Don’t you just love the start of a new year? It’s an opportunity to put behind you any blunders from previous months and look ahead with eager anticipation and a willingness to live healthier, be fitter, smile bigger and laugh more.
And boy, is 2018 shaping up to be pretty damn amazing. Here’s what will be trending in the wellness world:
1. Self-care is a necessity, not an indulgence
Forget feeling guilty about craving some ‘me’ time; taking time out of our busy lives to focus on our own health is the simplest way of ensuring we’re equipped to support the people around us (not to mention our own social, emotional and physical needs!).
In 2018 we’ll see more iPhone alerts and calendar entries for unplugged ‘self-care meetings’. Essentially this is blocking out time to take note of how we’re feeling and make conscious steps towards nurturing and nourishing our body and mind through various actions and activities.
Get ahead of the trend by opening your diary and plotting in a ‘Monday meditation session’, a walk at the beach, ‘shoe-free Friday’, a ‘digital-free day’ or a yoga class. Simply schedule in a few things that make you feel good, clear your mind and help you maintain balance.
2. Eating for prevention
Every new year brings with it a new fad food trend. Yes, some are backed by evidence but others have little substantiation. While I’m sure 2018 will have its fair share of ‘on-trend’ foods - eating for prevention is likely to take precedence.
With so many chronic conditions on the rise (we’re talking dementia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity) it makes sense to focus on prevention and food can play a vital role.
2018 is likely to see an abundance of foods and beverages that are jam-packed with probiotics, loaded with gut-loving enzymes and brain-boosting ingredients.
3. Toxic turnaround
Over the last few years talk of toxic chemicals has increased. We’re now starting to realise the alarming level of toxic ingredients we’re exposed to on a daily basis. As such, there’s a movement to limit the chemicals we come into contact with through making conscious decisions about the products we use and the foods we eat.
In 2018 this movement will continue to grow in momentum as more of us turn to whole, unpackaged foods and look for products with labels that show they are toxic free (just like our Woohoo All-Natural Deodorant Paste, shameless plug!).
We’ll also be looking for alternatives to single use plastic, like cloths for wrapping our sandwiches in. At Woohoo we’re on a mission to source plastic-free packaging so we can support this important movement.
4. Addressing tech addiction
There’s a cascade of research about the implication of modern technological devices on the human brain and social interaction. Thanks to the onslaught of easy-to-digest snippets of information and blasts of imagery that we now inadvertently consume every second of the day our brains are beginning to function differently. Have you noticed the fact your attention span has become shorter and shorter?
Ever wondered why so many tech executives (Steve Jobs was one of them) ban their own children from using the devices they make and sell to the rest of the world?
We’ve become addicted to our devices. We can’t function without them. In 2018 this truth will become a hot topic but the trick is not just talking (texting or posting) about it but actually doing something to address it.
Time to reduce our reliance on digital devices and schedule in a few tech free holidays!
5. Sleep optimisation
The clever people now recognise the huge impact that sleep has on our health and happiness. Lack of sleep can result in anxiety, weight gain and hormonal imbalance - all of which can have a negative knock-on effect on skin, mental state and nervous system.
Despite the fact that too much screen time is in part to blame, we’re seeing more and more apps designed to tell us the best time to go to sleep or to provide holistic sleep techniques. Go figure!
In 2018 more of us will make getting a good night’s sleep a priority. Perhaps we’ll ban screen time after 6pm, take note of our sleep habits (good and bad) and start incorporating more relaxation rituals into our pre-bed routine. Either way, anything we can do to get a better night’s sleep is a positive step.
