Fitness
How AI is changing the way we approach health and fitness
Ever hit a wall with your fitness routine, feeling it’s not quite filling your needs? Or are you among those who wheel their carts down the supermarket aisles, clueless about meal planning for your dietary needs? The good news is, Artificial Intelligence or AI is fitting into your sneakers to transform health and fitness.
AI’s role in different fields
AI is changing the rules of the game in health and fitness. The central premise of AI lies in computer systems performing tasks that usually require human intelligence.
Think learning, reasoning, decision-making — the whole nine yards. AI scans enormous amounts of data, identifies patterns, and makes intelligent decisions based on these findings.
Traditional health and fitness methods often adopt a generic approach, a square peg for all round holes. But AI flips this on its head, providing custom-fit solutions tailored to individual needs, preferences, and goals.
The result? Fitness routines that hit the spot, keeping it exciting and productive.
AI as a workout buddy and personal trainer
Sure, an exercise partner can be a fantastic motivator. They can push you to go that extra mile and hold you accountable for your fitness goals.
However, some of us find tranquility and focus in a solo jog, where we can listen to our thoughts or enjoy a podcast.
AI offers a solution to this dilemma. Virtual trainers have your back, ensuring your planks and sprints are up to the mark with real-time feedback and personalized routines. They can adapt to your progress, offering tailored advice that evolves with your fitness level.
The age of expert fitness guidance for everyone is here, thanks to these digital comrades, making high-quality training accessible anytime, anywhere.
Much like when choosing a human personal trainer, quality is key. Fortunately, high quality options are already out there.
If you’re on an iPhone, FitnessAI gives you the power of a personal trainer in your pocket for a fraction of the cost.
Android users fear not, BodBot and Future are good options too.
AI for health metrics
AI serves beyond your workout needs; it’s an all-day health sentinel. AI-enabled wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers keep an eagle eye on your health metrics, tracking everything from your pulse to your sleep quality.
They can monitor your heart rate during intense exercises. They analyze your daily activity levels and can even detect irregularities in your heartbeat.
These devices offer insights into your sleep patterns, helping you understand and improve your sleep quality.
Predictive analysis with AI
One ace that AI holds up its sleeve is predictive health analysis. Picture a crystal ball that can spot potential health issues before they escalate.
AI’s data analysis plays this role, predicting health problems like diabetes, heart disease, or sleep disorders.
AI continuously monitors health metrics. It analyzes patterns in large datasets that allows it to identify subtle signs of impending issues. These signs might go unnoticed by human eyes.
So, Early detection? Check. Timely intervention? Check.
This not only helps in managing diseases more effectively but also in tailoring personalized healthcare plans, ultimately improving patient outcomes and enhancing quality of life.
Diet and nutrition with AI help
Crave a personal nutritionist but can’t stomach the cost? AI bridges this gap with personalized nutrition plans. Based on your dietary needs, preferences, and health goals, AI brews up tailor-made meal plans just for you.
These plans take into account a variety of factors such as allergies, nutritional deficiencies, and even your daily activity level.
With these AI-assisted apps, you can easily track your meals. They provide recommendations for healthier food choices. You can even receive reminders to stay hydrated.
AI for mental health care
The connection between stress management and overall health is rock solid. Chronic stress can lead to numerous health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, and mental health disorders.
From custom meditation plans that guide you through calming exercises, to virtual therapists that offer 24/7 support, AI provides a wealth of resources. These tools are invaluable for those battling stress or mental health challenges.
These advanced tools help individuals develop coping strategies, track their progress, and ultimately improve their well-being.
Fitness, though often a solo journey, thrives on community and support. AI steps in here, connecting folks with fellow fitness enthusiasts through online platforms and social media.
These AI-crafted connections foster a sense of belonging and motivation, encouraging individuals to share triumphs, trials, and tips. The result? A fortified commitment to health and well-being.
AI’s expanding role in fitness and health
The role of AI in the fitness landscape is set for a growth spurt. Future promises include virtual reality workouts and augmented reality coaching, all set to revolutionize our fitness experiences.
With AI’s continued integration, we can anticipate a more personalized approach to health management, making fitness more accessible, enjoyable, and long-lasting for all.
AI dons many hats – a personal fitness trainer, health monitor, diet strategist, and mental health ally. As we stride into the future, welcoming us is the prospect of better health and contentment.
AI continues to evolve and integrate further into our healthcare systems. So, are you ready to let AI navigate you towards a healthier life?
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It’s important to have goals in mind as you set out on your fitness journey, whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain muscle or train for a race.skynesher/Supplied
January is notoriously the busiest time of year at the gym. A survey from Ipsos reported that a third of Canadians made exercise-based resolutions for the new year, with many folks working out for the first time or returning to fitness after some time away. If you’re new to exercise, the gym can feel like an intimidating place. But it doesn’t need to be. Below we’ve put together a few suggestions to help you get started.
Have a plan going in
For success at the gym, it’s crucial to have a plan. Before you start, it’s important to identify your goals. Are you looking to get stronger? Training for a race or competition? Do you want to improve body composition? While almost any consistent exercise is going to improve your overall health, specific results require specific training.
