The Health Benefits of Various Popular Fitness Trends

by Lauren Scott

Trends come and go…especially in the fitness world. There’s yoga, Pilates, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Strength training with weights and using wearable technology, to name a few. Now in 2025, Tik-tokers seem to be influencers in fitness. Some people seem to do any exercise that is trendy. The question is “Are the popular fitness trends truly beneficial for our health?” In order to understand the true benefits of popular trends, we need to first have an understanding of how the exercises work and then look at the benefits of each.

Yoga is a balance exercise that incorporates the physical body. According to Arndt Büssing et al (2012), yoga uses breathing techniques, bodily postures and meditation (Büssing et al, 2012). Physical flexibility can increase with yoga (Büssing et al,  2012). The benefits of yoga may vary from diminishing anxiety to improving mental health. According to Christiane Bös et Al (2023), a key component in understanding yoga’s influence on mental health is the positive impact of relaxation and the immersion of spiritual teachings (Bös et al., 2023). Yoga focuses on stress management through breathing techniques. Stress can lead to many diseases and chronic conditions. Yoga targets the body’s stress response because it inhibits anxiety and blood pressure (Woodyard, 2011). Yoga brings wellbeing and a holistic view of healing and health. 

Pilates also uses flexibility like yoga. There are 50, repetitive movements in Pilates (Kloubec, 2011). The “five essentials” of Pilates stabilize muscles and bodily contractions. Pilates uses the body as resistance and the focus on breathing. There are many Pilates businesses that have popped up over the recent years. It has become very popular. Lim and Hyun (2021), said that, “Pilates aims to achieve full control of one’s behavior through mind-body coordination and fitness…(Lim & Hyun, 2021, p.1). Lim and Hyun also conducted a research study comparing participants involved in either yoga or Pilates. There were 90 males and 90 females in the study. The group that reported the most improvement was the Pilates group (Lim & Hyun, 2021). Pilates is also considered a rehabilitation tool (Meikis et al., 2021). For example, in patients with Parkinson’s disease, Pilates, had a positive impact, since it focuses on balance (Meikis et al., 2021). Pilates has a positive effect on mental health issues such as depression and anxiety and also improves quality of life (Meikis et al., 2021). As a mind-body exercise, Pilates has no age limit (Meikis et al., 2021). 

A different approach to exercise is the High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) method.  HIIT consists of short bursts of intense activity that are repeated in periods of rest or low-intensity exercise (Atakan et al., 2021). Health benefits are gained in less of a commitment time. These health benefits include mood improvement, relief of lower back pain, and fall reduction in older people (Atakan et al., 2021). In Cardiac patients, aerobic capacity was increased (Atakan et al., 2021). HIIT is also beneficial for those who are obese. “Patients with coronary heart disease and obesity can be encouraged to perform such exercise” (Atakan et al., 2021, p. 1) HIIT is good exercise for those who want to spend a short amount of time exercising. 

Another approach to exercise is doing strength training using weights. Strength training has gained popularity in the past years. According to I-Min Lee (2022), professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, strength training includes push-ups and sit-ups, and weight lifting that targets all muscle groups (Staff Writer, 2022). All ages can benefit from strength training, especially the elderly (Thomas & Burns, 2016). Muscle strength is gained by lifting weights. “Strength training has been found to reduce brain white matter lesion volumes and atrophy and increase gray matter volume, reduce symptoms of fatigue, anxiety and depression, increase self-esteem and improve sleep quality in adults of all ages” (Muhu, 2023, p.1). Strength training using weights can be done at home, or a gym. All major muscle groups must be targeted according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (Muhu, 2023, p.1). One popular benefit of doing strength training with weights is that it increases bone mineral density, which many patients were not aware of” (Muhu, 2023, p.1). 

The final popular fitness trend is using wearable technology. Using wearable technology allows the user to track physical activity and health behaviors. Such wearable technology includes the Apple Watch and a Fitbit, for example. The person using the wearable technology participates in physical activity and normally wears it on the wrist. The wearable technology holds the user accountable and encourages goal-setting and self-monitoring (Yu et al., 2023). User’s self-efficacy improves from wearing the technology and leads to healthier exercise and health habits (Yu et al., 2023). User’s participated in a healthier diet and had improved mental health (Zahrt et al., 2023). According to Shiyuan Yu, Zhifeng Chan, and Xiang Wu (2023), those with chronic lung disease and hypertension, using wearable improved exercise greatly (Yu et al., 2023). One study was conducted on college students with disabilities, and it showed that using a Fitbit increased cardiovascular fitness (Olson et al., 2019). Wearable technology tracks what a person consumes, how much they exercise, and how many calories they consume  (Bove, 2019). This information is pertinent especially for the elderly population. Nurse Practitioners can use wearable technology on their patients. 

