A new year always brings about fresh possibilities and a new health trend.
We start with a blank slate. What will happen in the days ahead? Anything is possible. But there is one thing that I know for sure. There will be a new health trend, a bandwagon for everyone to jump upon and a seemingly easy solution to getting into your skinny jeans. What will be the next hot health trend? Your guess is as good as mine. But there is one thing I know for sure. These are some common sense health trends that I wish would be making headlines in the near future.
Health Trend 1:
Filtered Tap Water: The Hot New Health Drink – What if everyone was running to their faucet to get this miracle elixir? Because, the reality is that drinking enough regular water on a daily basis would be a hugely positive health change for most people. But there are very few dollars to be made by promoting something that so many of us are fortunate to have readily available for free (or for the price of a good water filter.)
Do you know how much water you should be drinking a day? First take your weight in pounds and then divide it by 2. The result is the number of ounces you need to drink a day. That means a 150-pound person should drink 75 ounces of water daily. Doing so can help with weight loss, detoxification through the kidneys, reduced toxic build-up in the colon, improved skin tone, better functioning in the brain and a host of other body benefits. That sounds like a miracle health drink to me. So my secret wish is that drinking water becomes the popular trend of the year.
Health Trend 2:
The Eat Local Diet – Wouldn’t it be great if we decided it was trendy to eat food that we buy locally and in-season? These foods tend to be the best for you. The foods that grow in your region at any particular time of the year tend to work best with your body for that season. Also, foods that grow locally and in-season tend to be the most vitamin rich. They are picked when they are at their ripest. Eating locally means that food doesn’t have to be prematurely picked and then shipped long distances to reach your plate. They are allowed to grow to their full nutrient potential. And a great side effect of this diet would be that it would support the local economy. Here’s keeping my fingers crossed that I see it on the hottest trends list at the end of the year.
Health Trend 3:
Real Women Have Curves – People are so often encouraged to live an unhealthy lifestyle in an attempt to achieve an unattainable body type. Many women are naturally curvy. Of course, some people are curvier than others and that’s Ok. It isn’t about shaming those who are naturally skinny. But wouldn’t it be great if the thing that made each body unique were considered breathtaking and beautiful? What if we went back to the old days where curves were revered? It would release so many people from unhealthy shame and would allow for a more common sense diet. We all have the ability to encourage this trend by what we demand in the media. Let’s try to help curvy be the hottest trend this year.
Health Trend 4:
Moderation Is the New Restriction – In recent times, there has been the fat-free diet, the no-carb diet, the caveman diet and a bunch of other diets that completely exclude a large segment of available foods. And while this works for some people, most of us won’t succeed at eliminating entire categories of food indefinitely. And, in my opinion, this type of elimination isn’t necessary to be healthy.
It is more important to understand what foods should compose the majority of the diet and which foods should be a more occasional part of the diet. A common approach to diet is the 85/15 approach. 85% of the foods in the diet are nutritious, health supporting foods. The remaining 15% are foods that are just for fun. This approach isn’t about restriction but instead, reasonable moderation. And for many, this is more realistic as a long-term way of eating.
Health Trend 5:
The Journey Over the Destination – So many make resolutions to lose weight, eat healthier, work less, stress less and so on. The journey becomes an obstacle to the results. But there is no such one thing as “healthy living”. None of us are 100% healthy or unhealthy. We are on a path towards health until we die.
Overlooking this can be problematic on many levels. A person can start, let’s say, eating healthier and feel they have achieved a healthy lifestyle. And so they stop trying to grow while there are other aspects of their life that could use improvement Conversely, another person just starting a diet will focus completely on where they want to get to while overlooking the positive steps they are making right now. And they might give up due to feeling like they will never get to where they want to be. When you aspire for the journey over the results, it is easier to just be because reward doesn’t seem as far away.
Do you have a health trend you would like to see in the coming year? Is there a health trend from last year that you just wish would go away? Let me know in the comments below!
I like your health trends! Drinking tap water is easy. And I love eating local, at least when our local farmers market makes local so easy (now closed for the winter). One unhealthy trend I wish would disappear is the need to feed my kids donuts.
Haha, Leora! I see that your kids are very persuasive. And I love farmer’s markets too. They are an all around fun experience.
I love your tap water and in moderation health trends Erica! When our refrigerator died a few weeks ago (the new one was finally delivered) we lost the convenient filtered water dispenser. I found the tap water to taste quite fine although, I couldn’t convince my hubby who preferred distilled water.
One health trend I would go for is – short high-intensity workouts (like 20 minutes) or walking become the key fitness routines.Probably that’s because I already do them! hahahhaa
I will say that, like you, I usually filter my water. But it is still pretty cheap. And I think HIT workouts are pretty trendy..though I’d say they are one of the better trends. More of a workout in less time is good for so many people.
You always give such great health tips.
I drink several glasses of tap water per day and try to avoid sweet juice and fizz.
I eliminated carbs for four months and now eat no more than 100 grams once a day.
Thanks, Phoenicia. Avoiding juice is a good one. People always think that is so healthy, but fruit juice really is just healthy sounding sugar.
Good choice of health trends. Years ago my cousin who is a scientist told me they had done research and found that in most places in Sweden tap water was as good as, or healthier, than bottled water. Have to admit though that in London and the Middle East I kept on buying water for the simple reason that the water is not up to those standards there.
I agree, Catarina, that you have to be really careful where you drink unfiltered tap water. There are places in the world where filtration is super important. You still don’t need to get fancy waters like alkaline water when in those places, but boiling or filtering the water can be essential.
Great post! I notice when I don’t drink enough water, I get dry patches. So I make it an effort to drink plenty of water. I would love to hear about what filter system you recommend to drink cleaner water.
Our tap water tastes good but I have lived in some places where it is pretty bad. It’s about time for the pendulum to swing back toward the curvy side. Enough emaciated, dangerous waifs already!
I need to make a resolution.
After being a power lifter, and retired from wrestling, my workouts have decreased. I have gained some weight.
I recently had a blood test, and my doctor did not think a human being could have such a high cholesterol level as mine.
I guess it is time to start taking time to get back into shape.
Thanks for sharing these tips with us.
I’m loving the hot well warm water drink…I have found that it helps clean out my stomach….? thanks for another great post