10. Functional Fitness. Rounding out the top 10 for 2012 is functional fitness. Functional fitness is defined as using strength training to improve balance, coordination, force, power, and endurance to improve someone's ability to perform activities of daily living. The exercise programs reflect actual activities someone might do as a function of their daily living. Functional fitness first appeared on the survey in the no. 4 position in 2007 but fell to no. 8 in 2008 and no. 11 in 2009. It reappeared in the top 10 in 2010 at no. 7 and in 2011 at no. 9. Some survey respondents thought that there may be a relationship between functional fitness and fitness programs for older adults. Many exercise programs for the older age group are composed of functional fitness activities.
11. YOGA. Yoga has taken on a variety of forms within the past couple of years (such as Power Yoga, Yogalates, and other forms including Yoga done in hot and humid environments). Some of these forms are known as Iyengar Yoga, Ashtanga, Bikram Yoga (the hot and humid one), Vinyasa Yoga, Kripalu Yoga, Anuara Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, and Sivananda Yoga. Instructional tapes and books are abundant, as are the growing numbers of certifications for the many Yoga formats. Yoga appeared in the top 10 in this survey in 2008 and seems to be making a comeback in 2010 (no. 14) and 2011 surveys (no. 11).
12. Comprehensive Health Promotion Programming at the Worksite. Worksite health promotion programs jumped from no. 20 in 2010 to no. 12 for 2011 after first appearing in the 2009 survey at no. 12. This is a trend for a range of programs and services provided to improve the health of workers and incorporates systems to evaluate their impact on health, health care costs, and worker productivity. Some of these programs are housed within the company or corporation building or on their campus. Other programs may contract with independent commercial or community-based programs. Within the context of pending health care reform in the United States, health promotion programs may take on additional importance in the future.
13. Boot Camp. After first appearing in the 2008 survey at no. 26, Boot Camp was no. 23 in 2009, no. 16 in 2010, and no. 8 in 2011 but fell to no. 13 in 2012. Boot Camp is a high-intensity, structured activity patterned after military style training. Boot Camp includes cardiovascular, strength, endurance, and flexibility drills and usually involves both indoor and outdoor exercises typically led by an instructor who means business. Boot Camps also can combine sports-type drills and calisthenics. Because of its climb in the survey rankings in just 2 years with a slight decrease in the trend analysis this year, it will be interesting to see if Boot Camp programs continue as a trend in the fitness industry.
14. Outdoor Activities. This is a trend for health and fitness professionals to offer more outdoor activities to their clients. In 2010, outdoor activities ranked no. 25 in the annual survey, and in 2011, it ranked no. 27. Perhaps the best reason as to why there seems to be a trending up for outdoor activities came from a respondent who wrote "The best things about outdoor activities are that you don't get bored, you spend precious time with family and friends, you give your mind a rest and put most of your energy into the physical aspect of your body and best of all, you don't even realize that you are exercising."
15. Reaching New Markets. This is a trend that identifies new markets in all aspects of the health/fitness industry. With an estimated 80% of Americans not having a regular exercise program or a place to exercise, commercial, clinical, corporate, and community programs will reach out to tap into this huge market. Reaching new markets appeared in the top 20 in previous years of this survey but dropped out in 2010. In 2011, it reappeared as no. 19, moving up to no. 15 for 2012. As with some of the other trends already discussed, health fitness professionals and their employers may be searching for new ways to deliver their services to the majority of people who are still not engaged in their programs.
16. Spinning (Indoor Cycling). Staying in the top 20 for 2012 is indoor cycling or spinning. As an instructor explains the terrain and provides the motivation, this group fitness program has been described as pedaling outdoors without temperature, humidity, or other environmental changes. The pedal tension on the stationary bike can be varied to simulate riding uphill or through valleys. Upbeat background music motivates people through this relatively high-intensity workout. Spinning classes have been reported to be one of the most popular group exercise programs in the commercial sector.
17. Sport-specific Training. Falling from a top 10 spot (no. 8) in 2010, sport-specific training dropped to no. 16 for 2011 and no. 17 for 2012. This trend incorporates sport-specific training for sports such as baseball and tennis, designed especially for young athletes. For example, a high school athlete might join a commercial or community-based fitness organization to help develop skills during the off-season and to increase strength and endurance specific to that sport. Breaking into the top 10 for the first time in the survey in 2009 (no. 9), sport-specific training jumped from no. 13 in 2008 after falling from no. 11 in 2007. This is an interesting trend for the health/fitness industry to watch over the next few years because of the fall to no. 17 for 2012 from its relative popularity in 2010. Sport-specific training could possibly attract a new market to commercial and community clubs as well as offer a different kind of service that could lead to increased revenues.
18. Worker Incentive Programs. Appearing for the first time in the survey top 20 in 2011 are worker incentive programs. This is a trend toward creating incentive programs to stimulate positive healthy behavior change as part of employer-based health promotion programming and health care benefits. This trend might represent a resurgence of corporate health promotion programs as a potential result of rising health care costs experienced by both small and large companies and corporations. It also may be a response to recent health care reform legislation in the United States. Worker incentive programs also may be associated with the trend to provide worksite health promotion programs (no. 12 on the 2011 and 2012 surveys) in an attempt to reduce health care costs.
19. Wellness Coaching. Falling from no. 13 in 2010 but remaining in the top 20 for 2011 and 2012 is wellness coaching. This is a trend that incorporates behavioral change science into health promotion and disease prevention programs. Wellness coaching often uses a one-on-one approach similar to a personal trainer with the coach providing support, guidance, and encouragement. The wellness coach focuses on the client's values, needs, vision, and goals. It seems as though wellness coaching and its principled techniques of behavior change are being adopted by not only personal trainers but also health care providers.
20. Physician Referrals. Jumping from no. 17 in 2010 and rounding out the top 10 for 2011 was physician referrals, a program associated with ACSM's Exercise is Medicine® initiative. In the 2012 survey, physician referrals fell to no. 20. This is a trend toward an emergent emphasis being placed on partnerships with the medical community, resulting in seamless referrals to a health and fitness facility and health fitness professionals. Physician referrals to fitness professionals first appeared in the top 20 in the 2010 survey and will find, it seems, additional traction because of ACSM's Exercise is Medicine® initiative and health care reform measures being considered around the world. All four sectors of the health and fitness industry can take advantage of the renewed interest of physicians and the health care insurance industry to add exercise to the daily regimen of their patients.