In conclusion, exercise is extremely important for everyone. There are many choices and activities to partake in. It is tough to know what fitness trends to follow. A person can read magazine articles, or even follow fitness influencers to find out what the latest fitness trends are. Among the popular fitness trends such as yoga, Pilates, HIIT, strength training with weights and using wearable technology, there were a variety of benefits. Such benefits of these trends were from stress management, mental health improvement, motivation to exercise, and improving physical flexibility. Each trend has specific benefits. For example, yoga focuses on flexibility and having a holistic approach to relieving stress. Pilates focuses on balance and improves depression. HIIT focuses on fall reduction in the elderly. Strength training focuses on toning multiple muscular groups and is done in a short amount of time. Using wearable technology increased cardiovascular fitness. All of these trends point to exercising more, which can decrease a variety of diseases and conditions. 

References

Atakan M.M., Li Y., Kosar S.N., Turnagöl H.H., Yan X., Evidence- Based Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Exercise Capacity and Health: A Review with Historical Perspective. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 5; 18 (13): 7201. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph18137201. PMIDL 34281138; PMCID: PMC8294064.

Bös, C., Gaiswinkler, L., Fuchshuber, J., Schwerdtfeger, A., & Unterrainer, H. (2023). Effect of Yoga involvement on mental health in times of crisis: A cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1096848

Bove L.A. (2019) Increasing Patient Engagement Through the Use of Wearable Technology. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. Volume 15, Issue 8, pgs 535-539

Büssing A., Michalsen A., Khalsa SB., Telles S., and Sherman KJ. Effects of yoga on mental and physical health: a short summary of reviews. Evid Based Complement

Alternat Med. 2012; 2012:165410. Doi: 10.1155/2012/165410. Epub 2012 Sep 13.

PMID:23008738; PMCID:PMC3447533

Kloubec J. Pilates: how does it work and who needs it? Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2011 Dec 29;1(2):61-6. PMID: 23738249; PMCID: PMC3666467.

Lim EJ, Hyun EJ. The Impacts of Pilates and Yoga on Health-Promoting Behaviors and Subjective Health Status. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 6;18(7):3802. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18073802. PMID: 33917304; PMCID: PMC8038747.

Meikis L, Wicker P, Donath L. Effects of Pilates Training on Physiological and Psychological Health Parameters in Healthy Older Adults and in Older Adults With Clinical Conditions Over 55 Years: A Meta-Analytical Review. Front Neurol. 2021 Oct 25;12:724218. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.724218. PMID: 34759879; PMCID: PMC8574969.

Muhu, A., & Tilga, H. (2023). Strength Training Habits and Awareness of Its Recommendations among 18–63-Year-Old Adults. Sustainability, 15(6), 5087. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065087

Olson J.L., Wu J., Brunke-Reese, D., Lagoa, C. M., & Conroy, D. E. (2023). Wearable device adherence among insufficiently-active young adults is independent of identity and motivation for physical activity. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 47(2), 197–206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-023-00444-4

Thomas MH, Burns SP. Increasing Lean Mass and Strength: A Comparison of High Frequency Strength Training to Lower Frequency Strength Training. Int J Exerc Sci. 2016 Apr 1;9(2):159-167. doi: 10.70252/HDLQ5133. PMID: 27182422; PMCID: PMC4836564.

Woodyard C., Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. Int J Yoga. 2011 Jul; 4(2):49-54. Doi: 10.4103/0973-6131. 85485. PMID: 22022122; OMCID: PMC 3193654

Writer, S. (2024, November 22). Evidence mounts on the benefits of strength training | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/strength-training-time-benefits/

Yu F.,  Yu C., & Tian Z. "Intelligent Wearable System With Motion and Emotion Recognition Based on Digital Twin Technology," in IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 11, no. 15, pp. 26314-26328, 1 Aug.1, 2024, doi: 10.1109/JIOT.2024.3394244. keywords: {Biomedical monitoring;Emotion recognition;Three-dimensional displays;Sensors;Intelligent sensors;Safety;Monitoring;Digital twin (DT);electroencephalogram (EEG);emotion recognition;intelligent wearable system;motion recognition}

Zahrt OH, Evans K, Murnane E, Santoro E, Baiocchi M, Landay J, Delp S, Crum A. Effects of Wearable Fitness Trackers and Activity Adequacy Mindsets on Affect, Behavior, and Health: Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2023 Jan 25;25:e40529. doi: 10.2196/40529. PMID: 36696172; PMCID: PMC9909519.