Top 6 Health & Fitness Trends for Women in 2026

According to Forbes Health, only 8% of people actually keep their New Year's goals. I'm Reena Vokoun, the host of Your Power Move by PassionFit, and if you want a different outcome for yourself this year, stick around for this episode where I'll be covering the top 6 health and fitness trends of 2026. We are now in 2026, which is why today I wanted to cover the top 6 health and fitness category trends for 2026. And the reason for this is because I think if you are at all looking to improve your overall health and well-being, um, how you feel, how you function in the new year, understanding what some of the trends are, what some of the key focuses are in the areas of health and wellness, I think can help you. And I obviously in my line of work do a lot of research on these trends, um, because I also want to understand what's happening so that I can help my clients. And these are more than just trends. These are in many cases longstanding health and wellness practices that can really help improve, um, your overall health and wellbeing in a lot of different areas. So I've been scouring and getting lots of research on a bunch of different categories, including fitness, nutrition, recovery, um, mindfulness, technology, and AI, as well as overall wellness. So these are all areas that can really help you. Trend number 1, fitness. So let's start with fitness first. Fitness is an important category because obviously our physical health is really important. And when we are exercising and moving our bodies on a daily basis, it helps our mental health as well. And across all of these categories, I'm gonna cover them in, in a little bit more high-level manner today, but I will be getting more in-depth across all of these categories in future podcast episodes. So a lot of people are realizing across generations and men and women alike that strength training is really important. It helps with things like bone density. Um, overall caloric burn rate, your metabolism, your stamina, and just your ability to be able to do daily tasks in a safe and effective way. So strength training can be in the forms of using weights, using machinery, using elasticity bands, as well as using your own body weight. But people are spending more time not just doing sports and fitness classes and workouts like that, but actually being in the gym and lifting weights. Now, if that's not your thing, that is okay. You can have a set of hand weights or your own equipment in the comfort of your own home. And again, you can use your own body weight or lighter equipment if that feels better for you, especially if you are somebody who is a beginner, you do want to start gradually and work your way up to prevent injury. So maybe you start with your own body weight, you work up to elasticity bands, you start to add in some hand weights and then get into machines as well. Also what's becoming really important and trending very much so is running, not that running ever went out of style, but across Gen Z and many other generations, people are really getting interested in running in races again, whether that's 5K and 10K races, half marathons and marathons. And even if you don't want to compete in a race, just getting out and running a few miles every day or a few times a week can really have a lot of great benefits for your cardiovascular health. If your joints are an area of concern, especially in your knees and your back, then perhaps walking, which is also a very popular trend for 2026, um, is another great option if you want to get steady-state cardio, if you want to make sure you're getting your steps in and you're just moving your body on a regular basis. Walking is a great alternative to running, or you could combine the two and do kind of a run-walk combo. Pilates has also been exploding in recent years and becoming one of the most popular forms of exercise. I teach Pilates classes twice a week, which I love, and I see the reason for the craze because because it is a great low-impact workout. It's great for functional training, for injury prevention. It's easy on the joints, and it really allows you to focus on things like spinal alignment, core stability, elongation of your muscle fibers, and really strengthening and lengthening your body from the inside out while also promoting flexibility, which is great. And you just feel good. It's one of those workouts where you may not leave the gym or studio feeling like you were drenched in sweat and, you know, your heart rate was super, super high, but it's one of those workouts that makes you feel like you worked every major muscle group in your body, as well as those deep muscle tissue fibers, and you feel stretched and strengthened and replenished. And that's one that you can do for years and years to come. So restorative workouts also includes Pilates, but in addition, it includes barre and yoga workouts. Those are other modalities that I teach as well. And again, they have that same sort of concept where they focus on flexibility and strength in a low compact way, often using the mat, and really allowing your body to be stretched and strengthened. And, you know, it's again easier on the joints and doesn't cause as much impact as, let's say, a HIIT workout or a boot camp workout. So restorative workouts are a nice balance to when you are maybe running, doing heavy weightlifting, doing a boot camp or HIIT workout. And when your body needs a little bit of some rest and recovery and restoration, those types of workouts are great to mix into your weekly workout regimen. So lots of great trends that are happening on the movement side, which is exciting. Another very popular fitness sport really is pickleball. That is exploding across the country. You know, if you have played tennis or any sort of racket sports, pickleball is exciting because it has similar but different rules. You can play doubles, you can play singles, you can play in tournaments with groups. So a lot of gyms and studios are implementing pickleball