Sleep: Gwyneth Paltrow recently declared that sleep should be our first priority – “Even before you think about your diet”. It’s true that sleep is basically the key to good health and wellbeing, and that we aren’t getting nearly enough. Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington released her book earlier in 2016 entitled The Sleep Revolution, whilst Shawn Stevenson wrote Sleep Smarter. If you’re wondering what the missing link may be to feeling good, then put these on your bedtime reading list for 2017.
Adaptogens: Move over Acai bowls and kale chips, this year’s saviour is all about helping us balance the stresses of every-day life. Adaptogens are as the name suggests; they help the body adapt to mental, physical and emotional stresses we may be facing. They help the body lower levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), and are usually totally natural.
Spices: More and more of us are swapping the medicine cabinet for the space rack, and feeling fantastic results. Curcumin (found in chillis and peppers) is useful for reducing pain sensations and inflammation, whilst the infamous turmeric is a go-to spice for just about anything. Mix it into curries, soups, warm drinks, or make your own anti-inflammatory tonic.
Probiotics: The benefits of keeping our insides healthy hasn’t gone unnoticed by the wellness world, and in 2017, probiotics are set to be the next big thing. Gut health controls everything from emotions to immunity, weight fluctuations and hormonal issues, and probiotics can help to feed the ‘good’ bacteria that keeps us happy.
Essential oils: Nature’s medicinal perfume is about to make a comeback. Whilst many people might eschew essential oils, assuming they’re all placebo and anecdotal, their powerful effects are hard to deny. Use nutmeg to increase circulation, peppermint to reduce muscle soreness, frankincense to calm the mind and aid in meditation, and orange blossom to boost your mood and alertness.
Rest Days: 2016 was a big year for high-intensity workouts, but it was also a big year for over-use patterns and injuries. In 2017, we’re older and wiser, and the benefits of taking a day to repair and relax are worth a day outside of the gym.
Watermelon Juice: With lots of electrolytes, think of watermelon juice a little like 2017’s version of coconut water. Beyonce loves it, and it’s more hydrating than your usual tap water.
Plant Protein & Veganism: We’re learning more and more about how reducing our consumption of animal products can simultaneously add years to our lives, and so naturally the research on the benefits of going plant based is more accessible and main-stream. Plant-based proteins are more widely available now, from sources such as hemp, rice, spirulina, pumpkin seed, and pea. For more ideas on plant proteins, click here.
Collagen: It keeps your hair, skin, nails and connective tissue healthy, and it’s often the ‘secret’ to many athletes’, actors’ and celebrities’ health regime. The downside? It’s derived from animals, so if you’re going vegan this year, it’s off limits.
Ditching Labels: All things aside, when it comes to your own health, it’s worth remembering that what you choose to eat from day to day doesn’t have to follow the latest trend…. There are difficult and ethical decisions to make when it comes to deciding between whether to cut out all animal products, and whether to keep them on your table. The most important thing to remember however, is that eating what makes you truly feel good is always going to be a good idea; if you don’t feel your best, you can’t do your best to help the world around you. I had been vegetarian since the age of 11, and vegan for 4 years. When I reached my early 20s, it was apparent this diet wasn’t serving me well any more. Instead of feeling guilty when I eat an animal or animal product now, I’m instead incredibly grateful for its life. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have seen this coming in my vegan teen years, but times change, bodies change, and you can either listen to what you need, or ignore it. Bone broth, collagen, and organic fish are kitchen regulars now.
Making Do Without Makeup: For any females out there who are willing to bare-all, the next big thing in make up is all about celebrating your natural self. Invest in healthy foods, plenty of water, a good quality pillow and a full night’s sleep, instead of covering up dark circles with make up.
Tiger Nuts: We’ve done almonds, brazils, cashews, and peanuts which aren’t even a nut! Tiger nuts are the next must-have in your snack box, and they’re filled with vitamins, fibre, minerals and essential fatty acids. They have more calcium per 100g than potatoes, liver or red meat, and more potassium too.
Natural + Functional Movement: If you generally stick to one form of exercise, it’s time to switch things up and add something new in. The good news is that the next big thing to enter the health arena is all about movements that are totally useful. Functional movement exercises can help us do every-day things far more efficiently, without nagging aches and pains, this type of workout also helps to balance parts of you that may be a little weak or over-worked.
Nature’s Answer: There is basically a natural alternative to everything, and quite often, they come with all the benefits and none of the side effects. To get started on your new natural regime, try adding basil, cajeput, lavender, chamomile and rose to your home made face wash or face mask to help your skin find its natural glow.
Cupping: First it was A-list celebrities, and we all rolled our eyes and dismissed it as something only ‘they’ do – but when Olympic athlete Michael Phelps was seen with cupping marks across his back, things got a little more interesting. This treatment is intended to draw out toxins from deep within the body’s tissues using a vacuum-like technique and a glass cup. Athletes say they used it to help with physical recovery, and to ease aches and pains during busy training months.
Soup Cleanse: Smoothie diets were so 2015, and the juice cleanse ran its course through 2016. Hunger pangs, low moods and feeling knackered don’t seem to be worth it, and so the soup cleanse is our last attempt at trying to cleanse and clear away all the ‘bad’ things we ate over the weekend. If you’re embarking on a 3, 5 or 7 day soup cleanse, we’ll see you on the other side….
