What’s hot in health and fitness? Healthista editor Anna Magee guides you through our 2019 health and wellness trends report
Health Trend #1 Eco-Keto eating
This year the ketogenic diet soared in popularity, with regimes such as Whole30 and the Keto Reset Diet strictly shunning all carbs, grains and sugar in favour of vegetables, animal fat and meat, along with more vegetables, animal fat and meat.
With keto-focused diets tried, tested and proven to work for weight loss, issues around its lack of eco-friendliness have become a big focus with meat requirements impacting the planet as the livestock industry generates the same amount of greenhouse gases as global transport combined. Ouch.
As a result, a new breed of the eco-conscious – particularly in the US – are adopting the same high-fat, high protein principles that work for those on keto, just without animal produce.
the eco-conscious are adopting the same high-fat, high protein principles that work for those on keto, just without animal produce
In the US in August this year, functional medicine practitioner Dr Will Cole launched new book The Ketotarian a mostly plant-based keto diet plan that claims to ‘boost your energy, crush your cravings and calm inflammation’.
For Brits, if you have a spare £444 lying around, you can try the UK’s first vegan keto meal delivery programme from Nosh Detox, that does all the hard work for you.
In addition, Pullman London St Pancras has just launched its new Active Breakfast menu, curated by Wellness Ambassador, Sarah Hoey, which includes Eco-Keto offerings such as amaranth and organic tricolour quinoa porridge with salted caramel with rice milk. Topped with roast pumpkin and peanut butter combo and kiwi and blue spirulina smoothie containing blue algae, berries, coconut yoghurt, plant protein and plant based milk. Available in 20 Pullman hotels globally, there’s no excuse to miss out.
Lastly, last October saw the launch of new book Vegan Keto by US nutritionist Liz MacDowell, the foodie behind the increasingly popular meatfreeketo.com blog.
Health Trend #2 Rowing is the new spin
The last couple of years have seen a rise in gorgeously kitted out boutique gyms specialising in niche areas of fitness as the world’s best interiors designers turn their eyes to the horrendous gym environments we’ve been training in since the 80s.
Since 2015 Spin Studios have been taking the capital by storm with the soaring popularity of Psycle and Boom and last year saw a rise in dedicated Boxing Boutiques our favourite of which is BXR boxing gym in London’s uber-trendy Chiltern Street and designed by award-winning interior design firm Bergman.
this all over calorie-annihilating exercise, so long relegated to fitness warm-up land, will take its place amongst standalone workouts
2019 is the year that will see the rise of the dedicated – and super-glamourous – rowing studio. At last, this all over calorie-annihilating exercise, so long relegated to fitness warm-up land, will take its place amongst standalone workouts in some cool surroundings.
A wave of dedicated studios such as New York’s CITYROW and Sydney’s Club Row already exist outside Britain.
November 2018 saw the opening of the hotly anticipated Engine Room, Britain’s first dedicated rowing studio set up by personal trainer Chris Heron and backed by Olympic Rower Matthew Tarrant.
It too has been designed by Bergman and its interior alone – set in a Grade II listed church in Marylebone – is set to be a talking point, not to mention the Rowing Basics classes set to very loud classical music. Talk about game-changing.
Health Trend #3 The rise of the mesonutrient
2018 was the year we learned to separate our macronutrients, that’s proteins, fats and carbohydrates from our micronutrients, that is, vitamins and minerals.
Now, get ready to start obsessing over your mesonutrients.
In Greek, macro- means big, micro- means small and meso- means literally inside. So, what we want to know about now are not only the nutritious foods we’re eating, but about how to get more of the active compounds inside those foods that make them so good for you.
get ready to start obsessing over your mesonutrients.
For example, curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, and when you look at all the research, it’s the curcumin that delivers the anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing benefits that the super-spice is famed for.
Most studies on turmeric have been done on subjects receiving around 400mg of curcumin. But to extract 400 grams curcumin from a turmeric root, you would need to consume around 100 kilos of it. Likewise, to get the optimum therapeutic curcumin dose from dried turmeric powder, you would need to add 10kg to your food.