courts. Again, it really ties into that community and that social fitness, which is another great trend. People are really starting to, you know, choose the gym sometimes over even going to the bars to socialize with people, to meet like-minded people, and to live a healthy lifestyle. At the end of the day, it's all about your own preferences and your own balance, but it's really nice to see, again, across generations— Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X— a lot of people are realizing the importance of fitness as a social opportunity as well, and a way to build community, and a fun way to potentially you spend your Friday night as well. Trend number 2, nutrition. There's a lot happening on the nutrition front this year as well. First and foremost, gut health is becoming something that people are really paying more attention to because a lot of research shows that there is a connection between your gut and your brain health as well. And so making sure that you understand, you know, what your food preferences are, your dietary restrictions, any food allergies that you might have, understanding your microbiome and what foods really help your gut and what foods maybe disrupt your gut and create an unhealthy gut, which can create a host of other health issues. So I think understanding that, talking to your doctor, maybe getting allergy tested with certain foods, and understanding what foods really support your gut health and which foods don't, uh, can help. And by doing that, you may be interested in maybe consuming some probiotics in the form of maybe supplements or things like Greek yogurt that can really help to again reset your gut and give you healthy bacteria in the body. In addition to gut health, or as a part of gut health, there's also a big focus on fiber, which really does help your digestive system. Eating enough fruits and vegetables and fiber-rich foods found in whole grains, breads, cereals, and the like can also help with your overall digestive tract, your gut health, and your weight management as well. So fiber-rich foods are becoming a bigger focus in 2026, as well as protein. I think we are hearing all about protein everywhere, especially if you are a nutrition enthusiast or somebody who is paying attention to your health and well-being. Having enough protein really does support your muscle mass. So if you're strength training and focusing on building that lean muscle, having a protein-rich nutrition plan or diet can really help support that. And that can come in the forms of beans and lentils, different types of meats. Cheese has protein in it. As well, Greek yogurt. So even some of those dairy products do have a lot of protein. There's protein bars, protein supplements, and powders you can put in your shakes. So I think with all of those things, it's important to look at things like sugar content, make sure that there aren't any artificial ingredients or artificial sweeteners included, and just make sure that, again, it does support your gut and it's something that sits well with you, especially if you are mixing it in, let's say, a smoothie with other fruits and vegetables and proteins as well. But protein, again, is something that's extremely important and a lot of people are paying attention to getting, whether it's 30 grams of protein per meal or whatever works for you, that's becoming increasingly important as well. And in addition to that, plant-based foods and, you know, whole foods, that's been something that's been trending for a long time. And again, it's really a tried and true principle, as I've talked about in the past, by making sure that you're eating those whole unprocessed foods. And again, I think people are realizing recognizing the importance of it and substituting those rich whole foods for packaged processed foods, convenience foods that may be easy to grab and go, but really don't make us feel well and can contribute to a host of diseases and issues later on in life. So the more we can eat those nutrient-dense, whole, unprocessed foods, the better off we're going to be and the better off we're going to feel and function as well. Trend number 3, recovery. Recovery is another big area of focus in 2026, and again, it has been on the rise over the last several years, um, starting with things like hot and cold therapies. And again, with all of these things, if you do have any health concerns, it's always important to check with your doctor. Um, when it comes to cold therapies, if you are experiencing a lot of swelling, obviously you would think of using an ice pack, um, but oftentimes we might feel swelling in multiple places in our bodies after a rigorous workout and doing it for several days in a row. So, for recovery, especially for athletes, there's a lot of talk about things like cold plunging and cryotherapy and cold therapies of that nature. While those things can be very effective, again, you want to make sure, for example, if you're doing cryotherapy, that you don't have any preexisting heart issues because you are getting into oftentimes a chamber where it is, you know, negative 100 degrees and that can cause frostbite, that could be hard on the heart. So there are some things to keep in mind about that. But if you're going into, let's say, a cold plunge like a pool or a tub, again, if it's a quick in and out, maybe there's going to be less repercussions. But it's important to understand both the pros and the cons of it. Obviously, cold plunging does promote blood flow and healing and all of those types of great things. It helps to reduce swelling, helps with inflammation in the body. But again, just check with your doctor to see what types of cold therapies might work best for you. Hot therapies are another one, a great, great trend that's happening right now, whether you're going in the sauna or the steam room, using a hot tub, using red light therapy. Again, those are all great for really helping with tight and sore muscles. It helps to really relax the body and relax the mind. But again, the cautions