In 2016, when “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber topped the charts, and everyone was rocking bomber jackets and chokers, the year’s hottest workouts included aerial yoga and functional fitness.
This year, as Bad Bunny won Album of the Year, and Elle predicted satin and color blocking as the new major trends, workout fads like the “12-3-30” treadmill routine, Pilates and weighted vests have taken center stage in the fitness world.
While there are many ways to exercise, the workouts that are considered popular are constantly changing.
Jessica Matthews, PLNU professor and program director of the Master of Science and Integrative Wellness Program, said fitness trends often stem from a desire to obtain body types seen in popular media.
Health, she said — including the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing — is not a trend. However, the ways people pursue their health-related goals can be influenced by the popular fitness fads surrounding them.
Meghan Snyder, a second-year psychology major, said that she began participating in Pilates — both reformer and mat — as the workout gained popularity. She was encouraged to try classes at the gym where she worked in her hometown and ended up enjoying the practice.
“It was also a great way for me to hang out with one of my coworkers,” Snyder said. “We got closer after going together on a weekly basis.”
While Pilates has seen a recent surge in popularity, Matthews said most types of activity — trend or not — can promote long-term health when it aligns with a person’s lifestyle and needs.
“Being in community with other people through fitness is really powerful for some people; it is their time to connect with a community,” Matthews said. “But for others, working out needs to be their time of disconnection. The misconception is that it has to be the same for everyone.”
Whether working out is a time to connect or disconnect, Matthews said it is important for individuals to understand their own goals.
Kyra Schwarzer, a third-year education major, said she stays away from trends like Pilates.
“I really just like to do my own thing,” Schwarzer said. “I like to do what feels good for my body. I don’t really care that much about the trends because I feel like I wouldn’t really like them.”
Schwarzer said she sticks to lifting weights three to four times a week, because she knows she enjoys it and knows it works for her.
Brandon Sawyer, PLNU kinesiology professor, said finding activities people genuinely enjoy is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. He also said that it is important to know the reasoning behind the goals being chosen.
When deciding what workout is best, Sawyer said focusing on concrete health goals, like cardiovascular health or disease prevention, gives people more control.
“Don’t let exercise be like a punishment,” Sawyer said. “Find the joy in activity and find goals that are related to direct health measures and not so much about numbers on a scale.”
Sawyer said that the ideal body types have changed a lot throughout history, noting that the 1920s marked a shift toward thinness as the beauty standard for American women.
“I think trends that pop up today aren’t necessarily doing major influencing,” Sawyer said. “I think we’ve been stuck with this cultural ideal for quite a while, and the trends and messaging that happens now is just solidifying it.”
Fitness trends will continue to rise and fall, Matthews said, but they are neither the perfect fitness cure nor the enemy.
“They could be the entry to something great and the start of a lifelong habit of physical activity, but they could also limit someone,” Matthews said. “I think the misconception is that it has to look a certain way to be healthy.”
Both Matthews and Sawyer said that sustainable health is less about following every new trend but more about finding what works for each individual’s goals, preferences and lifestyle and staying consistent.
