Top Five Fitness Trends for 2011

Many Medical and Fitness journals have come out with their lists for what is going to be 'hot' in exercise and fitness for 2011. Out of all the hundreds of items that made the list, here are the top five that made each and every list.

1.Wellness Coaching
- Wellness coaching is not only about physical fitness, but emotional, spiritual, financial, medical and the total person. The idea of Wellness Coaching is to not only get one of your 'houses' in order but to tackle them all at the same time to achieve optimal performance and balance in a person's life and increase success rates in those looking for lasting change.

2. Medical Fitness
- Physicians are turning to exercise to help with medical conditions more and more. So don't be surprised if your doctor writes "Go for a walk every day" on their prescription pad, rather than write you a script for medication. There seems to be a return to good old fashioned wellness.

3. Employee Incentive Programs
Fit and healthy employees not only save companies money, but they also earn them more money as well. Many corporations like General Electric are offering employees generous incentives to get their health in order. While this has been going on for a couple of years now, smaller companies are now encouraging employees to take care of themselves and have a better quality of life.

4. Functional (Everyday) Fitness
Fitness plans that address every day life are going to be big in 2011. With exercises and routines that will better equip your for daily tasks like mowing the lawn, or other physical things we do. So those cross body pulls aren't just for toning and shaping your body, they're going to make you very efficient at mopping the kitchen floor, too!

5. Training and Fitness for Older Adults
With the "Baby Boomers" now in their golden years and leading active lifestyles, more attention will be paid to this population. Look to see an influx of fitness DVDs and books targeting issues like arthritis and joint health, osteoporosis prevention and other issues for seniors in a fitness based way.

Expect these five trends to be around for a while. The days of 'fads' in the fitness world are being replaced with much more scientifically based and well thought out plans. Do any of these future trends interest you? Which one will you be trying out in '11?