This year the fitness world is seeing a lovely blend of holistic approaches to movement. Functional fitness, hybrid exercises, and recovery are all part of the trend. What do those types of movements entail?

Functional Fitness:
These are moves that prepare you for the activities you’ll face in daily life without making you so sore you can’t move the next day. While they can be more isolated, like push-ups or bicep curls, they usually involve the whole body. They don’t always look like a movement you’ll see in daily activity. For example, steps ups alone mimic going upstairs. That is a functional movement. Adding an overhead press adds arm work, increases the cardio challenge, and works more core so it creates a greater functional challenge.

Examples:
Walking Lunges
Push Ups
Squat with Bicep Curls
Step Up with Opposite Arm Overhead Press

Hybrid Moves:
It’s very clear the body needs variety. Doing the same repetitive motions all the time is not functional and can lead to wear and tear. That means throughout the week you want to change up your workout. Try strength one day and stretching the next. Make sure to get in some cardio (both intense, like interval, and endurance, like a brisk walk or light jog for over 15 minutes). Balance and speed training can also be part of your daily training.

Examples:
HIIT (bursts of intensity on and off for 10 minutes)
Brisk Walk (where you are slightly winded but can still talk for 15 minutes or more).
Marching in Place
Body Weight Exercise
Lifting Weights
Bosu Training

Recovery:
We all need a little R&R and the body is no different. Rest is important and if you allow yourself to rest you can come back stronger.

Examples:
Gentle Stretching
Foam Rolling
A stroll
Taking an actual day off from movement
Massage
Heat

Note: “Wait, heat? I thought I was supposed to ice to recover.” Ice does reduce inflammation, so for an actual injury, icing to reduce swelling can be helpful. However, reduced blood flow to an area might impede healing long term. So, heat might be the better option. Even better might be alternating heat and ice. Try to notice if you use any technique what works better in your body.

The Good News:
This can seem like a lot, but they can overlap. If you noticed, stretching can be part of functional fitness and rest because rest is functional. The right strength exercise can challenge your cardio. You could do weights on a Bosu and combine strength and balance exercises.

Click here to watch Maggie share the fitness trends in 2025 on NBC CT Live!