These will be the biggest health trends of 2021

Around this time last year, in keeping with recent tradition, we reached out to our network of health and fitness experts to predict some industry trends for 2020. This was December 2019, just as the first documented cases of a new respiratory illness were being recorded. in Wuhan, China. We were innocent of the global health cataclysm that was about to unfold, a cataclysm that would force many of us to reevaluate what we had long taken for granted. For some, even going for a run outside has become a luxury.

Amid our altered environment, here is a fresh batch of predictions for 2021. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate our national psyche, we asked some from our favorite contributors and other experts in the fitness world to give us their best guess of what to expect in the coming year.

More athletes will talk about their mental health

I think the biggest trend in fitness will be more of a focus on mental illness and mental health. I think more world-class athletes, coaches and industry insiders will come forward and share their stories of mental health issues. This is an unequivocally good thing. We are not one mind and one body but one mind-body system. Just because you’re a top athlete doesn’t mean you can’t go through emotional ups and downs. Athletes love Kevin Love and DeMar DeRozan have used their platforms wisely to help destigmatize anxiety and depression. It’s incredibly freeing to get rid of that kind of burden, and the byproduct is that you can help others along the way.

—Brad Stulberg, columnist for Outsideco-author of Peak performance and The paradox of passionand co-founder of The Growth Equation

Gyms will not make an immediate return

Based on the number and frantic tenor of the press releases I get from major fitness centers about how gyms will be back strong next year, I’m guessing gyms won’t be back strong next year . Too many people have discovered how simple, cheap, and safe home workouts can be. So good luck finding dumbbells for sale in 2021. Ditto for e-bikes, which are likely to be even trendier as they allow spouses and friends of vastly different cycling abilities and fitness levels to ride. together. And I think we will race to be and work together, once vaccines make gatherings safe again. I also hope – and expect – that we will see the return of large-scale, in-person events like marathons in the fall. Because a virtual Boston near you might be convenient, but it’s not Boston.

—Gretchen Reynoldsphysical education columnist for The New York Times and author of The first 20 minutes

It’s going to get harder to qualify for Boston

This year is going to be very fast for runners, and not just because of the latest generation of high-tech shoes. In particular, assuming mass participation races are allowed, I think we’re going to see a big increase in mid-pack times that will totally recalibrate benchmarks like the Boston Marathon qualifying thresholds. Many factors, including pent-up demand and uninterrupted training, have already produced impressive pandemic performances from Joshua Cheptegei and Letesenbet Gidey. But I think a social element will also come into play for mid-packers in 2021. We desperately need social interaction, and outdoor racing will provide a rare and valuable outlet during the winter. The desire to catch up with friends will help incorrigible hammerhead sharks slow their runs to a conversational pace, more in keeping with the principles of “polarized training” the elites already follow. Get your BQ this year, because it’s not going to get any easier.

—Alex HutchinsonSweat Science columnist for Outside and author of Support

We will (re)engage with our local communities

As we emerge from the worst stages of the pandemic in 2021, I hope we will see a new strong commitment to our local communities: more support for small businesses such as running shops and restaurants, increased participation in outdoors like the group of smaller workouts and races, and generally people are more mindful and deliberate about keeping things closer to home.

—Mario Fraioli, author, coach and founder of The Morning Shakeout

People will continue to cook at home

If the COVID-19 pandemic has done anything useful, it’s encouraged at least part of the population to grow food, cook at home, bake bread and store food – all healthy tendencies, and may they prosper!

—Marion Nestleprofessor emeritus of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at New York University, and author of Unsavory truth: how food companies are falsifying the science of what we eat

We will learn more about female physiology

Finally, we talk about the menstrual cycle and the important role sex steroid hormones play in the body aside from mere reproductive function. People want to understand their bodies and what the monthly fluctuation in hormones means in the context of sport and physical activity, an interest that will continue to grow in 2021. We will continue to talk openly and learn more about physiology feminine and not to be treated as something embarrassed or ignored. Researchers will work hard to close the sex and gender data gap in sports science research, and we will begin to determine what training and nutrition interventions work (and don’t work) in the female body and where gender differences are significant. We’ll also see more products and services aimed at female athletes, from workout programs to supplements to apps. But until the scientific picture becomes a little clearer, I advise you to proceed with caution.

—Christine Youhealth and science journalist for Outside, The Washington Postand other publications and is currently writing a book on women in sport

We will want more useful data

Technology has continued to rise, but there is also a “new pragmatism”. Essentially, we will always want beautiful things, but we will also want them to be simpler. If we can’t make sense of the data, then what’s the point? Businesses need to respond. I also think there will be more training and movement for the sake of health. It’s not quite the same as the hobby trend that took off a few years ago and continues to grow, but people are starting to get the hang of it (especially as millennials get older ) that workouts don’t need to be as intense or long. Not because we’re trying to get the most out of short workouts, but simply because we want feel good. We can then use movement for our health and not just for aesthetics. Fitness will thrive in this area, and it will serve as a boarding ramp for many and a new activity for some.

—Joe Holder, fitness columnist for QG

We will enjoy our local green spaces more than ever

Times of crisis are a time to shatter old assumptions and see things from a new perspective. Because of what we’ve all been through in 2020, I think you’ll see the fitness and wellness industry take off as people redefine their physical and mental health. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned in this year, it’s the value of a walk. I think the public will recognize the benefits of local parks, greenways, and walkable cities and neighborhoods. We could finally realize that the space around us has an impact on our health. During the pandemic, the fitness industry has been pushed more towards online and connected group exercise classes, like Peloton, which is great if it gets people moving. But hopefully we’re not going too far in that direction, where we’re all exercising at home in front of a screen and missing out on the joys of being outdoors, and more importantly, the special bond and the community that is created when we go for a run or walk with friends.

—Steve Magnestrack and field coach at the University of Houston, co-author of The paradox of passion and Peak performanceand co-founder of The Growth Equation