Wealden Times | WT260 | January 2024 | Good Living Supplement inside
The lifestyle magazine for Kent & Sussex - Inspirational Interiors, Fabulous Fashion, Delicious Dishes
The lifestyle magazine for Kent & Sussex - Inspirational Interiors, Fabulous Fashion, Delicious Dishes
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The Priceless <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Living</strong> <strong>Supplement</strong> sponsored by<br />
TO TRY<br />
OR NOT<br />
TO TRY<br />
Sarah Maxwell gives her<br />
opinions of the fitness<br />
trends for <strong>2024</strong><br />
istockphoto.com/dima_sidelnikov<br />
Welcome to <strong>2024</strong>, where<br />
the future of health,<br />
fitness and wellbeing<br />
is filled with inventive technology,<br />
sustainability and a much greater<br />
emphasis on our mental health. So, if<br />
your health, wellbeing and fitness is<br />
on your priority list for this <strong>January</strong>,<br />
let’s hit the ground running and look<br />
at some exciting new trends you can<br />
look forward to this coming year.<br />
All change at the gym<br />
Fitness providers across the board<br />
are waking up to the importance<br />
of including holistic health* into<br />
their programs and recognising the<br />
undeniable connection between<br />
physical and mental health.<br />
Fitness centres are increasingly<br />
providing mindfulness and meditation<br />
classes alongside the traditional<br />
weight training and HIIT classes.<br />
*Science is now backing up many holistic<br />
practices that were often disregarded.<br />
Wearable tech<br />
(Smart watches, clothing and even smart<br />
jewellery to monitor your health)<br />
Love or hate them, they’re here to<br />
stay! Pros include goal setting, activity<br />
tracking, accountability, progress<br />
recording and syncing with other<br />
devices and apps to have all of your<br />
data in one place. Cons include<br />
the battery life, which can let you<br />
down at the wrong moment, security<br />
issues and the potential to develop<br />
anxiety and obsessive monitoring.<br />
Sustainable fashion<br />
More fitness and leisure brands are<br />
offering eco-friendly workout gear made<br />
from organic cotton – grown without<br />
fertilisers or synthetic pesticides – or<br />
recycled polyester! Due to my long-time<br />
love affair with second hand/vintage<br />
clothing, this certainly ticks my eco box.<br />
Take a look at wearetala.com<br />
and sosactivewear.com.<br />
Hybrid training<br />
Prior to the pandemic, many people<br />
were reluctant to exercise online (many<br />
instructors too). Now the emphasis is<br />
on a mix of in-person and online fitness,<br />
with rapid advances in technology and<br />
availability making it more accessible than<br />
ever. By combining in-person and online<br />
coaching, now you can look after your<br />
health, fitness and wellbeing wherever<br />
you are in the world and take your pick<br />
from a huge pool of experts worldwide.<br />
Virtual training (VR)<br />
The rise of virtual reality workouts,<br />
gamification and immersive training is<br />
rapidly gaining popularity. Workouts<br />
and wellbeing sessions in a virtual<br />
world has enormous potential.<br />
Headsets are currently cumbersome<br />
(no doubt these will change to be tiny<br />
devices in the future) and tracking of<br />
limbs is still not brilliant, however.<br />
I have to admit, I love VR (I’m<br />
charging mine as I write this). Virtual<br />
Reality fitness and wellbeing is still in<br />
its infancy but progressing rapidly. It<br />
can be isolating but it’s advancing so<br />
quickly, the hope is that more multiplayer<br />
activities will be developed so<br />
social interaction evolves. We all need to<br />
connect with others, and understandably<br />
VR won’t be everyone’s cup of tea,<br />
but for many it will be a lifeline to<br />
keep active and engaged. If you get<br />
the chance give it a go – it’s magic!<br />
Inclusive fitness<br />
Inclusivity has finally now become an<br />
important topic in the world of fitness.<br />
Gone are the days when you plucked<br />
up the courage to walk into a gym for<br />
the first time, signed up to a group class<br />
and felt intimidated – where exercise<br />
was reserved for a select few who could<br />
afford it or were physically able to keep<br />
up with others. Adaptive fitness programs<br />
– for example, provision for the elderly<br />
and specialised support for people with<br />
disabilities – is starting to become the<br />
norm rather than the exception.<br />
The barriers have now been broken<br />
down, enabling everyone to participate in<br />
and benefit from a welcoming, supportive<br />
fitness community that embraces all.<br />
This year, why not start experimenting<br />
and finding what makes you feel good,<br />
recalling that famous advert, ‘Because<br />
you’re worth it!’ Happy New Year!<br />
Sarah Maxwell is a multi-award<br />
winning Lifestyle Wellbeing and<br />
Fitness coach. You can find her at<br />
sarahmaxwell.com. Get in touch via<br />
email at sarahmaxwell@mail.com<br />
and on social @sarahmaxlife<br />
75<br />
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