Now companies such as Coyne Healthcare are launching mesonutrients such as high dose Bio-Curcumin which is a form of curcumin that features highly in the research.
Another mesonutrient we’ll be looking for is EGCG, short for epigallocatechin gallate, one of a group of plant phenols also known as tannins, in green tea that have powerful and proven antioxidant benefits.
Fytostar offer a high strength green tea extract which contains 300mg ECGC per capsule. Indeed, look at the research and it features participants receiving 300-1200mg ECGC daily.
In Greek, macro- means big, micro- means small and meso- means literally inside. get ready to start obsessing about your mesonutrient intakes
Other macronutrients include anthocyanins in red and purple foods such as cherries and lycopene in tomatoes – both heavily researched as antioxidants.
On the newer side, get ready to hear more about as well as berberines (from foods such as golden seal and barberries) that can help balance blood sugar and also have anti-inflammatory effects.
Saffronal, which as the name suggests come from the spice saffron and researched for its antidepressant, appetite suppressing and libido boosting benefits,
The rise of the mesonutrient means we are looking for ways to function at optimum capacity by being more aware of what we are looking for in our nutrition and supplementation; giving new meaning to the idea of plants as medicine.
Health Trend #4 Brain boosting nutrition
2019 is set to bring with it a new batch of natural cognitive supplements, removing the stigma – and addictive nature – of mind-altering drugs.
This new category of ‘natural nootropic’ functional drinks and supplements now claims to address issues such as brain fog, poor memory, anxiety and lack of focus and even depression.
Leading the way is Eudeamon, founded by Surrey psychotherapist Jane Barnfield-Jukes. Eudeamon manufacture and distribute nutraceutical health food supplements that promote psychological and emotional wellbeing.
Eudeamon’s Tranquil Plus has the Healthista stamp of approval for quick calm, containing high doses of vitamin B6, magnesium, 5HTP, valerian root and the adaptogenic herb rhodiola rosea which helps the body respond to stress.
a new batch of natural cognitive supplements will removing the stigma – and addictive nature – of so called smart drugs.
Form Nutrition is also doing great things in this space, with October 2018 seeing them launch a range with Net-a-Porter in the US. The Boost supplement contains caffeine and L-theanine (a calming amino acid), plus vitamins B6, B12 and CDP-choline, which claim to provide an immediate boost in alertness and cognitive improvement.
Form’s Edge is editor Anna Magee’s new favourite morning hit, a daily brain boosting supplement containing gingko biloba, b vitamins and bacopa monnieri, an Ayruvedic herb used for centuries to help boost cognition and memory.
Their range comes with good scientific credo too. Form’s head of nutrition is Dr Adam Collins, who is also the director of nutrition at the University of Surrey.
Other brands to watch include the US-based, Other brands to take note of include US-based Tru Brain, which specialises in drinks, bars and capsules that claim to ‘supercharge’ the brain. Their in-house neuroscientists even used brainwave testing during the product development process to trial the performance of the product
Health Trend #5 Brain-hacking smart jewellery
That wearable tracker you’re so attached to? We know it tracks your steps, workouts, sleep, tracks your messages and kisses you goodnight, but it can’t make up for the fact that it’s just not very pretty.
And because it doubles as a watch you have to relinquish your hot Marc Jacobs watch to wear it.
Indeed, companies like Garmin with their Forerunner 235, like several other wearable tech out there, now monitor the body’s stress responses by tracking breathing rate, skin temperature and heart rate variability to arise uses when these markers show their stress levels are rising.
But smart jewellery tech – that’s gorgeous jewellery that doubles as tracking devices – is set to change that.
We’re now seeing beautiful pieces of jewellery that are stylish in themselves, but also function as stress tracking devices.
smart jewellery tech – that’s gorgeous jewellery that doubles as tracking devices
Our favourite is the divine Bellabeat Leaf, one of the first wearable pieces of smart jewellery aimed specifically at women which now tracks sleep, stress, steps, calorie burn and your menstrual cycle.
