Wearable tech tops global fitness trend poll for second year running
American College of Sports Medicine’s annual survey of health and fitness professionals worldwide names wearable tech as top trend for 2017, with bodyweight training in second place
If you feel naked without a fitness tracker on your wrist, you’re not alone. Wearable technology is a growing trend – the hottest fitness trend, in fact, for 2017, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). It remains top of the list for the second straight year in the organisation’s “Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends”, an annual poll that was completed by more than 1,800 health and fitness professionals worldwide this year.
“Technology is now a must-have in our daily lives. Everyone can easily count steps taken or calories burned using a wearable device or a smartphone,” says Walter R. Thompson, lead author of the survey and associate dean in the College of Education & Human Development at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Examples of wearable tech include fitness and activity trackers like those from Misfit, Garmin and Fitbit, as well as the Apple Watch. But also trending now, Thompson says, are other devices like smart glasses, smart clothes and interactive textiles.
“It is unpredictable how wearable technology will advance through the next decade,” he says.
Hong Kong fitness experts agree with the ACSM’s top trend – although they recommend taking the results with a pinch of salt.
