure it will sort itself out….
@ Justin: Fad diets not working is going to be huge. I think people will realize its a lifestyle shift that needs to happen rather than “going on a diet”
Comment by Brett Cornwright
29 January 2009
I’m hoping the whole Paleo way of eating and living comes back soon! Can you imagine what would happen if everyone finally realized that grains and dairy were bad for you? America would lose an average of 20 pounds per person.
I also hope more people find out about body weight exercises. Kettlebells would actually help a lot of people, as far as biomechanics and moving properly, in just a short amount of time.
Great topic!
Brett
Comment by Chris
29 January 2009
@ Brett: Your right it would be pretty cool, although I’m not sure it will happen in 2009….One thing that hopefully will happen will be the mainstream changing their thinking on nutrition and possibly flipping the pyramid or at least re-jigging it to get more people eating good food.
Comment by Son of Grok
31 January 2009
No gym workouts, bodyweight exercises and calisthenics are coming back in a big way. I never would have believed them to be so effective until I proved it to myself…. on myself… lol.
The SoG
Comment by scott
28 February 2009
Totally down with you guys are saying! With our workouts at http://www.surfstronger.com, we’ve learned that surfers like minimalistic but highly effective workouts. Our training is short on time, but high on benefits. We created all our workouts with these guidelines. And tagging on to your recession proofing mindset, we suggest a new workout video as a way to expand your training, get some motivation and learn some new workout skills–all at a very realistic price point.