Bellabeat’s properly beautiful new Chakra design (founder Urska Srsen is an art and design graduate) now contains cool new healing crystals (because you know, crystal therapy is going to be big news for next year too…).
Then there’s the super-new Oura Ring (it’s so pretty and it’s unisex) that launched at September’s Somnex Sleep Show which calls itself ‘the world’s most advanced wearable’ – Prince Harry is already a fan.
Oura’s technology is insane as it claims to use 51 tracking measurements including body temperature and breathing rate to measure not only your activity and sleep scores but also – get this – your ‘readiness’ index.
That basically means the ring uses markers such as sleep quality, recovery levels, balance between sleep and rest and resting heart rate to measure your readiness to face life. Three words. Oh. My God.
And in case you’re not excited yet – though it’s not exactly jewellery we have to tell you about it – next year Bellabeat launches the world’s first water bottle that tracks your hydration levels.
Health Trend #6 Fat fasting for weight loss
Along with Keto, Intermittent Fasting (IF) was one of the diets of choice for those serious about getting health benefits and keeping their weight down during 2018.
At Healthista HQ, we did a feature quizzing personal trainers on exactly what they ate and the vast majority were IF devotees.
The most popular forms of IF are fasting for 16 hours and having an eating window of eight hours, that’s 16:8 – so you start eating at midday and stop at 8pm. But others also do 10:14 where you start eating at 10am and stop at midday.
The only trouble is the small issue of hanger. Those drawn out foodless mornings…throw in a deadline and you have a recipe for an outburst or ten.
So, while fat has been an instrument in weight loss diets for some time, with keto diets emphasising fat and brands like Bulletproof offering butter-laden coffee as an essential, companies like the pioneering new Ancient & Brave are offering an option to stop hunger pangs during your fasting window with fat that doesn’t spike blood sugar and tastes amazing.
stop hunger pangs during your fasting window with fat
Created by former Hollywood stunt double turned naturopath Annelie Whitfield who did stunts for the likes of Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman, A&B features delicious drinks of organic high-powered cacao and coffee blends mixed with other superfoods such as baobab and cinnamon but no sweeteners, only a little Himalayan sea salt.
You blend a few scoops with some organic butter and another element, A&B’s medium chain triglyceride oil – proven to help burn fat around the middle – and drink. It’s ridiculously tasty and it somehow stops hunger pangs. Whitfield attributes this effect to the fat, which is satiating, without spiking blood sugar, which she claims doesn’t break your fast.
Still not convinced? Read about how Healthista writer Sharon Walker lost 4kg in four weeks doing the A&B method.
Health Trend #7 Technical Running
2018 was the year of mindful running, where plodding the pavement became our therapy culminating in the launch of the Asics Blackout Track which featured no tech, no scenery, just running in darkness.
Well, get ready for that to come full circle. 2019 will be the year we focus on performance running and the nitty-gritty technical nature of our training. We’ll know our fartleks from our lactate thresholds, our MHRs from our negative splits and how to use them to make our running better.
This is the year we workout like athletes, and running is the first sport to really hone this trend. At Track Life London, elite trainer Rory Knight and 800m athlete Omar Mansour run Trackside every week where runners are coached on speed, technique and everything in between to make them better runners.
This is the year we workout like athletes
Excitingly, led by Knight and Mansour, the Pullman Hotels & Resorts will be launching an innovative Running Club at their London and Liverpool properties in January 2019, focusing on the trend of Technical Running.
Sessions will run the first Wednesday of the month until June and participants will learn tips and tricks from leading fitness influencers, join insightful Q&As, and sample a variety of innovative wellness brands. Watch this space.
Health Trend #8 Spiritual Skin
Photo by Jake Curtis of Sushma and his wife
Google searches for “crystal healing” in the last four years have shot up by 40 per cent, driven by the spirituality trend.
The growth of beauty, facials and treatments that focus on energy healing, rituals and crystals is set to make 2019 the year your skin gets its own chakra-balancing system
Reiki master, Sushma Sagar is now doing Reiki energy facials at her Harley Street practice
Reiki master, Sushma Sagar of The Calmery in London, is now doing Reiki energy facials at her Harley Street practice, with a huge following from London’s wellness warriors and celebrities.
