Fitness trends include at-home classes and elimination diets.

Four 2018 Health and Wellness Trends

This year, the wellness industry will continue to grow exponentially. Curious which trends you’ll be hearing about most over the course of the year? Read on to find out.

1. At-Home, On-Demand Fitness

Fun, challenging workouts with cult-like followings have defined fitness in the wellness era. Perhaps no workout studio more famously embodies millennial culture than SoulCycle, the indoor cycling workout that originated in New York City. The studio sold nearly 3 million rides in 2014.

Other popular workouts, like Barry’s Bootcamp and the Bar Method, have similar followings.

But rigorous work and family schedules have made it increasingly difficult for Americans to get the workouts they crave in the little free time they have available. That’s why experts are predicting a surge in blue-chip fitness programs designed for on-demand, in-home use.

A Peloton indoor bicycle -- replete with a 14” touch screen display -- streams 8,000+ archived spin classes to users’ homes. Its annual revenue has tripled in over a year.  Says one of the company’s investors in the same Inc. article: "Peloton is a cultural phenomenon and has redefined what it means to build a connected experience disrupting multiple industries simultaneously: in home fitness, boutique class fitness and connected media devices."

Other popular at-home fitness programs include apps ripe with high-impact workouts. Some are free, such as the Nike Training app. Another program with a cult-like following and a hugely active Instagram community: young Australian trainer Kayla Itsines’s workouts.

2. Trendy, Questionable Diets

In 2018, you should expect to hear more about trendy elimination diets with lots of benefits -- and plenty of red flags, too. You should chat with your doctor about whether any of these diets are a good fit for you. Here are some predicted to gain traction:

  • The Whole30 diet, an elimination diet that forbids grains, legumes, dairy, and refined sugar. A small amount of berries are permissible. The Whole30 diet claims to cut out foods that cause cravings and deregulate our blood sugar.
  • The Paleo diet, made famous by Crossfit enthusiasts, encourages the consumption of meats, including those high in saturated fats. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also encouraged. Its backers believe that eating as cavemen did is best for the human body.
  • Dairy-free and gluten-free diets, which are also elimination diets. Many try these diets due to legitimate gastrointestinal issues. Others say they just feel better when avoiding dairy or wheat products.
  • Intermittent fasting, which restricts when food can be consumed. It usually involves eating two meals at any point during the night or day, about 8 hours apart, and then fasting for the next 16 hours. Some believe such fasting revs up your metabolism and helps you burn fat stores instead of muscle.

All of these diets have supporters and detractors, and for good reason. Do your own research and talk to your doctor before you try any of these diets.

3. Mindfulness and Meditation

As fitness and diet trends grow, so too do trends focused on keeping the mind well. Mindfulness, a heightened state of self-awareness, is predicted to have a big year this 2018.

Here are some resources that can help you achieve mindfulness:

  • The Mindfulness App, which includes a five-day meditation program and mediation reminders.
  • Headspace, an app aimed at those new to mediation, boasts plenty of introductory meditation courses that walk users through the process of reflection.
  • Calm, another guided meditation app that has ten to 25 minute exercises.

These apps can be the crux of your meditation, or you can use them to put together a personal routine that works for you.

4. Workleisure Clothing

We’ve all heard of athleisure, which refers to that wear-all-day style of pricy workout clothes from retailers like Lululemon and Adidas. In 2018, be on the lookout for workleisure, an extension of athleisure that’s tailor-made for the office.

Lines like Athleta and Tory Burch are making business-casual clothing in forgiving, technical materials for a comfortable product consumers feel confident wearing to the office. Of course, just because something is in fashion doesn’t mean you should wear it. Make sure these cuts and styles are appropriate for your own workplace.

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