When you think “connected fitness,” you probably think smartwatches and Pelotons, optimizations and leaderboards. This aspect of fitness is not going away. But in the near future, connectivity will play a different role in fitness. That is, we develop a deeper connection with ourselves, our body’s needs and fluctuations, and our community.
That’s what’s on this week’s Well+Good Podcast, where our fitness reporters and editors (including yours) get the scoop on what’s going to look like in motion and exercise in 2023.
Fitness has undergone massive shifts during the pandemic, including a shift to at-home workouts, closures of gyms and studios, and a shift toward a more sedentary lifestyle. After dozens of conversations with trainers, business owners, fitness enthusiasts, fitness tech industry leaders, analysts, and more, we believe 2023 will be an inflection point. We’re building on things we missed going into the pre-pandemic years and moving into the future with more exercise types and tools that will serve our bodies better.
This is mostly reflected in our exercise habits and technique. Industry data shows that people are returning to on-site fitness, and seeking community is a big motivator for choosing to work out at a gym or studio. As Barry’s CEO Joey Gonzalez told me on the phone recently, “We’re back, baby!”
Therefore, the current state of the in-person fitness industry is the starting point for our discussion.Next, let’s talk about how We’re exercising the “buzzword”—and a very important concept—that no one can ignore by 2023: mobility. Working from home has many of us craving some lubrication for our squeaky joints and dysfunctional spines, leading to an explosion in mobility-centric workouts. Finally, the way we track fitness and health is evolving from simply counting steps and tracking heart rate on smartwatches to learning more about other factors such as sleep and metabolism gathered by trackers worn elsewhere on the body.
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The idea that drives it all: connectivity. Whether it’s for those of us who do yoga next to us in the studio, or for the needs and fluctuations of our own bodies, we’ll be strengthening the bonds that build strong bodies and communities in 2023.
To learn more about the future of fitness, you can listen to the full podcast below.