The interest in trends has been the latest crazy over the last couple of years. Trends are normally created by four major factors. It could be government, speculation or simply supply and demand. This is also true in the fitness and nutrition world. Topics such as the best exercises for weight loss, high intensity interval training (HIIT), home gyms, or personal training. The most popular trend in 2024 is wearable technology, from biosensors, GPS trackers, smart clothing and wearable trackers that can monitor heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels.
But let’s talk about the worst trends that have emerged in the fitness and nutrition world.
The Intuitive eating trend started due to the obesity problem. In the world where people wanted to lose weight but didn’t want to calculate macros, tracking and logging the food they ate, they came up with eating intuitively. They didn’t identify with any certain diet plan. The problem with this is that for most people, they can’t distinguish between “what the want” verses “what they need”. Intuitive eating focuses on self-care and listening to your body and the cravings for hunger. Another problem with this is that you are in a war against the food industry which is producing food to make you hungrier. With added sugars and the increased consumption of carbohydrates which triggers spikes of insulin, our bodies burn off the glucose as energy quickly. This only makes us want more carbohydrates to replace the energy we spent.
Insulin resistance is the cells in our body require more insulin to get the nutrients into the cells. This does not occur in one day, not even in one week but over the years, we develop a tolerance and dependency like alcohol.
I was surprised at the next trend which started in 2021 on TikTok was called dry scooping. Dry scooping is a fitness trend where people would swallow their pre-workout powder without adding it to water or milk first. They believe that it will give them more energy for their workouts. Since most pre-workout powders are packed with vitamins and minerals along with caffeine and other stimulants, they believe that dry scooping will help the body absorb the product faster. Medical experts believe that not only is it a choking hazard, but it could also lead to difficulty breathing and heart palpitations. In 2021, a 20-year-old female tried dry scooping and ended up in the hospital being treated for a heart attack. Of course, she posted a video on her social media warning others about her ordeal. Unfortunately, there are millions of impressionable teens that believe these trends and want to be a part of them.
In 2023, there was another questionable trend of ditching workout clothes and wearing flannel to the gym. Apparently, this has become so fashionable that sites like Gymoptimizers – Flannel Gym Outfit Ideas: Trendy Workout Outfits for 2024 (gymoptimizers.com) state how to wear flannel year-round in 2024. This was made popular by celebrities posting their workouts. Of course, the flannel look would not be complete without wearing the crop top shirt underneath to display that awesome six-pack you do or don’t have. And don’t forget your gym beanie. It is almost a fashion show more so than a workout.
So now that you have your gym attire all planned out and you are dressed and ready to go, the next trend that has become popular is the filming of your workout. There are two parts to this trend. The first part is the need to film the sets of each exercise so you can be a fitness influencer. Gyms have noticed a huge influx of people going to the gym with tripods or even filming in the gym changerooms and restrooms, which is illegal in most states. From TikTok, YouTube or Instagram, there is an overwhelming urge to post and get the views and likes of your videos, regardless of the others you share the gym with.
The second part of the filming trend is the posting and shaming of men who may glance at a female filming her workout at the gym. There is no reason to “creep” at a female that happened to bring her tripod and camera to the gym only to record her squats or stretches (being sarcastic). These females will post their video calling out the male who happens to look over at them working out and state that this is why women are not safe at the gym. There have been multiple YouTube videos by influencers like Joey Swoll that try to expose these women that shame men. “We need to do better.” Since the rise in the OnlyFans community, women are filming sexual positions and wonder why they are getting the glances from men. They are definitely willing to post and share their experiences on social media, only to point them out and call them a “creep”. This trend has been so bad that a lot of gyms are seeing a decrease in men who would rather workout at home then endure the harassment and shaming.
With the popularity of the fitness trend and the need to eat healthier foods, the supply and demand comes the increased prices of salads and power bars. In the strip mall, especially next to the gyms, you can be expected to pay top dollar for healthy foods. With the health crazy, I have seen a lot more of the stores selling high fiber protein bars and the health foods that nutritional content shown on the labels having zero sugars, high protein and zero fats. Just don’t forget the artificial ingredients and color dyes.
Since most people and I mean, men, want to look like the popular body builders, another rising trend is to remove the body hair. In the early days, I would see this trend from cyclists and swimmers to reduce the air or water friction along their bodies. But there is a growing trend to completely remove hair from their legs, arms, and underarms to become hairless men.
I am just as guilty as most for the next trend which is the popularity of energy drinks. These include companies like Red Bull, Monster, 5-Hour Energy, and Bang to name a few. Unfortunately, the consumption of these drinks have potential health risks. Drinks containing high levels of caffeine, sugar, guarana, taurine, L-carnitine, and other stimulants may contribute to heart disease, elevated blood pressure and hypertension. Scientists also believe that combining these drinks with alcohol can confuse the neurotransmitters of the body. Your brain is getting a lot of different signals and does not know how to respond.
These are the worst trends of 2024 and continue from 2023 and beyond. The only thing I can ask of you is to stay informed about fitness and health. And as your mother use to tell you “Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn’t mean you should.” Never stop learning. Take care.
