There’s a growing consciousness in health and fitness, usually translating to a better quality of life. Fun runs and marathons abound; more celebrities, as well as everyday people, are lacing up their running sneaks; publications have also been reminding us of the importance of good health.

By Melissa G. Bagamasbad

With the help of the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and Julio Veloso, Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center and of the Coca-Cola Tigers, we came up with the exercise trends to watch out for in 2010.

1. Cost-conscious workouts at fitness clubs and at home
The worldwide economy is still recovering, so Veloso says that people won’t really be spending on exercise equipment and expensive gym memberships. “I think this was the main reason that running was so popular last year since it may be the cheapest sport out there, because all you need to invest in is a good pair of running shoes," he says.

2. Group training
Compared to one-on-one exercises, exercises like aerobics, dance classes, yoga, pilates, and spinning can motivate more since you’re in a group setting. “You can draw on the energy of other people in the group and it even brings out the competitive spirit in some people, making them work harder than the others," says Veloso. This is also cheaper than individual exercise!

3. Time-efficient workouts for the working woman
Executives, entrepreneurs, and even busy housewives want fun workouts! Recent research says that short, high-intensity workouts are more effective when it comes to fitness, compared to long and steady ones.

4. "Exer-gaming"
With the advent of new gaming consoles incorporating exercise like Wii, Veloso says that this may work for kids who don’t like to participate in organized sports.

5. Boomer-specific programs
Aside from taking care of grandkids and doing chores, grandparents can get in better shape by having a proper resistance program that will benefit their health and quality of lives.

6. Functional training workouts
Training athletes now say, “train movements, not muscles!" Sport-specific workouts have began to trickle down to the general population, and more people are joining organized tournaments in basketball, badminton, golf, running, etc.

There is a need for functional exercises which use body weight and free weights (barbells and dumbbells) as resistance, and mimic movements in sports and daily life. These are taking precedence over classic machine based strength training. Veloso suggests trying exercises that use body weight as main mode of resistance, such as the TRX suspension training. Lightweight and portable, it uses body weight resistance in a whole new way, which he believes makes the quality of one's life better.

7. Health and fitness awareness campaigns Examples are Coke Healthy and Active Lifestyle and Nestea Fit. Nowadays, big commercial companies are doing what they can about fitness, to help people stay in shape.

8. Importance of proper professional credentials
Bigger health and fitness clubs have started to hire only certified fitness trainers. This will eventually help their business as clients become more knowledgeable on what is right and wrong in exercises through the Internet. Hopefully, this will help standardize the profession and raise the pay of qualified fitness professionals.

9. Specialty exercise classes
Specialty classes like Bikram Yoga will still be a hit.

10. Fitness training tools
Technology is starting to invade the fitness world. Computer chips are being placed in exercise equipment. Measured workouts ultimately make you fitter, because you work harder when you're getting quantitative feedback. In the Philippines, this is something to look forward to in the future.

PHOTOS: SIMON CATAUDO, CWCAV, OSHIN BEVERIDGE (SXC.HU)