Following a workout program can help you stay committed – here’s how to write your own
Those completely new to working out may want to invest in a few sessions with a personal trainer. A reputable trainer will be able to put together a plan based on your preferences and skill level, while walking you through the proper form for each exercise. If cost is an issue, many gyms offer a free intro training session as a sign-up perk. There are also hundreds of different workout programs you can find online and video tutorials outlining proper form.
If you’re intimidated to exercise on your own, a fitness class allows you to follow along with an instructor while getting some quick pointers on how to properly perform the workout. Many gyms offer discounted or free classes to first-time visitors.
Trying to do too much, too fast will burn you out, leave you injured or both
When you’re motivated by a new year’s resolution, it’s tempting to pencil in long gym sessions multiple times a week. But that kind of regime is rarely sustainable. If you’d like to make exercising a habit beyond January – and you’ll need to for any kind of lasting results – it’s best to think about what you can do in the long term.
“You can either do an hour of weightlifting a few days a week, and actually do it, or you have these imaginary 10-hour training sessions you’ll never actually have time for,” said Dan John, strength coach and author. “I try to focus on [programs that are] doable, repeatable and reasonable.”
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Similarly, trying to immediately push beyond your physical limitations is a great way to get injured. For weightlifting, it’s important to consider proper warm-ups, active mobility exercises and learning the right techniques before trying to lift anything too heavy. For cardio, Canada Running Series offers a Couch to 5K plan that eases newcomers into jogging by starting small and gradually increasing the length/difficulty of each run.
Follow basic gym etiquette
The gym is a shared public space. Everyone there is trying to get in a good workout. That’s harder to do when people are having phone conversations, listening to videos without using headphones and refusing to wipe down their equipment after use.
In March, fitness trainer Paul Landini wrote an article explaining some unofficial rules to follow when going to the gym, including being mindful of other people’s space and making sure you’re not monopolizing equipment during busy hours.
Try to find what you like about the gym
Changes in body composition, strength and overall health take time. They also need upkeep over the long term. Building a consistent fitness habit is something that will help with all those goals. One of the best ways to do that is finding something at the gym you genuinely enjoy doing. That can be working out with a friend to add a social aspect to exercise and accountability to show up. It can entail learning a new fitness-adjacent skill such as boxing or training for a competition like Hyrox. It can be rooted in the sense of accomplishment that comes with getting stronger. Whatever the reason, finding the joy in exercise is going to be key if you want to move beyond short-term motivation.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Finding time to work out as a mom with young kids can be a challenge in itself, especially when you’re new to an area and don’t know where to start. However, a new fitness option strolled into Sioux Falls today. iStroll offers moms the chance to work out and meet other moms all while their kids can play or even join alongside them.
iStroll is a national organization that has more than 35 locations in the country but this is the first time one opened in South Dakota. It’s a full body workout that incorporates dumbbells, body weight, and jogging strollers when the weather’s nice.
“I found iStroll in Oklahoma and fell in love,” said Kelsi Supek who started the affiliate in Sioux Falls. “We made friends. It became our entire social network. The kids loved it and then we moved to Arizona during COVID. And all the moms were stuck at home. They were inside with our kids and lonely, honestly. And we were like, why can’t we start an iStroll and be out at the parks with the kids every day? And it took off.”
When Supek moved to Sioux Falls, she was encouraged by her family to start an affiliate and own it herself.
“Gym daycares did not work out for my children,” said Supek. “I would get 10 minutes into a class and then I’d have that person trying to knock outside the yoga studio going, Can I have Kelsey and her kids screaming in daycare? And it just didn’t work for us. So at iStroll they could be with me or I could be breastfeeding the baby as I was teaching in class.”
Classes are planned to continue each Wednesday and Friday at We Rock the Spectrum and First Presbyterian Church. For a full schedule for January and February, you can look at their Facebook. The first class is also free and memberships are for the whole family.
“Letting the kids see you work out is, it’s similar to homeschooling where like, you know, how are they going to love working out if they don’t see you working out,” said Kelly Jardeleza, a stay-at-home mom of three kids. “Whereas at other gyms they put them in a room and they don’t get to watch you. And how are you going to inspire them if they’re not watching you do it?”
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
There’s no bad time to take a more active interest in your health, but the new year, for lots of us, feels like a fresh start. Maybe you’re planning to sign up for a 10k or finally have a go at bouldering, eat a bit better or learn to swing a kettlebell. Maybe you want to keep up with your grandkids — or just be a little bit more physically prepared for whatever life throws at you.
To help things along, Guardian Live invites you to a special event with public health expert Devi Sridhar, journalist and author Mariella Frostrup, and health and fitness columnist Joel Snape. They’ll be joining the Guardian’s Today in Focus presenter Annie Kelly to discuss simple, actionable ways to stay fit and healthy as you move through the second half of life: whether that means staying strong and mobile or stressing less and sleeping better.
To make the whole event as helpful as possible, we’d love to hear from you about what you find most challenging — or confusing — when it comes to health and exercise. What should you actually be eating, and how are you going to find the time to make it? What sort of exercise is best, and how often should you be doing it? Is Pilates worth the effort — and should we really all be drinking mugfuls of piping hot creatine?
Whether your question is about exercise, eating, or general wellness, post it below and we’ll put a selection to our panel on the night.
Share your experience
You can post your question to the panel using this form.
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