Wellness trends can sometimes get a bad rep, with so many influencers out there jumping onto every passing bandwagon. However, some trends turn out to be more than passing fads, and can provide a genuine boost to our mental and physical wellbeing. Here’s a look at some of the most popular current ideas that are worth exploring.
Focusing on gut health
There is a lot more research available on the ‘gut brain axis’. This focuses on the way the nervous system connects the brain and the gut, which is thought to be through the vagus nerve. People who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are found to have a reduced function of the vagus nerve.
All this means that your mental health can be as important to the healthy functioning of the gut as your diet. This is why many people have started to include ‘mindful eating’ in their daily routine. It involves being more present when you eat, by concentrating on the smell, texture, and flavour of the food, and chewing each mouthful slowly.
Of course, eating a well-balanced diet and avoiding too many highly processed foods which are full of additives is good news for your gut. Including oily fish (containing Omega-3 fats), fermented foods such as live yoghurt, and high-fibre foods such as wholegrain rice and vegetables in your diet can help to ensure a good balance of healthy digestive bacteria.
Mindful exercise
Mindfulness is one of the most popular meditation techniques for managing stress right now. A new take on the idea this year has been to combine mindfulness with exercise routines. Traditionally, this has been practiced through yoga, but the concept is now applied more widely to exercise.
For example, mindful running has been shown to be more effective at alleviating depression than regular running. The technique can be used to help release the mind from everyday stresses about work, finances, and family that most of us tend to carry with us when we run.
It is about concentrating on the movements of the body and the pattern of the breath, and being in the present moment rather than letting your mind wander. These methods can be applied no matter what exercise you are doing, whether ploughing up and down the pool, or working out at the gym, or even just walking the dog.
Journaling
Journaling is not a new idea, of course, but since the pandemic it has soared in popularity. It could take many forms, from simply writing down the events of the day to help clear your mind at night, to making an effort to record your moods or deeper feelings. This can help us to release negative emotions, or gain more insight into a problem.
Journals can also be used to track what we eat and drink, by writing an honest account of all the meals, snacks, and drinks we consume during the day. Some people find this is useful to maintain a safe intake of alcohol, or to understand unhealthy eating patterns better.
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