What are the top trends of the health and wellness industry? If the past few months are anything to go by, there will be an increased focus on mental well-being through self-care, as well as renewed interest in intermittent fasting to shed extra weight and high-intensity workouts to get fitter faster, say those based in medical jobs.
- Intermittent fasting takes off
Dieting is out – fasting is in. Intermittent fasting is now becoming a major international trend, with many devotees saying it has huge health benefits, ranging from weight loss, greater aerobic capacity and reduced risk of diabetes to improved quality of sleep. It’s a daily practice that requires avoiding food except for unsweetened tea, coffee and water for 16 hours of the day, leaving an eight-hour period for you to eat (known as 16:8 intermittent fasting).
Other kinds of intermittent fasting include full fasting in which all foods are avoided for a 24-hour period. Fasting for longer periods like this holds greater health benefits than intermittent fasting alone, studies show. Some of the advantages of full fasting are better heart function and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. Some studies have shown that fasting-mimicking diets trigger faster cellular repair in the body, prolonging your life and promoting healthier ageing.
Thanks to impressive results (87% of those who follow a fasting diet claim it has helped them lose weight), the trend is likely to continue. There are even smartphone apps to help you stick to your intermittent fasting routine, such as Zero and LIFE. These apps can be integrated with your fitness app, making it easier to personalise your wellness journey.
- Self-care to boost mental health
Millennials may not be that hard-working, but there is one thing they excel at: self-care. (They reportedly spend twice as much on it than Baby Boomers do.) This is important, as new research underscores the link between high levels of self-care and better mental well-being.
Self-care can include any activity that helps you live optimally and boosts your physical and mental health, such as exercising, eating healthily, journalling, art therapy, taking time out to connect with yourself and others, getting sufficient sleep and generally looking after yourself.
Although self-care is not a cure for mental illness, knowing what triggers you, such as too much stress at work, can help you better manage your symptoms and make sure you get enough of what you need – such as going for a long run. Health and wellness professionals, and those pursuing medical jobs, are unanimous that spending time doing what you enjoy is the key to a happier life.
Reportedly worth US$10 billion globally, the self-care industry continues to expand, with nine out of 10 Americans claiming they practise some form of self-care. Although some commentators dismiss it as mere self-absorption, other experts believe practising self-care shows emotional intelligence and increases our sensitivity to others.
The interest in self-care has driven up sales in skincare products, which in 2020 (i.e. following the pandemic) exceeded the sales of make-up for the first time. Botox treatments are also increasingly popular, as well as CBD products to ease pain and inflammation, and reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- HIIT me, baby!
The nature of a good workout is changing. Instead of just pumping iron in the weights section or plodding away on the treadmill at the gym, many fitness coaches are advocating the use of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in their workout routines. In our highly pressurised lives, finding an hour to work out may seem like a luxury. HIIT reduces the time needed to have a balanced workout to 30 or 40 minutes. In more or less half the normal time, you’re able to effectively combine strength and resistance training. How? By pushing your body to the extreme limits of what it’s able to do.
The aim with HIIT is to get your heart rate up to 80% of its maximum capacity, by doing short spurts of one- to five-minute exercises. These are then varied with less challenging exercises to allow your heart rate to recover. HIIT workouts can include running, dancing, stair climbers, stationary bikes and rowing machines, together with lunges, star jumps and other variants that allow the incorporation of light-ish weights.
The benefits of HIIT include decreasing body fat, while increasing muscle strength and endurance. Although HIIT is not necessarily better than other forms of exercise, its chief advantage is that it is able to achieve similar fitness results in a shorter period of time – and also allows you to rest in between sets.
Charles Edelstein
Director
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