A few years ago Zumba became the latest fad to sweep the nation, but the hype surrounding the Colombian dance fitness craze has since diminished. 2015 has seen a rise in high intensity interval training (HIIT) where the focus is put on short, intense bursts of exercise. This is considered the most beneficial method of losing fat and creating lean muscle.

2016 is likely to see further integration of technology and the incorporation of exercise into everyday life. Here are our predictions on what will become the biggest exercise game changers of 2016:

1 - Wearable Technology

In its annual fitness trend forecast, the American College of Sports Medicine have predicted that wearable technology will be the top fitness trend for 2016. We agree and can also see huge merging of the fashion, technology and sports industries on the horizon.

Wearable technology incorporates monitoring and tracking devices into fashion accessories. Some can track the distance a user travels, some can count calories and others set goals. The Apple Watch has a number of health features including an app that tells you how many minutes of exercise you have completed and how often you take a break from sitting down.

Alternatively the Fitbit Charge is a smartwatch that allows you to record workouts, view progress graphs, log food diaries and set sleep goals. All of this information is stored as data within a corresponding smartphone app so that you can monitor how you well you’re doing.

2 - E-Bike Cycling

Signs in 2015 point to electric bikes gaining popularity in the UK, namely the government’s planned introduction of 234 new electric bikes to the public.

The first e-bikes were looked down upon by cycling enthusiasts for being too bulky and unnecessary. The development of lighter batteries and smaller motors has seen their popularity rise and the e-bike has become the fastest growing product on the cycling market.

Questions have been raised over the health benefits of e-cycling. Whilst it does demand less strain from the rider, Eco Expedition Electric Bikes point out that using it for longer periods of time results in a great workout. As opposed to a normal bicycle, you don’t have to be in top physical condition to use an electric bike making it accessible to those wanting to jump start their fitness.

3 - Surfing

Surf fever is set to sweep the nation in 2016. Newquay has long been known as surfing capital of the UK. While it can throw up some mighty swells, it doesn’t quite boast the tropical surf of Hawaii or Bondi Beach.

British surfing is expected to hit those heights in Spring 2016 with the opening of Surf Snowdonia, an inland surfing destination with cutting edge wave technology. The revolutionary surf lagoon will be the size of six football pitches and will be set in the Conwy Valley of the Snowdonia mountains. Wavegarden have manufactured the system that will generate ideal surfing conditions with 1.9m high tubing waves that peel for 200m.

We also wouldn’t be surprised to see mechanical surfboards in gyms in 2016. This type of workout focuses on using your core to keep your balance while following the instructor through a series of exercises such as squats and jumps.

4 - Fitness programmes for older adults

It has been well documented that the UK has an ageing population. According to the Office for National Statistics, 29.5% of the population will be over the age of 60 by 2039, with one in 12 over the age of 80. As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, many health and fitness professionals are creating age-appropriate programmes to keep older adults active.

Researchers have found that regular exercise in old age can expand life expectancy by up to five years. The analysis of 5,700 elderly men showed those doing three hours of exercise a week lived for an average five years longer than the sedentary.

5 – Cardio Tennis

Several workouts inspired by a particular sport or discipline have already become commonplace in gyms across the country, Ballet Be Fit and Spinning Classes to name two. The latest to follow the trend is Cardio Tennis.

Cardio Tennis is designed to be a workout in which tennis based exercises are performed to uptempo music. You can expect to burn more calories than if you were playing a regular game of tennis and offers a sociable and fun workout on the tennis court. Cardio Tennis is for anyone who wants to get fit and have a go at tennis regardless of ability.

Christmas eating is always a subject people like to talk about mainly because they have done to much! Which can be forgiven as life is for living but for those of you that are currently training or seriously thinking that your health needs to improve then have a read of this below!

The average person will consume around 6,000 calories on Christmas Day.

The average traditional Christmas dinner is 2,000 calories

The average person will gain at least 5lb during the Christmas period;
Christmas Eve – New Years Eve.

Breakfast
300 – 1000 calories

Dinner
1000 – 2000 calories

Supper/Tea
Leftovers/Turkey Sandwich
500 – 1000 calories

Mince Pies/Chocolates/Nuts etc
1000 – 1000 calories

Alcohol
180 – 1000

Here is a further breakdown of Christmas Dinner based on ‘normal’ portion sizes with no extras eg. Butter on carrots etc.

Turkey – 170
Roasts – 130
Roast Parsnips – 100
Turnip – 29
Peas – 70
Sprouts – 8
Carrots – 3
Sausage, Bacon Wraps – 120
Stuffing – 250
Cranberry Sauce – 86
Gravy – 200

Sub Total - 1,166

Christmas pudding and brandy butter – 423

Total - 1,589

Extras
¼ or 100g Celebration chocolates – 450 calories
Nuts – 160 calories
2 Mince pies – 420 calories
2 pub measures wine – 180 calories
Pub measure sherry – 68 calories

It is easy to see why the average person overeats by 3,200 cals per day over the Christmas period and can gain over 5lbs!

Now what you have been waiting for: Ways to save calories

Now I’m not always a fan of calorie counting for the normal run of the mill individual but it is important that you understand what calories are and where they come from in order to control portion size etc.

• Remove skin off turkey and save 50 cals per portion
• Replace sausage meat stuffing with chestnuts, fruit and veg based ones

• Use yams or sweet potato rather than potatoes

• Serve Christmas pud with low fat custard or low fat greek yoghurt or better yet without

• Fill up on veg or have a veg soup starter to take edge off appetite

• Start the day with a big breakfast porridge or scrambled egg and smoked salmon to slash hunger pangs and mindless nibbling

Finally…

Stop at two alcoholic drinks – apparently according to Robert Pandina at the institute of alcohol studies, New York, somewhere between the end of the 2nd drink and ½ way through the 3rd the part of your brain that controls inhibitions stops functioning and so this can stop you making good food choices and who you go home with!

DRINK LOTS OF WATER – Dehydration is one of the major causes of low Christmas energy, grumpy moods and constipation. You will burn around 60 fewer calories when hydration levels are low.

A 30 min walk each day can use up to 200 calories, making a total of 1,600 calories.

Happy Christmas!

1. Rewarding yourself

You may think that half an hour in the gym gives you the right to sink two beers afterwards right? Wrong! You may be consuming twice the calories than you’ve just burned and it may take you another half an hour in the gym to burn off the extra cake or pint. If you do need to satisfy yourself on your cheat day then try going for one small beer or a small slice of fruit loaf. You don’t want to undo all of your hard work.

2. Mindless eating

Some people when they’re in front of the TV enter a kind of trance where there not even sure how many chocolates they’ve just consumed. US studies have shown that keeping a food diary when dieting can double the amount of weight you lose.

3. Liquid calories

All of those healthy juices and smoothies you drink contain lots of sugar. If you’re congratulating yourself with one of these (or the odd beer) every time you’ve just worked out, you’re not only drinking extra calories but your body is metabolising alcohol before processing anything else, which slows fat loss.

4. You don’t have a goal

You may be permanently on a diet and have no idea how much weight you want to lose or what your weight was even before you started. The problem with this is that you’re not getting the satisfaction every week of knowing how much weight you’ve lost. Again, US studies have shown that people who jump on the scales daily lost more weight than those who did it monthly or less. You’re more likely to lose weight when working towards a goal because it keeps weight loss at the forefront of your mind.