The 5 Biggest Fitness and Wellness Technology Trends In 2023

The new year is shaping up to be an exciting time for health and wellness.

From innovative workout techniques and cutting-edge fitness technology to new approaches to mental health and self-care, there’s no shortage of exciting developments on the horizon for 2023.

In this post, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most promising fitness and wellness tech trends for the next 12 months.

Smarter Wearable Tech

Wearable technology like smartwatches and fitness trackers are not new — but the next generation of wearables on the horizon for 2023 will be even more advanced.

Experts predict that the value of the market for IoT-enabled health devices will hit $267 billion by 2023.

The latest wearable devices will be able to analyze a wide range of physiological data, including:

●    Blood sugar

●    Respiration rates

●    Blood pressure

●    Temperature

●    Pulse oxygen

This technology will not only enable you to track your own progress and set health and fitness goals, but the information you gather can also help practitioners diagnose illnesses and provide healthcare.

Smart fitness tech is appearing in an ever wider range of devices, such as skin patches, rings, earbuds, and intelligent clothing.

For example, Neviano smart swimsuits feature waterproof sensors that link to your smartphone to alert you when UV levels are high, reminding you to apply more sunscreen.

Wearables and sports apparel that collect biometric data like body movement, muscle stretch, and heart rhythm can also help improve workout performance results, especially when combined with AI technology for home and virtual fitness.

Virtual Fitness

VR and AR fitness apps will continue to provide immersive experiences for people who want to shake up their fitness routines, work out from home, and gamify their exercise routines.

When combined with artificial intelligence technology, using virtual reality and augmented reality in your fitness routine can:

●    Provide access to virtual instructors

●    Give you real-time feedback on your workouts and overall health

●    Gamify your workouts and add some healthy competition to make working out more fun

●    Offer cross-training opportunities and other wellness possibilities (like meditation) to help you round out your workouts and prevent injury

●    Help you select personalized workouts and set fitness goals

We’ll continue to see more fitness apps in the metaverse in 2023. Check out this list of the top VR and AR workout apps if you’d like to get started in the world of immersive fitness.

Personalized Fitness

AI-powered fitness apps can now provide recommendations personalized for each user, based on physical and health levels, as well as fitness goals. Recommendations can include workout type, level of difficulty, number of reps, length of workout, and more.

Today’s personalized fitness apps also estimate what individuals can accomplish — based on comparison data from millions of others — and push them in particular areas so they can accomplish their goals.

Gymfitty and ArtiFit, two AI personal trainers, feature personalized smart workouts. The apps monitor your performance and adapt your workout in real-time to suit your individual needs.

Personalization will continue to the next level in 2023, as the field of exercise and wellness genetics continues to expand. In this emerging field, companies analyze user DNA, looking for genetic differences in metabolism and muscle structure, as well as the ability to use oxygen and gain muscle mass — then provide personalized recommendations for diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes you can make to get healthier. For those who are genetically predisposed, this type of DNA analysis can even minimize the risk of exercise-related injuries.

Advanced Home Fitness

During the pandemic shutdown, when gyms temporarily shuttered their doors, the demand for high-end home workout equipment spiked. That market will continue to flourish in 2023, and the technology will continue to get more sophisticated and intelligent.

Smart fitness technology and equipment that includes built-in cameras, touch-screen displays, access to classes and trainers, and motion sensors can help you feel like you have a fitness studio right in your home.

The smart fitness Mirror offers strength, yoga, and cardio classes of different lengths and fitness levels, and even includes one-on-one personal training. Tonal’s digital weight machine is a compact home gym that eliminates the need for dumbbells and provides guided workouts. The machine even senses if the current weight is too difficult or too easy, and adjusts your workout accordingly.

For many, finding time to exercise is a major problem, and many of these home fitness systems offer time-optimized options that deliver the most effective workouts in the shortest possible time.

Mental Health

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 21% of U.S. adults (52.9 million people) experienced mental health issues in 2020.

Several companies are using artificial intelligence to address the current mental health crisis.

Ginger offers a chat application for employers that provides direct counseling services to employees, using algorithms that draw from behavioral data samples, chat messages, and clinical assessments to make recommendations.

Bark, a phone tracker app for parents, monitors social media platforms and messaging apps, looking for signs of cyberbullying, depression, suicidal thoughts, and sexting on a child's phone.

Patients can also access VR therapies to treat a variety of conditions, including anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder. For example, children with ADHD can use VR to practice concentration in a virtual classroom setting. VR may even have the potential to help alleviate anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.

We can expect to see continued breakthroughs in mental treatment in 2023 as technology continues to evolve.