Five New Fitness Fads You'll Want to Try in 2023
Tired of the same fitness routines? Here are some new ones to try for 2023
Pram Fitness
What better way to lose baby weight than using your baby as a weight? No we don’t mean using your new born as a barbell, we’re talking about pushing them (and their weight) around in their pram. Not only will this enhance the difficulty of your usual jog or run, it also means you can get your workout done and still spend time with your little one – perfect for time-deprived parents! Plus, not only is a pram run good for cardio, you can also do a mix of exercises including yoga and core workouts too. Just make sure for any stationary exercises you put minimum weight on the buggy so it doesn’t tip, and always make sure the brakes are on. Another great thing about pram fitness is that you don’t have to do it alone – get together with other parents and work out as a group. You’ll likely be at a similar post-pregnancy fitness level and you’ve all got each other for support and motivation.
Hula Hooping
If you think hula hooping is just for kids, think again. This simple piece of equipment can boost the fun factor in your fitness routine and give you an excellent workout at the same time. Hula hooping is a great exercise that engages your whole body, working your core, legs and arms, and ensuring your brain is focused to keep the hoop moving and to learn new movements and tricks. It builds cardio fitness, as well as strength and mobility. If you find using a regular hoop is too easy, make it more challenging by using a weighted hoop to increase the workload on the body and help to develop a stronger core, or try a polypro hoop which is a high-speed hoop for anyone who wants to refine their mobility and precision. Another great thing about hula hooping is it’s not expensive and the hoops are fully portable. This means no commute to the gym, no overcrowded classes and no waiting in line to use a cardio machine.
Virtual Reality Workouts
Bring a brand new workout environment into your own home with virtual reality (VR). This immersive technology means you can simply put on a mask and feel like you are anywhere in (or out of) this world while working on your fitness. Whether you choose a dynamic game like Beat Saber which, although not specifically designed as a workout, keeps you moving as you use a virtual lightsaber to slice through blocks in time to music, or BoxVR which offers more fitness-focused boxing routines, you’ll definitely work up a sweat. Just as with any workout, with VR you get out of it what you put into it, so putting your all into the movements will reap the most rewards. But make sure you’re still warming up and cooling down like you would at the gym because even though these are games, you’re still exercising and you don’t want to overdo it.
Jazzercise
There are so many crazes when it comes to fitness classes but currently popular is Jazzercise. Combining dance and fitness (similar to Zumba) this is a body-blasting, beat-pumping fitness programme that promises to get you results. This isn’t a new phenomenon, in fact it’s been around since the 70s and 80s, but Jazzercise uses modern music that you won’t be able to stop yourself dancing along to. Essentially a high intensity dance party, it fuses cardio, strength, pilates, hip hop, yoga and kickboxing into one class where you’ll burn lots of calories. The best workout is the one you can stick to and part of what makes Jazzercise so effective is that it’s much more fun and motivating than just running on a treadmill. So, if you’re someone who wants a fun full-body workout find a local gym, community centre, or online Jazzercise class, as this is the fitness fad for you.
Everesting
Although the first person to attempt this challenge did so two decades ago, the latest fitness fad on many people’s radars this year is Everesting and it’s taking the cycling and running world by storm. Fiendishly simple yet brutally hard, Everesting sees cyclists and runners shape their workouts so that they repeat an ascent and descent until they have ‘climbed’ 8,848 metres – that’s the height of Everest. There is no time limit for the challenge and there is no shortage of ways it can be achieved; however the only rule is that it does have to be done in one single activity, on one hill (and it must be recorded on Strava). This means breaks are allowed – but sleep isn’t. This is a relentless endurance battle that pushes people to their physical and mental limits, but those who succeed will become a member of the elite HELLS 500 (the Melbourne-based creators of the challenge) Hall of Fame and receive an exclusive jersey. Head to everesting.cc to find all the rules.
