Did anyone else just suddenly realize an entire decade is coming to a close? It’s not just a new year, it’s a whole new chapter in time. Before we can start looking ahead to a second chance at the roaring 20s, it seemed appropriate to honor the last ten years and everything the universal “we” have experienced. 

The decade started with the introduction of the iPad. Can you believe those have been around that long already? We’ve celebrated two royal weddings during that time, as well as survived two (going on three) elections. Women got real, real loud in the last ten years, as more of us marched, got elected, and raised our voices to lift up and champion one another than ever before.

Did you participate in the Plank Challenge back in 2011? Or the Yoga-A-Day challenge in 2012? Or the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2013? Social media exploded during this decade (as if you didn’t already know that) and had us all competing to be our best. 

And if you were ever a dance for fitness kind of girl, the 2010s were your jam. From dabbing to flossing to the Harlem Shake, and even Dance Dance Revolution, has it ever been more fun to hit the dance floor? 

The trend that we’ve been most pleased to see grow, is this move toward strength and overall wellness. Body image, self-care, and working out because you want to (not because you had to) all became themes in the last ten years and we are not only here for it, we’re staying for it. Finding exercise and training programs that you enjoyed rather than punishing yourself through workouts you hated is one trend we hope to see remain as the norm.

Here are six more shifts in fitness. Tell us which ones you think are going to last a little longer? 

High-intensity group workouts: Crossfit peaked back in 2013 while Orangetheory Fitness is really coming into its own with August 2019 being its most popular period yet. Spinning saw surges in 2017 and again in 2019...and all of that Peloton chatter is sure to keep those wheels turning for a while. Bodypump also doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, despite a modest but consistent drop in searches since 2017.

Running: Ten years ago, did you know anyone who’d run a marathon? They were unicorns amongst us. These days, 5Ks, half-marathons, and full marathons are standard order for entire groups of friends. Even the most extreme version of this -- stair racing to hiking 14ers and the granddaddy of them all, Everest -- have become fairly common practice. Barefoot running held a top spot in popularity at the very beginning of the decade, but then everyone wised up and just started buying better running shoes! 

Boutique Gyms: The boutique, niche (read: expensive) gym memberships increased by 121% in the last couple of years, compared to only 15% growth in traditional gyms. People like the smaller groups versus crowds, and being able to focus on a shared style as opposed to run through the catalog of offerings. 

Alternative Fitness: Climbing, pole dancing, boxing, rowing, and other “new but different” ways of staying active really rose in popularity throughout the decade. Climbing is now part of the Olympics, and pole dancing is being considered! 

Fit Tech: The Wii Fit ushered in a new way of exercise that opens up accessibility in a variety of different ways. VR equipment, and even apps like Pokemon Go, gamified an industry and made it more fun with a competitive edge. 

Fashion: Gym clothes dramatically improved! So much so that we don’t just save these outfits for the gym; athleisure became a very lucrative segment of the fashion industry this past decade. We’re proud to have been at the forefront of that movement by designing better bras for busty women. 

What changed for you in the last 10 years, and what are you looking forward to in the next decade?