COME AT US, 2019!

Posted December 20th, 2018

The end of the year is fast approaching, which makes now the perfect time to look at the trends that are set to dominate health and fitness in 2019. As ever, the formula stays the same – train hard and watch your diet – but that doesn’t mean we can’t mix things up a bit. Read on to see what we’re looking forward to this coming year.

Personalised advice
There’s a growing recognition that ‘one size does not fit all’ when it comes to workout routines and diets. This is supported by the ever-improving accuracy of fitness trackers and health monitoring devices, as well as the availability apps that can interpret all this data. Although you’ll always garner results from following basic good advice, like move more eat less, tailoring programmes to your specific needs can maximise your gains without any extra effort.

For example, changes in your weight and body composition (muscle mass and body fat percentage) affect your metabolic rate. By finetuning your diet, you can exploit this effect. Moreover, tracking your progress and being able to identify small changes can be a great motivator for continual improvement. And, at this time of year especially, it can serve as another reason not to overindulge (or to quickly get back on track when you do).

Wellness festivals
Going to a festival used to mean packing as much cheap cider as you could carry and surviving off of burger van offerings. While dancing until sunrise was a great form of cardio, it wasn’t quite enough to offset the rest.

Wellness festivals have changed all this. What they are is a long weekend of health-focused activities. Like music festivals, they all have different vibes so it’s worth doing your homework before booking a ticket. Some are a yoga retreat style focus on calm and restfulness. Others are an energetic and sweaty 72 hours of cardio.

In terms of accommodation, most offer camping but, seeing as attendees will be sober and aware of their surroundings, it’s probably more accurate to call it ‘glamping’. Food is a big part of these festivals too and you can expect deluxe vegan options as standard and all the latest health foods. Perhaps the biggest draw of wellness festivals is the opportunity to socialise with hundreds of people, all of whom share the same passion for being fit and active.

Cocktails
Going for a few cocktails with friends can be a great way to relax and treat yourself. But, let’s face it, they’re not the best for our health. Between the alcohol and the sugary syrups, it’s easy to clock up the calories.

Bars have recognised that we need more options. It started with the ‘mocktail’ – alcohol free cocktails – and the trend has now expanded into ‘clean cocktails’. These drinks shun sugar syrups in favour of fresh juices and health foods. Think coconut water, agave syrup, ginger, manuka honey, and even spices like cumin and paprika. Veggies, like kale and avocado, are being thrown into the mix too (don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it).

And these drinks aren’t all alcohol-free either. Most menus offer non-alcoholic as standard and suggest a spirit for those who want a ‘proper drink’. Obviously, vodka will never be healthy, but choosing a natural cocktail with other ingredients that are good for you (and supposedly help to ease the morning after) strikes a better balance than a tequila sunrise or a Long Island iced tea.