there to think about are the amount of time you are sitting in a steam room or sauna or even jacuzzi, making sure that you're not getting lightheaded or dizzy. Usually, people will recommend about 15 minutes or so as a maximum amount of time to be exposing yourself from, you know, that extreme heat. And that's even finding its way into hot yoga and hot Pilates as well. And oftentimes, those studios are heated to over 100°F. So, again, if your body can handle it, it's something you could try. But again, kind of know your limits, talk to your doctor. Red light therapy is great, but if you feel like there's risk of pigmentation to your skin, that's another, another thing to have some precautions about. But those are some other really great trending areas of recovery, as well as things like massage tools, getting actual deep tissue or sports massages at a spa or a clinic to really help to reduce those sore muscles, to remove knots and tension in the body. That can really help, again, if you are playing actively in a sport, training for a fitness event of some sort or just exercising regularly. Foam rolling also helps. It's kind of a similar concept to massage where it's working out those deep knots in your muscles and muscle tissues, but it is again important to understand your limits, pay attention to things like pain, and just make sure that again you're doing it in a way that's reasonable and getting your doctor's permission or support if needed. Trend number 4, mindfulness. I think, uh, mental health is something that is being talked about everywhere. And again, that's been going on, I wanna say, for the better part of this decade. Um, I do think, uh, the pandemic really helped people to talk more openly about mental health. I think younger generations like Gen Z and even millennials have talked a lot more about mental health, and social media I think plays a big part in that as well. Um, but I think because there is so much focus on mental health, people are talking about things like anxiety and depression and going out and seeking support for that. And then also taking part in wellness practices that can really help, whether that's mindfulness or meditation, um, breathwork, yoga, um, sound baths, um, participating in wellness retreats. These are all areas that can really help support mental health. And oftentimes, if you, if you've ever attended a wellness retreat, um, my company PassionFit, um, has run retreats in the past. And, you know, we hope to do more in the future, but it might encompass all of those things, right? You might be doing meditation sessions and yoga sessions and doing sound baths or working on your breathwork or practicing talking about what's going on in your life or what might be causing you stress. Um, so if you're ever looking to really hone in on your mental health, I highly recommend, um, looking into some wellness retreats. Uh, sometimes they are just a one-day thing. Sometimes they're over the course of a weekend. If you really wanna get into into it. You could go away to an exotic location for a week or two, um, depending on your schedule. But there are a lot of great focuses and practices that people are implementing into their daily lives to help improve their mental health. Mobile apps being another great example. There are so many great meditation apps that are out there that can really help. Calm and Headspace are two great examples. Deepak Chopra is one the old, you know, gurus of meditation and yoga, one of my favorites. Um, so he has a lot of great apps and books as well. So if mental health is something that you are looking to improve, um, and support, um, I highly recommend trying some of these practices and checking out some of those resources as well. Trend number 5: technology and AI. So technology and AI, another great, uh, trend that's happening, but Again, technology is always trending because it's always evolving and growing and innovating. But I think AI in particular has really hit the health and wellness and fitness industry. I recently did a TV segment at— here in San Diego specifically on this topic, and virtual coaching is becoming ever more important where we can leverage AI to have virtual coaches to help us. Not to say that they need to replace humans by any means, but, um, it is good to have both options, um, and have that kind of support when you need it on the go. Um, as well as things like mobile apps, um, customization and personalization is becoming really important to consumers in the health and wellness space. So having a mobile app then can, that can give you customized nutrition plans, customized workouts, even customized meditation sessions, um, can really help to meet your specific needs, which is really nice to have. Um, also livestream and on-demand fitness classes. Again, that really took shape, uh, during the pandemic, but these types of things have been around for a while now. Um, and it's another great option if you don't want to go to a gym or studio and you're looking to work out from the comfort of your own home or around your own busy schedule. Um, there are so many different livestream classes. Again, PassionFit, my company, offers them as well. Um, there are video libraries. Where you can find on-demand workouts, and even YouTube still has a lot of great free workouts. So, um, you know, technology and AI continue to allow fitness to be accessible for people all over the world, no matter what level you're in, um, and no matter what your sort of daily lifestyle or work life looks like, so you can fit it in. Um, the same goes for nutrition. Um, there is so much great information now about healthy recipes, um, using natural ingredients ingredients, easy recipes. If you're a busy person and you need, you know, to cook something quickly in 30 minutes or less, there are a lot of great apps out there that have these nutrition and meal planning resources, as well as videos on social media, on YouTube as well. So there's a lot of great ways that technology is making our lives easier. And