Welcome to 2020 – A new year, a new decade and a new chapter. Wellness seems to have become more of a priority in recent years, we are starting to focus on the bigger picture, rather than just relying on diet and exercise to bring about positive change. True health comes from within and these days we really do have to combat so many negative aspects of everyday life, with technology, pollution, over-working, lack of sleep, stress and bad habits, it is so important to make your personal wellness a top priority. These may be wellness trends but true wellness comes from making life changes, even if its just one thing at a time. Here are our top 5 predictions for 2020 – the year of change.
Meditation
Meditation is not a new concept, in fact – meditation has been around for thousands of years so it’s safe to say, that this is no passing trend. There are actually a bunch of different types of meditation so if the thought of it freaks you out, a beginners guided meditation might be best to start with. Beginners meditation lets you focus on your mind, instead of your thoughts, which might be hard to manage. You can also choose the type of meditation you need, whether that be to forgive, relax or energise, there are endless amounts of apps and Youtube videos to help with these guided meditations. Transcendental meditation is a form of mantra meditation and is meant to be practised 20 minutes a day to help reduce stress, anxiety and boost brain function, anyone can learn this practice but you must learn from a certified instructor.
Plant-based meats
Taking a bite of a plant-based burger never tasted so good. With the rise of plant-based meat alternatives, it has become easier and more mainstream, so out of the way vegan hotspots are no longer the only ones serving up these environmentally friendly and health-conscious meals. Fast-food chains such as Burger King have jumped on the bandwagon to offer the first plant-based meat burger in NZ and apparently it’s pretty damn tasty. So whether you’re wanting to make this change permanently or just incorporate more plant-based meals into your diet, for health or environmental reasons, it’s a great change to make either way.
CBD
2019 saw thousands of CBD based products hit the market all over the world and with our upcoming referendum, we too might start to have access to this hemp-based substance that is proven to help with pain and anxiety amongst other health benefits. CBD is short for cannabidiol and is the chemical compound found in the Cannabid sativa plant, also known more commonly as Cannabis. CBD is a naturally occurring substance that is used in products and treatments, foods and drinks to promote pain relief and impart a feeling of relaxation and calmness. Unlike its cousin THC, which is the other main ingredient in cannabis, CBD is not psychoactive so you will not get “high” from it. All over the world, in places where it has already been made legal, people are getting access to CBD coffees, CBD facials, CBD lotions and oils and beauty companies are releasing full lines of CBD based products and it’s only a matter of time before we will have access to them here in NZ.
Wearable tech
Wearable tech became a thing in 2014 when Apple released the first Apple watch – fast forward to today and wearable tech devices are not only there to check your emails and send you alerts. Now, these devices are designed to help you keep track of your health and are making life easier for busy people arming them with information on their daily activity and downloading personalised health data to help them keep track. In addition to tracking your steps, which was one of the first health-based features, you can now track your heart rate, sleep patterns, stress levels, menstrual cycle, fertility and noise levels. Personal healthcare was never easier.
Lymphatic health
I’ll bet you didn’t know that your body leaks? Yup – fluid seeps out of your cells and tissues and into the spaces in between, where it can build up and cause swelling. Ever had a bloated belly or a puffy face? The job of your Lymphatic system is to collect all of the nasty waste and filter out pathogens and bacteria, then return it in tip-top shape back into your bloodstream. So, when your Lymphatic system isn’t running at its best you can notice such things as inflammation and bad digestion and now, there has been a spike in lymphatic treatments to help reduce just that and bring your lymphatic system back to where it is meant to be. Your Lymphatic system doesn’t work like your circulatory system where it works like a pump, so sometimes it takes for someone to manually squeeze the tissues to get the system flowing again. Lymphatic drainage massages and Buccal facial massages are really big in Europe and are slowly making their way over here to NZ. Stay tuned as we investigate this topic further in our future articles.
Images by Adobe Stock.