From consuming healthy foods to exercising in a hygienic environment at home, the year 2022 will see a new trend among fitness freaks who want to avoid the risks of contracting the coronavirus from public facilities

In 2022, those keen on keeping fit and staying healthy, both physically and mentally, will continue doing so, nevertheless with extreme caution and emphasis on hygiene. After all, there’s no place as safe as home.

Since the pandemic has not yet shown any signs of receding, the focus of fitness enthusiasts has, sort of, shifted away from public gymnasiums. Working out at home now seems to be the better option to avoid contracting the virus that, experts say, can thrive on surfaces in gym equipment and get passed on from those infected to those not with ease.

International guidelines state that people should stay at home where possible and only leave for activities such as shopping for basic necessities, go to work (only if one couldn’t do so from home), and exercise regularly at home. As many gyms and fitness centres have downed their shutters over the past two years, this, actually, is the best option.

As result, many people have transformed their living rooms/bedrooms into home workout stations and got themselves equipped with a range of accessories from skipping ropes, dumbbells and yoga mats to treadmills and cross-trainers. Trips to community yoga classes, bootcamps, aerobic sessions, have come to a grinding halt as people prefer to do the same alone or with willing family members at home.

Interestingly, those already in possession of heavy gym equipment, like treadmills and exercise bikes, have dusted them and put them to regular use with renewed vigour. Till a couple of years ago, these lay as white elephants in the homes of those who could afford them but weren’t quite inclined towards using them regularly.

The ‘mushroom effect’

People have started buying a range of ‘superfoods’, from citrus fruits to mushrooms/broccoli and exotic meat products to build immunity as well as stay healthy. Markets, too, display such elements on the packs of foodstuff to attract the attention of the health conscious.

Mushrooms might not be popular in regular diets but suddenly they have become the ‘ingredient of the year’ since some varieties have adaptogenic properties that help counteract the effects of stress on the body.

Reports say, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine has for centuries used mushrooms to reduce inflammation, support the immune system, brain health, the nervous system and increase energy. Hence, it is considered a ‘superfood’ and is widely available in supermarkets. Varieties like Lion’s Mane, which is full of beta-glucans, protects against oxidative stress, Reishi and Maitake help bolster the immune system, Cordyceps can improve lung capacity and Shittake supports immunity.

It now appears the fitness industry is waking up to the ‘mushroom effect’, with several well-known brands selling mushroom supplements to aid performance and post-workout recovery.

Puresport – UK’s most popular wellbeing brand – recently launched its ‘Mind Body Mushroom Blend’ which contains six medicinal mushrooms. According to a report in Elle, UK, its founder Grayson Hart states that the blend resulted in the biggest uptake in sales, which shows that there is a genuine appetite and interest for mushroom supplements.

Reverse running

Backwards running, also known as reverse running, has become increasingly popular with those wanting to improve rehabilitation after injury, such as hamstring, low back and knee joint damage.

According to a recent PureGym survey, there has been a 50 per cent increase in online searches for reverse running in the last year, thanks to the practice’s ability to balance out muscles and alleviate impact on the knees, by reducing imbalances between the anterior and posterior muscles.

Fitness experts say, reverse running creates a greater range of motion at the hip joint, creating a more aligned posture and produces greater activation of the calves and quadriceps.

When it comes to performance, reverse running is widely believed to be as effective as speed intervals insofar as it creates a greater cardiovascular demand, which therefore improves endurance and aerobic capacity. One lap of running on a track backward is considered equivalent to eight laps running forward.

Indoor rowing

Indoor rowing has also become increasingly popular over the last couple of years as fitness lovers look at ways of incorporating low-impact interval training exercises in short amounts of time.

There are several indoor rowing machine brands available at fitness stores which offer numerous types of workouts. According to Dr Kristin Haraldsdottir, director of exercise research and innovation for Hydrow, which was named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2020, rowing works out up to 86 per cent of your body, activating several muscle groups in the upper body, lower body and core all at once, which ultimately enables you to build strength and burn calories.

Getting one of these machines for one’s home gym, therefore might be a worthwhile investment of a lifetime – one which can be used by different members of the family to suit their own individual fitness goals.

Gym hygiene

The need for hygiene in the gym as well as at any workout area, whether at home or outdoors cannot be overstated in the current context. As COVID-19 variants continue to affect everyday life, the way people socially interact in public spaces as well as use public utilities – whether equipment in gyms or elevators in a mall – hygiene will continue to be a huge focus in 2022.

Surveys say, people are, by and large, more conscious about and afraid of germs these days. While some gyms advertise about their hygienic practices, the individual can do best by exercising his/her own cautions. And these can be best done at home where the intrusion of unknown users can be totally ruled out. Regular sanitising of workout equipment is absolutely esssential even at home before and after workout sessions.

“If you spray a virus onto a surface, like a dumbbell, it will just sit there,’ Simon Clarke, a microbiologist and associate professor in Cellular Microbiology at the University of Reading, recently stated. ‘The virus won’t move unless someone picks it up again. Gyms pose a higher degree of risk because people are constantly touching things that you will then go and touch yourself.’

Mixed reactions

Al Warith al Harthy

International Federation of Body Building (IFBB) Elite Pro Judge

People say we are recovering from the pandemic safely although they are still working out from home, due to the increasing number of cases. Some are, however, back to gyms, like myself. I do so by maintaining social distance, wearing a mask always, and sanitising equipment before and after use.

Rashid al Balushi

GM, Motorcycles Learning Centre

For me, it is more safe to workout in the office (workplace), rather than in a gym, since I have absolute privacy and control on the hygiene. It is more secure as I also have control on who should enter the office.

Alexander Tvaliashvili

Ex-head National Tennis Coach, founder of Padel Oman

We play padel at a newly-built padel court at the marina, which is open for members and non-members. It is a good sport to burn 900 calories per hour and its popularity has been spreading fast. They call it the ‘pandemic sport’.

Bilarab Moosa Obaid Al Salami

Champion, Oman Open Bodybuilding and Physique Championship – 2019

It is safe to work out in a gym that takes all precautions and provides sanitation of equipment and facilities within. I visit the Champion Gym, at Al Ansab, regularly and take all precautions to ensure hygiene and safety during workouts.

Hilal al Abdali

Instructor, Shotokan Martial Arts

Based on the official statistics regarding the increasing number of infections, it is better to practice sports in open spaces while working with precautionary measures, such as social distancing and sanitising hands. It is not forbidden to go to the gym, if all health precautionary measures are provided.