Would You Try Any of These Hot Health Trends for 2018?
Updated: Jul. 16, 2019
Like everything else in life, health and wellness ideas evolve from year to year. So what health trends are hot right now? We went to the experts for the scoop.
Bug boosting
This year you might find yourself replacing your boring old protein powder with cricket powder. Hear us out — crickets are packed with protein, iron, zinc, calcium and even omega-3s. Plus, they emit 100 times less greenhouse gases than cows, so they’re way easier on the planet than whey powder. They are already being farmed in Canada, but don’t worry — no one expects you to crunch right into a bug. Companies like Coast Cricket Protein have concocted peanut butter, and dark chocolate protein bars to help them go down a little easier.
And if crickets aren’t your thing but you want to up your protein intake, here’s how to do it.
Microbe management
Sure, we heard a lot about gut-healthy fermented foods like kimchi and kombucha in 2017, but this is a trend that’s just getting started, says Debora Sloan, a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer at Debora Sloan Healthy Solutions in Ottawa. Research is continually emerging about the way in which our microbiomes impact our health. Sloan lists weight, mental health and autoimmune diseases as a few of the links we know about so far. In 2018, she predicts the power of probiotics will become even clearer, as we learn new ways in which the tiny organisms determine our well-being. “The reason we have all these chronic health problems may have more to do with what’s going on in the gut,” she says.
Try these 10 ways to get a healthier microbiome.
Getting social with fitness
Fitness is moving outside. One of the main reasons? It’s a good workout for your Instagram account. “Fitness is a social media fashion,” says Maureen Hagan, vice-president of program innovation and fitness development at GoodLife Fitness and canfitpro. But it’s not just exercise that’s Insta-worthy. This year, don’t be surprised if your friends call you to go for a hike or check out a new vegan restaurant just to get a photo that will rack up tons of likes.
According to a recent survey, Canadians aren’t currently spending enough time outside… and we need more!
Superfood-infused snacks
Lately, superfoods have been popping up in more than just salads. And this year more than ever before, we’ll see them showing up in everyday products, predicts Sonia Keuroghlian, founder of green beauty and wellness website soniakeu.com. Be on the lookout for coffees and chocolates that have been beefed up with antioxidant-rich mushrooms, or protein bars and snacks filled with maca powder (a cruciferous root vegetable), spirulina (a nutrient-dense algae supplement) and camu camu (a vitamin-packed berry from the Amazon).
Check out these superfoods that you can add to your diet right away.
Kicked-up boxing
Remember when yoga and spinning seemed like the most unlikely fitness combo? Well, fitness fusions are back again, but this time boxing is getting some surprising mashups. Hagan says piloxing combines the standing stability poses of Pilates and boxing moves with dance for an intense, choreographed routine. Meanwhile boxerina, which blends the seemingly polar-opposite movements of boxing and barre, will be making its way to North America this year from Europe. Hagan says these fusion-style workouts draw more people into a class by attracting participants from both practices. Plus, they keep people from getting bored with repetitive workouts.
These are the 5 most effective boxing moves for women.
Beauty blends
Get ready to simplify your morning routine. Keuroghlian says we’re going to see an increase in all-in-one skincare products containing a buffet of synergistic ingredients that work together to replace a slew of items on your bathroom vanity. Some beauty lines are offering up cleansers that double as makeup removers and face masks. Others combine your moisturizer, primer, eye cream and night cream all in one bottle.
We’re fascinated by these 10 exotic skincare ingredients from around the world.
Exercise as medicine
We’ve heard for years that exercise can help prevent and treat chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, but today, doctors are finally prescribing it. Prescription to Get Active is leading the charge, encouraging doctors to write scripts for activity and to send patients to prescriptiontogetactive.com for inspiring info, ideas on how to get more active and to find a facility to get free access. “Exercise is medicine,” says Hagan. “It’s been around for some time, but now we’re starting to see more interest from the medical world to work with fitness industry professionals.”
Sleep training
This year, we’re going to see more tools to help us sleep better. If you have a fitness tracker, chances are you’ve been able to track your sleep habits. But Keuroghlian says more advanced sleep apps are going to pop up, including devices like the Tomorrow Sleeptracker Monitor that goes under your mattress to track quality and quantity of sleep, as well as offer suggestions for catching more zzz’s. And those wearable trackers? They could help diagnose sleep disorders. Studies have been looking into the potential for Apple Watches and Fitbits to soon detect signs of sleep apnea.
These 8 unexpected reasons might be why you’re having trouble sleeping.
DIY in a bottle
The tricks and homemade hacks of regular women (thanks, internet) are influencing big brands more than ever, and in some cases, they’re helping the mass market embrace home remedies. Keuroghlian notes that apple cider vinegar (which many use to rinse their hair instead of conditioner) is being included by brands in hair products to balance skin’s pH and remove impurities. Meanwhile, other brands are taking their cues from at-home avocado face masks to mix up their own nourishing green masks.
Try these 8 DIY masks you can make at home.
Yoga with a twist
Novelty yoga is the new yoga. Varieties range from fun (disco yoga, complete with lights) to intense (plyoga, which incorporates plyometric movements). In an ideal world, Hagan says we should all learn standard yoga before adding an upgrade, but sometimes people need a little extra incentive to draw them in. “I know people who start yoga because they want to go to a yoga retreat in Costa Rica. It has nothing to do with yoga — they want to go to Costa Rica.” Point being, if you still haven’t been to a yoga studio, maybe disco yoga is what it will take to get you grooving!
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