Pumpkins are on clearance, Christmas decorations are up and, in short, the headlong rush toward the end of the year has begun. And right on cue, the American College of Sports Medicine is trumpeting its Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2012.
Among the programs and activities to appear on ACSM's top-20 list for the time is Zumba ("Future surveys will either confirm or reject" newcomers as "emerging trends," says ACSM), while a notable program to have dropped out of the top 20 is Pilates. You can get more information at ACSM's website.
What is interesting (and amusing) to me is the reaction to the survey I get during conversations with some colleagues in the fitness industry. One woman I was talking to said in an irritated voice, "Yes, I know that's what's big NOW, but what I want to know is what's going to be big NEXT."
Well, gee. Who wouldn't like to know that? I personally want to know where to invest my money so that I make a profit in the coming year. Oh, and I want to know what shot my opponent is going to hit next when I'm on the court with him tomorrow morning. And while I'm at it, I'd like to know what I'm going to come down with in 2012 so I can get what I need at the drugstore now and avoid standing in line when I'm sick.
The survey was filled out by 2,600 fitness professionals, not 2,600 psychics. It isn't a set of tarot cards or a crystal ball, and it's not meant to predict what is going to happen all of a sudden. Nobody can tell you exactly what is going to grow or decline in the fitness industry - to a certain degree, that's caused by marketing and product positioning, and to a much larger degree by what catches the public's demonstrably fickle imagination. It's a snapshot view of what is happening.
And what's happening is not hard to figure out - people are working longer hours and they need flexibility. They want to be able to take classes that are offered more often so that if they miss one, they have other options. They want the ability to exercise outdoors or away from home in case their schedule causes them to miss a workout or two at the gym.
It's not the actual information you gain from surveys like this that can be valuable; it's what you can take away after you've read them.