Longevity: Think back to point 6. Life is about much more than how you look, and whilst High Intensity Interval Training workouts are popular, and whilst yes they can increase your brain power and burn fat, they can also be a little too intense sometimes. Over training and acute injuries are all too common in the HIIT world. Those ‘miracle pills’ that promise instant weight loss and instant happiness, ‘low fat’ and subsequently chemical-laden foods, and supplements that seem too good to be true are also pretty much a waste of time. When it comes to diet, exercise, supplementation and your happiness goals, ask yourself if any of the things you’re doing are sustainable? Can you do them without draining yourself? And do they enhance your daily life? Read more about our current social awkwardness around longevity here.
Ashwagandha: We have gradually seen Ayurveda rising in mainstream popularity thanks to Hemsley and Hemsley, Mind Body Green, Well + Good, and even Teen Vogue talking about this ancient Indian health system and its many benefits. Ashwagandha is a herb commonly used in Ayurvedic medicines, and is also an adaptogen (remember point number 2?). The root can support the ageing process and support women during the menopause, increase sexual drive and potency, boost mood and fertility, revitalise the body’s systems, relieve stress and enhance cognitive function.
Mushrooms: Another adaptogen; mushrooms are the new superfood for 2017. With the UK government’s health board now advising daily vitamin D supplementation, these are a great way to get good amounts of the sunshine nutrient. Mushrooms are also a good source of selenium, antioxidants, copper, niacin, potassium, vitamin B, and phosphorus, vitamin C and iron.
Strength Training: not only does it help your ability to do daily tasks like lifting, carrying, pulling and pushing with greater ease, working out with weights can increase bone density and health – essential if you’re over the age of 25! Strength training also helps improve co-ordination, helps maintain healthy weight loss, and can protect against injury. Compared to cardiovascular exercise, it can place less stress upon the heart and is a little more useful in benefitting our day-to-day life.
Home Made Health: Yoghurt, bread, sauerkraut and sprouted grains are just a few of the things that we’ll be making more of in 2017 (admittedly it’s a pretty middle-class 2017 trend) It’s not just foods that will get the home made touch though; knitting and crocheting your own socks and jumpers will also be more popular. This all stems from the 2016 Hygge hype – the trend that translates as ‘cosiness’ and ‘intimacy’ that we all went crazy for during Autumn and Winter 2016.
Sage Smudging: No longer for the exclusively ‘woo-woo’; high-end interior designers have been known to sage-smudge rooms after working on them, and Vogue has even told us how to energetically clear our homes and offices using sage.
Everyone’s talking about it, just take a look at these Google Analytics.
Going Sober: As wellness becomes more popular, people are ditching late-night cocktails and after-work beers, in order to wake up earlier and squeeze in some exercise in the morning.
Waste-Not-Want-Not: After wonky veg boxes graced the supermarket aisles in 2016, restaurants are now on their way to providing less-than-perfect plant foods. We’re on the way to a zero-waste community, something that Silo have already been pioneering in the UK for a long time.
Walking Vs Running: Think back to the point about longevity and high intensity workouts; if you still want to have your original knees by the time you’re 90, walk this way…. Walking boosts creativity, and you’ll get to appreciate the view on the way. If you love walking and beautiful scenes, have a look at the National Trust routes in the UK.
Infra Red: Infra red saunas and lamps are here to help heal us. Athletes have been using these for the past few years to aid muscle recovery, and the saunas have been used for natural healing and disease prevention. Infra red light can penetrate human tissue, which helps heal deeper inside muscles, and can encourage anti-ageing benefits too.
Purple Foods: Move aside blueberries – purple foods are higher in antioxidants, and are fantastic for heart and brain health, reducing obesity, and helping with heart health. The power of purple can help inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer and prevent ulcers, they’re great for the liver, prevent urinary tract infections, and of course their wonderful anti-inflammatories.
Eat The Rainbow White Foods: Remember all the health advice that told us to shun anything white and instead load up on brightly coloured fruit and veg? Well, it seems they’ve backtracked on that advice and instead we’ve heard that the latest in food fashion is white. Think cauliflower, white asparagus, eggs, potato and tapioca. After all, these white foods often contain lots of fibre, important for maintaining gut health!
Wellness goes mainstream: No longer will ‘health’ be only for those with wealth. As research into preventative medicine grows, we’re learning more about how we can add more healthy herbs, foods, movement practices, and different emotional experiences to our lives in order to keep the mind and body healthy. Nutrient-packed juices, collagen-rich bone broths, meditation apps, and endorphin-boosting frequencies are now more easily available than ever. Pret have even got their own line of ‘Magic’ Beef Bone Broth available on their shelves.
Floatation Therapy: It’s been around for a while, but most of us are yet to experience the benefits of floating in body-temperature water filled with sumptuous salts. Most popular in LA, more floatation companies are starting up worldwide each year, making them more accessible and mainstream. The Float Spa in Hove says that the float experience allows the body to lower its levels of cortisol when isolated from the constant noise of life, the brain releases dopamine (our natural ‘happy hormone’), and muscles, joints and bones are able to take a well-deserved break. Brilliant for relieving chronic pain and muscle recovery, it’s definitely up there on the self-care list for 2017. Take a look at what’s on offer at The Float Spa in Hove.