Hottest Fitness Trends Reveal Ways to Slim Down

A new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is out, and the results are belt busting: In 32 states, obesity rates were 25 percent or more. The country continues to fatten up, with more than 26 percent of the population of U.S. adults now considered obese. Given that so many health problems, from diabetes to heart disease to cancer, are linked to obesity, the statistic is sobering. The good news: Exercise is a major weapon we can use to fight the fattening. A new report by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) highlights the current most popular trends in the fitness industry, and you can use them to help tighten your belt.

The details: The top five fitness trends from 2008 were ranked the same in the current report: a push for more educated and experienced fitness professionals that can help us meet our fitness goals; a trend toward adding more programs to attack childhood obesity; hiring personal trainers; and working strength and core training into workouts.

But the top 10 list also includes three rising stars in the fitness world—stability balls, sport-specific training, and balance training. They may be catching on because they can make working out more interesting and fun, which makes it easier to stick to a program.

What it means: Across the country, the bodies of children and adults are ballooning at an alarming rate. Any exercise you can do is important for your health, whether it's a walk around the block, an hour of gardening, or an afternoon at the dog park. If you're looking for additions to your formal workouts, here are some ways to try what's hot in the fitness world.

Build better balance

Balance exercises not only boost your fitness, they also help make your other workouts, as well as your everyday activities, more efficient. To sneak some balance work into your exercise routine, try this move to strengthen your core and help you keep your equilibrium on uneven terrain:

1. Lie on your back. Place your arms by your sides, palms facing up. Raise your legs so they are straight up toward the ceiling and perpendicular to your torso.
2. Pull your navel toward your spine and lift your hips a few inches off the floor, keeping your legs pointed straight up. Then slowly lower your hips back to the floor.

Stop gaining weight with this 15-minute workout.

Explore sport-specific training

This trend isn't just for jocks: Anyone can improve his or her game with the right exercises. For instance, tennis lovers can improve their stroke with the standing medicine-ball rotation chop exercise: Hold a medicine ball over your head, keeping your arms straight. Keeping them straight, swing your arms down as if to throw the ball to the outside of each foot. Do 4 sets of 8 repetitions on each side.

If golf is your thing, try this exercise to increase flexibility, which will help drive the ball farther:

1. Stand with your back to a wall and your heels about six inches away from it.
2. Keeping your feet flat, turn your body to the right so that you can place both hands on the wall. Ease your hips in toward the wall until you feel the stretch. Hold for 10 seconds.
3. Return gently to the starting position—you can push off the wall slightly—and repeat the stretch on the left side. Continue switching from one side to the other for 3 to 4 minutes, 2 or 3 times a day.

By the way, it's an overall benefit to play golf on courses where no synthetic pesticides are applied (these chemicals pollute the water and are linked to health problems).

Tighten up with a stability ball. Stability balls, also known as exercise or Swiss balls, are key in core training. Here's an exercise from Men's Health magazine to get you started:

Swiss Ball Pull-In

1. Get into the pushup position, resting your shins on top of the ball. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
2. Roll the Swiss ball toward you by pulling your knees toward your chest.
3. Pause and then return your legs and the ball to the starting position. Do 5 to 10 repetitions.

No time to hit the gym? Try these moves to help flatten your stomach—no equipment necessary.

Find a good trainer

If you don't want to go it alone in the exercise department, and you have the funds, a certified personal trainer could be a good option for getting into a routine. Just keep in mind that not all certifications are created equally, and just two states, Massachusetts and Georgia, are even considering licensing requirements. Look for a trainer who has a college degree in exercise science or kinesiology, and with certifications from reputable sources, such as the ASCM, or the National Strength and Conditioning Association, which offers Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer programs. Another rising fitness trend: group personal trainers. If you can't afford a trainer on your own, try pooling your funds with some friends so you can get trained together.