This Year’s Fitness Trends Use the Power of the Mind

Even though everyone seems to be talking about high-intensity workouts like CrossFit, it is worth noting that this year’s fitness trends include restoration of the mind. Recovery cafes, Zen gyms, and community spas are all becoming increasingly more popular, according to The Star. Why are they now part of this year’s fitness trends? We explain it all below.

What Is Active Recovery?

Active recovery has become a hugely popular fitness strategy, as has mindfulness training and meditation. That said, how can training your mind help you with gaining more physical strength and stamina? Well, first, you need to understand what active recovery is.
Basically, active recovery includes activities like yoga, meditation, tai chi, or even light jogging. When you take a day out of your usual workout routine to focus on these activities, you give your body an opportunity to rest, and this much-needed break can do wonders for your mind and body.

This Year’s Fitness Trends Include Restorative Classes

All over the world, more people are joining what are known as restorative classes, so it’s not surprising that gyms are offering more of these programs to their members. Some facilities are even focused entirely on mindfulness practices like meditation.
What’s the point of these restorative classes and recovery days? Well, you might not be burning through a lot of calories or building up a lot of strength on these days, but there are other health benefits that you should consider. For example, these days off from your usual high-intensity routine can help lower stress, both in your body and in your mind. This stress reduction can help the body heal and get stronger. Plus, practicing mindfulness or sitting in meditation regularly can help further reduce stress and allow you to remain calmer even in situations throughout your daily life when you’d otherwise become frazzled.
Once you begin incorporating mind training into your physical training routine, you might notice that you’re able to recover more quickly than you used to. Your mind and your body are connected, after all, so taking care of both is key. That’s why the latest fitness trends extend far beyond building strength in the body.