The top 10 2016 fitness trends you need to know about.

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Prepare yourself: the top 10 fitness predictions for 2016 have just been released.

While at-home exercise and mindfulness yoga proved popular in 2015, experts from the American College of Sports Medicine are predicting some significant changes in the way we keep fit, with a move towards harder and more intense activities that deliver immediate results. It’s time to get sweaty.

Building on its success this year, wearable technology — like fitness tracers, smart watches and GPS tracking devices — has taken out the top spot, closely followed by body weight training (basic exercises that requires minimal equipment) and High Intensity Interval Training programs that are short and sharp.

It’s good news for seasoned exercisers too, with greater focus predicted for age-appropriate fitness programs designed to keep older people fit and healthy. (Yoga is also set to remain popular – here’s a routine to get you started. Post continues after video.)

The Top 10 trends

1. Wearable Technology

2. Bodyweight training

3. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

4. Strength training

5. More educated and experienced fitness professionals

6. Personal training

7. Functional Fitness – using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living.

8. Fitness programs for older adults.

9. Exercise and weight loss.

10. Yoga.

While many of these trends are simply building on popularity from this year, there are a few surprises in the lineup.

The biggest for Rosemary Marchese, National Training Maestro for the Australian Insititute of Fitness was the drop of weight loss programs from number six to nine.

“Considering the climbing obesity and overweight levels, this alarmed me at first, but upon reflection I think this may be because people are starting to focus more on their fitness rather than directly on weight loss,” she says. (Post continues after gallery.)

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BreadKATIE THOMSITT, Dieticians Australia spokesperson says: "Lots of people shy away from bread to achieve weight loss. But bread is such an important source of fibre, and plays such a helpful role in weight loss and preventing bowel cancer. A couple of slices of a dark, seedy bread per day is absolutely fine."

CheeseKATIE SAYS: "Cheese is definitely a higher fat source of dairy, but still a good dairy fat. Choose low-fat options if you have it regularly, otherwise consume it in moderation. One serve of dairy is 30g, so a couple of slices is absolutely fine."

ChocolateKARA LANDAU, The Travelling Dietician says: "Studies have been able to show that dark chocolate can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood pressure in healthy individuals, protect against heart disease, and improve HDL good cholesterol (not a bad start for such a tasty food!). Dark chocolate also contains polyphenols, whilst white chocolate does not. These polyphenolic compounds are able to relax blood vessels allowing for better blood circulation, and thereby assisting with the maintenance of healthy blood pressure levels."

CoffeeKATIE SAYS: "Coffee is a really good snack, in particular if its milk-based to get the dairy in - for example, a skim latte. As long as its in moderation - daily guidelines say a maximum of three per day! And you want lots of water on top of that."

EggsKARA SAYS: "Yes, even the yolks are good for you! Healthy fat soluble vitamins, as well as half the protein found in an egg, are all found in the yolk!"

Avocado KATIE SAYS: "Avocado is a healthy fat. Lots of people think its high-fat and not good for you, but its rich in mono unsaturated fats, which give you protection against heart disease. It also helps with controlling lower cholesterol levels."

nutsKATIE SAYS: "Nuts fall into the same category as avocado - they have lots of healthy oils and fibre."

dairyKARA SAYS: "Often milk and yoghurts are fortified with Vitamin D (a fat soluble vitamin) which requires a small amount of fat to be present in order for the body to absorb it, therefore having the full fat variety can be of value to enhance the nutritional benefits from the products' consumption. The fat in the dairy also aids with satiety, which could prevent unhealthy snacking at a later point in the day."

PotatoKATIE SAYS: "Potato always gets a bad rap as a starchy vegetable, but it's an excellent source of fibre. Sweet potato in particular is great for weight management and sugar level control. Potatoes are also really rich in potassium."

Red meatKARA SAYS: People tend to restrict red meat unnecessarily, thinking that its high in saturated fat. "But lean red meat is high in protein, CLA (which has been found to be associated with lower body fat percentages), B12, iron and zinc. These are all nutrients we want to get into our body!"

“Generally as you get fit the fat starts to drop off and the scales won’t be as meaningful anyway as you start to build more lean muscle tissue because muscle weighs more than fat.”

Another notable change is the shift away from the cheaper DIY at-home options to more expensive ways of keeping fit, such as fitness technology and hiring personal trainers.

Marchese believes the are three reasons for this; people fed up of not seeing results, a desire to have the latest gadgets and also a growing move by the industry as a whole to rely on these devices to complement their work outside of training hours.

Yoga classes aren't going anywhere - but they will be getting funkier.

While yoga looks set to continue to dominate exercise classes around the country, it's about to get funkier.

"The main changes I am seeing in regards to yoga is the incorporation of yoga into different styles of training and classes, rather than a change to the type of yoga per se," she says. For example, it's not uncommon to see group classes that combine yoga and dance, and more music is being incorporated into some yoga classes

Exercising to some seriously dancey tunes? Hello 2016.

What do you think of the exercise predictions?

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The 10 fitness trends set to take over in 2016.

The Top 10 trends

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