Fitness is an essential part of life, and it consistently needs attention. Quite often, it requires a deliberate plan and objectives to remain fit.

There’s this common perception that exercising is demanding, but what if you’ve just not found the right fitness trend to follow?

Our body usually physically and mentally offers resistance whenever we try to embark on a fitness journey.

That’s normal, mainly because our bodies are not machines and will slowly need to reorient themselves with this new lifestyle that leaves you panting, your heart racing, and your muscles sore.

Some exercise activities may feel like a struggle, and those are the type you wake up dreading to do – yes, those exercise routines usually never last.

Fitness is such a broad spectrum of activities that help you stay healthy. The game-changer is to find which exercises resonate with you.

Here are four of the best fitness trends and classes to consider if you want your exercise routines to be consistent throughout the year.

Group Aerobics

According to the founders of Tone It Up, a popular fitness community in California, group exercises are expected to be the way forward to fitness.

Community-driven fitness routines help you to stay motivated because the whole group shares similar goals.

There is a psychological edge in group exercises which is perfectly summarised in the Köhler Effect. The idea is that in a group, no one wants to appear as the weakest link. In an exercise setting, this, in turn, motivates the whole group to push harder and meet their individual goals in the end.

With people having busy lives with so many different responsibilities, they greatly benefit from connecting with others through exercise.

There are days you wouldn’t feel like working out but knowing that you have a group waiting gives you the commitment needed to workout. Over time, members in fitness groups become accountability partners, and with time they become family.

Research reveals that people who embarked on a weight-loss class with their friends had a 95% chance of completing the class instead of the 76% chance of finishing the class when they attended alone.

Most fitness experts have realized this and are now moving towards a more collective approach to exercising.

Group aerobics is one way to ensure that you stretch your muscles while improving your heart rate with some cardio exercises.

The atmosphere with group aerobics is very energetic and active, which helps you stay in the mood and relish the moment.

The pumping music, the countdown by the aerobics trainer, and the sight of people going through the same exercises keep you pumped. Even when you want to stop halfway, you end up pushing yourself because other people keep going hard.

The enjoyable experience from group aerobics allows your body to release endorphins, giving you a psychological boost to help you push beyond your limits.

Dancing

Have you hit a roadblock in your weight loss or fitness ambitions?

Brain experts say people get bored quickly when they keep doing the same fitness workout over and over.

Merge New York believes people will now take their strength from dancing when it comes to exercises. The level of excitement will have to be incorporated into fitness regimes to make exercising more attractive.

That’s why you need to spice up your exercise routines, making room for some spontaneity and variety when you’re on a fitness journey.

Dancing is the perfect routine to include in your fitness plan because you never get bored of them. So why don’t you put on your dancing shoes and shake things up a bit?

If you’re in the nascent stages of your weight loss or fitness plan, dancing allows you to quickly burn a considerable number of calories in a short period.

Some health benefits of dancing

• It helps improve your memory – A study conducted by The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that dancing improves your memory and helps prevent dementia. This is because constant dance exercises can stop your hippocampus from shrinking. The hippocampus is the section of your brain which regulates your memory.
• It helps release stress – Music and dance are the perfect cues for relaxation, which helps reduce stress. Researchers at the Journal of Applied Gerontology say listening to music and dancing with a partner is the ideal stress reliever.
• It improves the heart – Your heart is an engine that requires great care.
• One way to do that is through dancing. Research shows dancing is a good exercise, especially for people at risk of heart disease.
• It helps you lose weight – Dancing is a fun activity that helps you burn many calories. The Journal of Physiological Anthropology revealed that aerobic dancing is equally as effective as jogging or cycling when it comes to weight loss.
• It makes you more sociable – Dance class sets the tone for you to make friends easily. In addition, activities such as dancing boost your confidence and make you more socially active. As a result, your mood is upbeat and vibrant, making you an attractive personality.

The beauty of dancing is the variation that comes with it. There are thousands of dance moves to learn alongside millions of songs

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Dancing alone can be fun but dancing in a group is a different experience because there is more energy and body synchronization.

Yoga

Health experts believe as lives get busier, the demand for relaxation will be higher in workouts.

Yoga is the one multipurpose exercise that can improve every aspect of your body and even heals.

With Yoga exercises, you can improve your strength and balance by constantly practicing being in positions where you have to balance on just one part of your body.

Do you sometimes have pain in your joints or back? Then yoga is for you as it helps heal your bones and muscles.

Here are some mental and physical benefits of yoga:

• Yoga heals – The stretching that comes with yoga helps increase mobility and eases pain. The American College of Physicians advises patients with chronic back pain to partake in yoga for relief.
• Yoga improves your heart – Consistent yoga exercises help reduce stress levels and keeps your heart healthy. In addition, yoga helps lower excess body weight and high blood pressure, two of the leading factors for heart disease.
• Yoga can help reduce arthritis symptoms – A study by John Hopkins shows that yoga can help reduce pain experienced in arthritis joints.

Body Combat

Body combat is an excellent form of exercise that helps you burn calories, improve your heart rate and even learn self-defense techniques in the process.

It is a fitness program gaining popularity due to its engaging and fierce nature.

This cracking cardio workout gives you more control because the more complex you punch or kick, the closer you get to your fitness goals.

Research suggests a one-hour body combat workout helps you burn 500-800 calories.

The experience for people is different as body combat exercises leave you feeling stronger and more confident.

Burning calories isn’t the only benefit of body combat exercises; it also improves physical endurance, body coordination and helps release stress.

Body combat is broad with various sub-sections such as boxing, kickboxing, martial arts, taekwondo, karate, Tai Chi, and many more.

An added advantage of exercising with body combat is that you pick up many defensive skills you can use if you find yourself in danger.

Join the Fit1Squad!

Find classes for these new fitness trends at Fitness 1 Gym.

You are always welcome to Fitness 1 Gym located at One Airport Square, Accra.

We are devoted to helping you reach your fitness goals. We are a holistic gym, and we organize a wide range of weekly group aerobics.

We understand the importance of teamwork and its benefits, so we place a premium on group exercises. Our dance classes are in groups in an ultramodern setting with expert teachers who will make the learning experience more pleasant.

There is variety in dance classes offered from contemporary to samba to dance on heels to Afro-pop/dance to Ballet and Kizomba. You’ll never get tired of learning new dance moves each day. Join the Fitness 1 dance community for all the fun and action we bring if you want to consider dancing as a fitness routine.

We also offer body combat classes at Fitness 1 gym, where you’ll learn them in groups. This fitness technique is very effective and is currently being adopted all across the world.