Top Fitness Trends for 2024 Revealed

Going into the New Year with the goal of focusing on fitness can be tough, especially when there's so much information out there about the best ways to take control of your health. But there are some trends that can have a small yet significant impact on how we take care of our bodies. 

The American College of Sports Medicine just released its list of the top fitness trends of 2024. By gathering input from 2,000 clinicians, experts, and practitioners, researchers determined that wearable technology was the number one trend for the upcoming year. These devices, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and heart rate monitors, give everyday people some important insights into the inner workings of their bodies. 

"What we’re seeing is that people are looking for real-time information and data about their health and fitness," A’Naja Newsome, one of the leading researchers on the project, told WTOP. "Increasingly, these devices are becoming more sophisticated, allowing us to track things such as sleep, nutrition and other non-exercise activities."

In second place and for the first time in the top 10, is worksite health promotion, characterized by programs and perks from employers meant to improve employee wellness. 

Newsome explained it's a sign of the times. "As Americans are returning to the office full-time following the pandemic, they are wanting to maintain the active lifestyle that they may have adopted while they worked from home," she said.

"Employers are seeing the benefits," she added. "We are starting to see fitness being used to reduce symptoms of mental illness and to increase health-related quality of life."

Exercise for mental health and youth athletic development are in the top 10 for the first time. Meanwhile, popular trends like mobile exercise apps, personal training, and fitness programs for older adults round out the list. 

Get into the top 10 trends below. 

1. Wearable technology
2. Worksite health promotion
3. Fitness programs for older adults
4. Exercise for weight loss
5. Reimbursement for qualified exercise professionals
6. Employing certified exercise professionals
7. Mobile exercise apps
8. Exercise for mental health
9. Youth athletic development
10. Personal training