Other brands jumping on the trend include energetic healing at the Rosewood Mayakoba in Mexico where the Kuxtal Sensor Garden Journey takes guests through ‘four life phases’ based on a herb selected for its ‘energy recognition’ properties.
The Miraval Resort also offers a range of energy-healing treatments, using reiki, healing prayer and shamanic traditions.
Health Trend #9 Kid’s gyms
As Third Space in London gets ready to launch their own kid’s gym in the second quarter of 2019, the trend for dedicated children’s workouts and fitness spaces is starting to take hold.
The new Fitbit Ace is designed to get kids away from computer screens and into activity.
There are a few child gyms in LA such as The Little Gym of La Canada Crescenta which specialises in active play and moment, My Gym, which even caters for babies and Young Ninjas Martial Arts.
In Hong Kong, Generation Goji at Goji studios gets them leaping, rolling, throwing and running using child-friendly equipment.
Why should grown-ups have all the high-tech wellbeing gizmos?
Lots of new digital apps are also designed to enhance the wellbeing of children, such as Mindful Powers mindfulness for kids app and the Max Mindpower bear created by a 30-something neurologist which helps children learn to feel and name their emotions (we have seen it work, it’s amazing).
To help them sleep, the Moshi Twilight Sleep Stories app is strictly kids only territory as well as the Tick Tock Turtle Clock which claims to enhance sleep and help build confidence and uses sleep cycle detection tech so children are woken up in the best part of their sleep cycle and sunrise lights to wake them naturally. Why should grown-ups have all the high-tech wellbeing gizmos?
Health Trend #10 Immersion fitness at home
You know the whole gym experience? Well, that is nothing compared with the kind of immersive fitness experiences you’re set to be having in your own front room.
Peloton has been an innovator in this area bringing a boutique gym feeling to the home with spinning bikes and treadmills that allow users to take part in love classes streamed from their NYC studio.
Live streamed classes from the amazing new FIIT TV now allow users to join a class in real time and features the hottest Instagram trainers as teachers.
A chest strap comes with the FIIT console that has a built-in heart rate monitor and accelerometer which tracks your progress during the class with live metrics being tracked on the dashboard on screen.
Fiit goes beyond simply tracking heart rate and calories, and uses age, height, weight and current fitness level to accurately calculate metrics like Fiit Points and reps, and to recommend the best classes to suit individual goals.
a coffee table transforms into a workout bench, stool doubles as a dumbbell and felt X-Ball cover turns a yoga ball into a piece of seating
Each of the three studios — Cardio, Strength and Rebalance — has its own look and feel and the user dashboard shows real time performance metrics such as reps, calories, heart rate and Fiit Points to motivate members to rethink their potential.
MyFiit also captures class history, stats and personal bests, as well as recommends weekly training plans so you can track your progress.
Some like new ClassPass Live also allow users to see their performance on a leader board against other people’s. Genius.
Furniture is now turning into fitness aids too. The Habit Furniture which calls itself ‘multifunction fitness furniture’ has a coffee table that transforms into a workout bench, stool that doubles as a dumbbell and felt X-Ball cover that turns a yoga ball into a comfy piece of seating.
Even hotels are in on this trend. Pullman Hotels & Resorts, in collaboration with their fitness ambassador US-based Instagram star Sarah Hoey have developed a series of four 7-minute videos available through YouTube. The workout can be as intensive as you like, and you can choose to train using each video individually or all four consecutively for a complete 30-minute workout.
Here’s an example of one of Sarah’s Pullman 7 minute workouts:
Pullman has also set up an external fitness trail developed by Sarah Hoey, the Fit Trail, in some of its properties including Pullman Timi Ama Sardegna, Pullman Marrakech Palmeraie Resort and Spa, and Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach. The Fit Trail offers a minimum of five fitness stations featuring high quality equipment complete with instructions.
Healthista undertook trends research in partnership with Pullman London St Pancras. Write to us at editor@healthista.com with your health trend predictions and thoughts.
Read More:
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