then gamification is another trend which is happening, which is to help create reward systems. You'll often see this in apps. Oftentimes in corporate wellness programs, there are platforms that companies are using to help employees with healthy competitions, whether it's step challenges or walking challenges, and gamification can really help support that. And finally, in the technology and AI space, wearable devices are huge. I'm a big proponent of the Fitbit. I wear mine daily so that you can track a lot of different information about your health, whether that's your sleep, your steps, your calories burned, your heart rate variability, um, your stress levels, um, and so much more. And, um, it really does help you to kind of manage your health and well-being and have access to data on a daily basis so that you can make informed choices about how you go about your day-to-day life. And this data is really helpful to take to your doctor so that you can share with them them, you know, how this information might support, let's say, the results in your blood work or the results of any other testing that you're getting done for your annual physical, um, so that you can together create a plan for your health and wellbeing, um, going forward into the future. So it's pretty amazing to see what technology and AI are doing in the health and wellness space and how they're just gonna continue to help us to be more educated, have access to more data, and have more accessibility in all that we do so that we can really prioritize and incorporate all these different elements of health and well-being into our daily lives. And then the sixth category is just wellness overall. Holistic health has become ever more important. Um, I'm really happy to say that PassionFit has focused on holistic health since day one, which really encompasses your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. I've talked about it before on the podcast and I am a firm believer in that interconnectedness, how everything is interconnected, and we can't just take care of one area of our health and not the other. Um, and I think in the health and wellness industry, um, providers are realizing the importance of this. Consumers are realizing the importance of this, and the more that we can focus on all the different things, whether it's our nutrition, our movement, our sleep, our stress management, preventing burnout, um, how we approach work-life balance, all of those Those things go hand in hand and really do affect us across the board when it comes to, again, mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. I think there's also a big focus on longevity and across generations. Everybody is thinking about how they want to have a long and healthy life, and they want to make choices now that may, you know, impact them in 20, 30, 40 years from now in terms of how they're eating, how they're sleeping, how they're moving. So I think longevity continues to to be important. There's a lot of scientific research that's happening across many different universities and in many labs to understand how we can create a longer lifespan as well as a longer healthspan so that we're not only living longer, but we're living healthier in those years that we're alive. So that's really encouraging and exciting to see. And I'm happy to say there was some research that was presented in San Diego Magazine a few months ago, that San Diego has one of the highest rates of longevity in the country, which was exciting to see since I live in San Diego, and hopefully that carries out into other major cities across the world as well. There's also a lot of focus on sleep optimization. I think people are realizing that that is the foundation. I often talk to my clients about this. You really need the sleep before you can do anything else when it comes to your health and well-being. So, people are trying to figure out how they can improve their deep sleep and their REM sleep and the number of hours that they're sleeping and how they can, you know, plan their schedules around their sleeping patterns and their circadian rhythms. And, you know, being disciplined about when they travel or they're in different time zones or they're going out, how they can still preserve their sleep. And, that is ever more important because if we don't have have that sleep that actually affects our longevity if we're not getting the 7 to 8 to 9 recommended hours of sleep every night. So I think those two really go hand in hand. If you're focused on longevity, hopefully you are focused on sleep as well. And finally, within overall wellness trends, I think functionality has become more important as people are paying closer attention to their health and wellness. They want food that's functional, they want fitness that's functional. They want just, you know, whether it's gadgets or wearable devices, things that actually serve a purpose to help us to live our best lives, our healthiest, most productive lives, so we can again feel and function at our best. So I do think that that functionality becomes ever more important. And hopefully when we realize that we have so many great resources and tools out there, which are only going to continue to grow and, and evolve and develop over the years, the more we'll be able to really take our health and well-being into our own hands in as many different ways as possible so that we can be in the driver's seat to really determine what our healthy lifestyle is going to look like to support, again, our health, well-being, happiness, and longevity. So those are the 6 key categories of health and wellness and fitness trends for 2026. I hope that this episode has been helpful. Again, I'll be covering a lot of this in a lot more detail, but if you do have any questions or want to learn more, feel free to check out passionfit.com and reach out as well. Um, I will be back with another episode soon, but please feel free to subscribe, rate, and review and share with your family and friends. Until next time, take care and thank you.