New Year’s Big Trend Will Leave You Less Stressed and Sleeping Better
Every New Year arrives with forecasts of what foods we’ll eat, exercises we’ll do, and technologies we’ll use to improve our health and wellbeing. And that’s a good thing!
While fads don’t stick around long enough to make a difference, trends have staying power, emerging from the real-time health issues we’re facing and applying the latest innovations available to revolutionize the way we care for ourselves.
And when you consider the rising costs of healthcare and barriers to accessing the right care, health trends give us the opportunity to take charge and test-drive new approaches for living healthier, happier, fuller lives.
Among them, the top trend of 2024 is unique in that it puts mental health on a pedestal in every category.
Putting Mental Fitness First
Our Gen Z friends have reframed how we think about mental health. This young population values self-care and has put sick days and mental health days on equal plane.
As a result, we’re having stigma-free conversations about stress, anxiety and emotions that raise awareness about the interconnection between our body’s network of systems.
Take stress, which has been shown to affect all age groups and has been classified as the health epidemic of the 21st century by the World Health Organization (WHO).**
A hair-trigger stress response triggers immune and inflammatory responses, both of which suffer long-term when chronically activated beyond normal range.*
A jaw-dropping 75-90% of our health struggles are related to chronic stress, which can ferociously impact the heart, brain, metabolism, gut, muscles, and even oral health.*** And if there are co-existing mental health challenges, stress can intensify them.
Fortunately, the New Year is ringing in new and effective ways to cope with stress and increase your mental fitness.
Top Health & Happiness Trends of 2024
Mobility exercises
Large muscle groups get all the attention in the gym, but the small muscle groups and accompanying cartilage, tendons and ligaments that help you move well, help prevent strains, and improve posture and range of motion.
Activities such as yoga and pilates combine improve strength and flexibility through fluid movements that work soft tissue groups as one, not in isolation. Think of these gentle motions as therapy on a mat: they slow the breath and bring focus inward, calming the fight-or-flight response (sympathetic nervous system) and allowing the relaxion response (parasympathetic system) to take over.*
If you prefer to stay on your feet, tai chi is a dynamite option for improving balance and core strength. It’s meditation in motion with its slow, rhythmic choreography and sequences that also challenge your mind and help improve memory.*
Mindful magnesium
The mindful mineral has been on our radar and continues its upward march as a safe, natural way to take the edge off after a stressful day.
Magnesium can improve relaxation, reduce stress and improve sleep quality, because it helps ignite 300 enzymatic processes related to muscle and nerve function, and blood pressure regulation.* Researchers also believe it helps calm the central nervous system.* Without magnesium, you can’t absorb other nutrients that support a cool, calm mental state, such as vitamin D and calcium.*
According to a review published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, up to 50% of adults are falling short of daily recommendations for maintaining adequate levels of magnesium.*
While supplies last, get a FREE Unwind magnesium sleep powder when you buy one. It delivers one of the best absorbed forms – magnesium glycinate – in an easy-to-mix powder.
Telepsychology
When the pandemic shut everything down, interest in online therapy shot up, unleashing a virtual safe space for every age group to recharge their mental health. Therapists and counselors pivoted en masse to embrace a technology for helping us through a global mental health crisis.
We’re no longer in lockdown, but online therapy is here to stay for its convenience and modern approach to addressing modern-day mental health struggles. And with studies indicating the efficacy of online cognitive behavior therapy is on par with in-person therapy for addressing anxiety and melancholy, this is an upward trend with positive effects for us all.*
Collagen for brain health
When you think of the benefits of collagen, mood enhancement probably does not come to mind. As the most abundant protein in your body, collagen comprises about 30% of total protein volume and is found in familiar places, such as your skin, hair and joints, but also in the protective lining that surrounds organs.
Exciting research reveals that collagen may have neuroprotective benefits for supporting age-related cognitive and nervous system function.*
One study measured the effects of daily collagen peptides intake (5 grams) on cognitive function and brain structure. After just 4 weeks of daily collagen intake, participants experienced improved memory and cognition.*
Find the clinically backed dose in Youthful Beauty Advanced. It supplies 10 grams of collagen peptides, along with protein-building amino acids and antioxidants to nourish collagen-dependent tissues throughout your body.
Trends may come and go, but habits that help you stay mentally fit, and increase everyday joy and happiness will never go out of style!