2015 has so far been a mixed bag for health + fitness trends: Dad Bods made waves, crop tops got even more cropped and so abs became the core focus for many, Fitbits walked into our lives wearing Nike Roshes, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) got a workout and bone broth boiled over.
Knowing how quickly things come and go, we asked some experts to give us a heads-up on the trends we’ll see sticking around this summer and into the new year:
#1 GENDER-NEUTRAL SPORTSWEAR
Selfridges UK recently opened “Agender” a concept pop-up store within its main outlet, temporarily disorienting the hell out of customers. But, androgynous-dress is nothing new, and if you’re into farshunn you’ll know that gender lines are increasingly being blurred. Sports footwear is hardly gender distinguishable, and sportswear will easily follow because, look, black tights are black tights.
#2 EVEN BETTER WEARABLE TECH
Because wearable fitness trackers have been so successful, expect more of the same and then some different shit; from trackers worn on your lower back to monitor posture, like UpRight, to Spire, the tracker that knows your mood by your breathing and claims to reduce stress by 50%, to BitBite, which is worn in your ear and senses your chewing habits to improve the way you eat and help you lose weight.
#3 SUGARGATE
With a newly raised awareness about society’s addiction to the sweet stuff and its potential health ailments by best-sellers like ‘That Sugar Book’ by Australian Damon Gameau and the accompanying doco ‘That Sugar Film’, we’re going to see more people using sweetener alternatives like Stevia and generally being more conscious and mindful of their intake.
#4 APPS THAT SPEAK TO YOUR SOUL
Guided mindfulness apps where disembodied voices tell you how it is will no doubt continue to make headway as we grapple with life and maintaining our ~chill~. Award winning Buddhify ($2.99) has over 80 mindfulness workouts to suit every modern occasion from “can’t sleep” and “being online,” to “difficult emotions” and “work break”. Another is Headspace (free), which asks very little of you – just that you take 10 everyday to do you. Then there’s the upcoming no BS F*ck That app by writer/director Jason Headly, whose anti-meditation meditation guide F*ck Meditation went ‘viral’ on YouTube. He’s the realest.
#5 ONE-TWO-PUNCH: BOXING AND UFC-INSPIRED WORKOUTS
The biggest professional sporting moments of 2015 have come from close range fighting, from UFC badass baawws Ronda Rousey‘s record win to the highly star-packed “boxing match of the century” b/w Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. The ring is the thing, compadres. Gigi Hadid loves it, Jake Gyllenhaal recently starred in a movie about it, and megababe Jesinta Campbell credits it to her washboard abs. Adrian Holdsworth, National Product Manager of Fitness First, says Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is one of the worlds fastest growing sports, so we’ll see this continue to surge in popularity both here and abroad.
#6 GYM ‘BOT UPGRADES AND “BOUTIQUE/CONCEPT GYMS” ON THE RISE
Carla McMillan and Georgia van Tiel, the duo who founded Bodypass say that people want to learn from specialists. The dread-mill is becoming retro as we collectively realise exercise can be fun and interactive – not hellish and lonely – through boutique studio style workouts like XtendBarre, Rollerfit, Sky-Lab, Physicore and Altitude Training, which BodyPass hooks you up with.
Fitness First also recently opened their first “concept club” in Melbs called the High Performance Centre, which features new ‘bots like TheMoveLab that uses leading video analysis tech to give you immediate feedback on your physicality.
#7 COLD BREWED COFFEE AS THE NEW CAP
Cold brewed coffee (aka cold press and cold drip) may become the new staple for coffee lovers, says Peta Shulman, Founder & Director of GoodnessMe Box. Because of how the beans have been prepared, it’s naturally sweeter, more flavoursome and less acidic than the norm, and often served without milk or cream. In the states, Starbucks recently added cold brewed coffees to their core menu as a healthy option to rival popular iced coffee varieties.
#8 MONO-BLOCK COLOUR SHOES
We’ll walk out of 2015 and into 2016 in Adidas Originals Stan Smiths and Nike Roshes. Julie Stevanja, CEO of Stylerunner says lifestyle kicks have been featured on repeat and will continue to trend in street style. But, she predicts that all black and all white sneakers will take a backseat to more bright and pastel block coloured sneakers in mono (one colour), which will make their way onto your feet in the coming months.
