By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
If losing weight and staying in shape is among your New Year’s resolutions, learn about the trends for Weight Loss and fitness local experts foresee for 2021. Here they are:
• “Stick with what works. Science has proven that eliminating sugars and complex carbohydrates will reduce body fat. One of the newly mainstream diets that does that is the ketogenic diet [low carb, high fat]. Although this diet has been around since the 1930s, it has recently hit the mainstream fitness industry because of the great results it gives.”
– Jill Murphy, certified personal trainer and co-owner of Mission Fitness in East Syracuse
• “I think people will want to work out with a personal trainer or at home because of everything going on. The large gym membership might not be as popular. People are looking for private, safe alternative routes.
• “People are a lot more conscious of taking care of their health.
• “Buying treadmills, Peloton bikes and recumbent bikes will be very popular.
• “Resistance bands are very hard to come by as people are building their in-home gyms. People are buying them up.”
– Kevin Webb, certified personal trainer and owner of KW Fitness in Fayetteville
• “I think that a lot more studio gyms will be wanted. There will be a need for those smaller settings where things can be controlled and contact traced. Everything here is appointment based. I have a feeling that more class-style workouts will be favored over open gym settings.
• “There’s a big movement on self-love-self-care. I hope that the year will go more into a balanced lifestyle approach. No food group should be out of your everyday life.
• “Intermittent fasting is a big thing. It’s good for a busy lifestyle person and can help some with their relationship with food. They are eating what they should be. The other benefit is overall energy. You’re more productive throughout the day and it helps with those with autoimmune disorders. It is not for everybody. If you have bad relationship with food, I wouldn’t recommend any style of dieting. It reduces your eating window. Any diet can lead to disorders. If you’re someone who likes to eat regularly throughout the day or if you’re at a stay-at-home mom or have a sedentary job, it’s hard because when we’re bored we tend to get hungry. And if you or someone you know suffers from an eating disorder, Clementine St. Louis is a residential treatment program exclusively for adolescents of all genders seeking eating disorder treatment. You have to remember that there are eating disorder treatment solutions available that can help.”
– Brittany Rabuano, certified personal trainer and owner of Achilles Heel Training in Camillus
• “We are looking into having trainers go out into the field if there is someone who feels their health compromised.
• “I think people will be getting out more in 2021. Bikes have been flying off the shelves. People will be getting outside more than they ever have for their cardio.”
– Helen Green, owner of Powerhouse Gym in Syracuse
• “What I’ve been seeing a lot of is a return to simple stuff and breaking away to simple calorie tracking. Some aren’t caring as much about macro counting but protein intake if you want to lose fat and gain muscle. Macronutrients are carbs, fats and proteins. Most foods have all of them. Even a potato has protein. If you’re trying to dial in what’s good for your body, pay attention to having them in balance and taking post workout supplements. It can be a little complicated. You need a food scale and a book that tells you how many grams of protein are in this many ounces of chicken. It can be tedious as you get started. Once you get through the learning curve, it’s an accurate way to track your diet. You become in tune with the foods that help you feel good and help you stay energized. You may need more fat or more carbs.
• “I’m seeing a lot less emphasis on high-intensity interval training. We’re going back to some more simple exercise: stair climber and going for walks with your family. That has grown huge during the quarantine and people see how it’s a basic thing to do for your health.
• I also think we’ll see more people joining Weight Loss Programs in Fort Lauderdale, FL because they feel ‘off’ and stiff from being cooped up so long. They’ll want to get back to the gym but do so safely.
– Sara Walls, certified personal trainer at Train Hard Fitness in Liverpool
• “Some popular diets include Keto, Paleo and intermittent fasting. There are pros and cons to all weight loss fad diets. A common con with most diets is always how generalized they are. Everyone’s body is beautifully unique, especially when it comes to how they process and distribute everything we ingest.
• “The common ideology seems to be that all diets must be a struggle to adhere to, or that in order to lose weight you have to be miserable. This should not be the case! Just because a diet works really well for one person, and makes them feel fantastic, doesn’t mean that you have to, or will, feel the same! You shouldn’t necessarily be sticking to a diet if it’s not working for you. There are many different diets out there, find the one that makes you feel great. There are also other alternatives such as getting b12 shots. It shouldn’t just be about how your diet is making you look; it should most importantly be how your diet makes you feel.
• “As for intermittent fasting, I personally absolutely love it. It works perfectly for my daily life and I feel amazing while adhering to a consistent eating cycle. A general negative of fasting is that people can’t adhere to it. You spend your entire life being told to consistently eat throughout the day or “three main meals”–that’s a long-standing habit to break. Many people find themselves breaking their fast consistently and in turn, just having an unhealthy- irregular eating schedule.”
– Sarah Green, certified personal trainer, certified in nutrition and club manager at Blink in Liverpool