Do you feel exhausted by yet another health fad? Sometimes it feels we’re being constantly bombarded by advice on what we should and shouldn’t do. It feels like yesterday we were packing in the proteins with Atkins and jumping around in step aerobics. Today we’re adding goji berries to everything, juicing our lunch and grabbing a turmeric latte on the way to goat yoga (yes, that is a real thing). Confused? You could be suffering from ‘wellness fatigue’.
The big problem with constantly changing information on what exercise to do and what to eat is that we begin to form a distorted view on what really constitutes a healthy lifestyle. These thoughts are also instrumental in changing attitudes and behaviours. This can manifest in serious disorders such as orthorexia (healthy eating obsession). Couple this with the huge increase in Instagram and the health and wellness perfection perception and it’s no surprise people are looking for simplicity.
This is also demonstrated by the declining popularity of fitness trackers and wearable devices. The recent results from market-leader Fitbit reveal a fourth-quarter loss of $146million last year compared with a $64million profit the year prior. Jawbone, the creator of the once-popular fitness tracker UP, has recently withdrawn from the consumer market due to irreparable losses.
People are today seeking simplicity and a sustainable, straightforward solution, turning their back on the latest fad. Healthy, nourishing, fresh food and wholesome home cooking is providing a long term solution to better health. Combine this with a focus on exercise forms that have stayed the distance, such as walking, Pilates, swimming and yoga is seeing people return to the tried and tested.
Take a sigh of relief – there’s no longer a need to keep pace with the latest, crazy trend. As we always knew, it’s the well-grounded methods that will see you through for the long term.