What is the future of the fitness industry?

Training, nutrition and science are improving by the day. Every time you look up there is something new being innovated. 

To give you an example of what I mean here are just a few innovations that are quickly changing how practice health and fitness.

Fitbit was brought to the masses in early 2007 by James Park and Eric Friedman, who saw the potential for using sensors in small, wearable devices. The updates, innovations and styles they are coming up with are trending in society today. It is actually cool now to track how many steps you take in a day, how many calories you are burning in a day, and the quality of your sleep.

Six pack bags introduced us to traveling fit in 2009. They create iconic bags, luggage, and meal management travel gear for serious athletes and fitness enthusiasts. The bags are stylish and innovative and speak to those who live and breathe fitness. They come with great tupperware, ice packs and storage for different things like supplements and shaker bottles. 

At the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, Samsung unveiled a new "smart belt" called WELT, short for "wellness belt." WELT monitors your eating habits and can help you lose weight. A belt that monitors how much your stomach expands while eating to let you know when you are full. 

In 1975, the idea of portable heart rate monitors came into existence on a skiing track. During this time there was no way to accurately record heart rates during training. Polar now creates basic models that help motivate and inform beginners and regular exercisers, to providing complete training systems for world champions across numerous disciplines.

I don't know if you remember the great movie, "Back To The Future Part II." In that movie Michael J. Fox wore a pair of Nike shoes that had adaptive laces. Well Nike has finally released the new Nike Hyperadapt 1.0 that has adaptive lacing. 

Well what's next? I have my predictions. Who knows if they will come true. It excites me that the industry I'm so passionate about is changing before my eyes in a positive way. Here are some things you can expect to see more of. 

1. Your health managed digitally. 
   You are already starting to see a high dose of this with the health dashboard for iOS, and the myfitnesspal app. You will continue to see growth in online training and there will be a major shift to remote coaching. The internet has made training knowledge accessible to more people. 
2. Programs will get extremely individualized.
   We will have a better framework for the exercises that will provide the most optimal result for your body. Your frame, musculature, attachments and hormones will play an important role in this. Education and experience give enthusiasts a higher probability in helping you achieve your fitness goals. But having technology to aid in this will truly be revolutionary. 
3. The cults will end. 
   Truth is, there is no 'best exercise' and there is no 'secret program' for you to achieve your goals. Right now it is popular to belong to something. I have met people that would look down on others for not practicing their type of fitness. Crossfit, yoga, pilates, physique shows, power lifting, kickboxing, cycling, Insanity, mixed martial arts, and the list goes on. But this will change. We are fast approaching a time where we will be more inclusive rather than exclusive. Whether you are overweight, or a middle-aged individual regaining your youth, or an elite athlete; you need to figure out what works for you. Your decision should be based upon your likes, dislikes, and what you will adhere too. 

My advice to YOU. 

We will see a push for fitness trainers to be licensed, much like doctors, lawyers and other professionals. The rise in celebrity and Instagram trainers makes it hard for you to know what is science and what is gibberish. In the meantime, if you are following someone and trusting them with your body, make sure they have some credentials like educational background or personal training certifications. 

Why I Became Frustrated With The Fitness Industry

Being in the gym can either be a great experience for you or a terrible one. I experienced both. The insane part about it, is that I would experience both sometimes in the same day, or even the same hour. I was a personal trainer in a gym for 8 years. It was a limiting experience because of gym protocols and limited time with clients. Being unable to provide the quality service that my clients actually needed became frustrating.

One example is the beloved 1 hour session. I blocked out an hour of time to meet with potential clients, and personal training clients. When I first started in the business I thought this was the silver lining of the career. It wasn't.

When you walked in the door, my clock was already ticking. As you were walking up to me I had already started to pick your physical attributes apart. The conversation in my head sounded a lot like this. "Tight hamstrings, duck feet, tight chest, and definitely sedentary." I am open minded, and I don't believe in judging a book by its cover. But there was a shot clock that started the moment your hour started with me. I needed to hear your story, and you had to learn something about me in a short amount of time. It's a lot like speed dating in hyperdrive. Except I had to convince you why you should spend $500-$1,000/month dollars on me and not why you should go out with me for drinks.

I need to research on who made the rule that all personal training sessions should last one hour. They made a huge mistake with that protocol. An effective workout is hardly ever exactly 1 hour in time. Some protocols call for 45 minutes, some an hour and a half up to 2 hours. Individuals that were brand new to any kind of physical exercise that only need 30 minutes. In the instances where I had 60 minutes with a client that only needed 30 presented quite the dilemma. I can't count how many times I had to fill time with conversation about what they had on the schedule for the weekend. Or pointless movements because I knew they needed to get there 'moneys' worth.

It was so frustrating.

Training should dictate business practices and not vice versa. The only way I avoided a scheduling nightmare, and provided a steady income was to stick to that strict schedule.

I couldn't be happier that I don't have that as my reality anymore. With WebFit as the tool, I changed the rules. Unlimited communication, unlimited support and motivation is forever in the forefront. Designing programs that fit your needs and goals with no time fillers or wasters.

Chuck and I had one goal in mind when we created WebFit. To create a new lane in the health and fitness industry by doing things right. We are off to a good start.