When it comes to the constant feed of health and wellness content on the internet, the vast amount of suggestions and information about the latest and greatest trends and movements can be overwhelming. Lucky for us, LIVunLtd has an in-house team of Certified Personal Trainers and Wellness Coaches, so we polled our experts to get their input on the most trending fitness and wellness regimens of today that we think you want to know about. We hope you find our shortlist to be a helpful resource on your personal wellness journey.
Want some personal one-on-one guidance and motivation? It’s as easy as filling out this form to get set up with one of LIVunLtd’s trainers or wellness coaches.
Intense Breathwork: Wim Hof Method
The Wim Hof Method was started by Dutch motivational speaker, Wim Hof, who is known for winning a Guinness World Record for swimming under ice, running a barefoot half-marathon, and standing in an ice-filled container for over 112 minutes. His breathing method has been trending in the wellness world as it aims to teach you to develop mastery over your nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems to help you live a happier, healthier, and stronger life. What are your expert opinions on breathing techniques and the Wim Hof Method?
Wake up with gentler breathing practices
“In a world where our senses are dulled and our minds are preoccupied, intense breathwork can be invigorating and enlivening (especially when coupled with cold plunges!). From a yoga and Ayurvedic perspective, this method of waking up the body can cause more harm than good over time. Rapid breathing signals the nervous system to go into sympathetic mode—the stress response—which heightens our immune system, thickens the blood, increases blood glucose, and shuts down all the activities of homeostasis in the body (digestion, elimination, reproduction, immunity, cell repair). In yoga, this would be considered a state of rajas—hyperactivity and even aggression and competition. Most of us are already in the stress response from daily life, so why initiate it? I’ve seen clients turn to Wim Hof only to have their anxiety and insomnia worsen after the temporary boost in energy. We can feel a similar internal wake-up through gentler yogic breathing practices like Brahmari (buzzing bee breath) or ujjayi (victorious breath). Breathing long and smooth will keep the nervous system calm AND awake. Think: marathon, not a sprint!”
15-Minute Workout vs. Hours in the Gym
Across the internet, people are claiming that shorter, high-intensity workouts can yield significant benefits in less time. Naturally, many are drawn to this trend due to the convenience of fitting a workout into a bustling and busy lifestyle, but are 15-minute workouts really as effective as hours spent at the gym?
The power of focus
“A focused, specific, and determined 15-minute workout is absolutely more beneficial than hours at the gym. A 15-minute workout that elevates your heart rate (HIIT, Supersets, etc) and gets your muscles fired up will have lasting physical and mental benefits throughout the remainder of your day.”
Sustainability is key
“The best workouts are the ones you can stick to consistently. A routine you can have as 15 – 20 minutes 4 days per week is endlessly better than spending an hour at the gym once every few weeks, being exhausted, and then not ever wanting to go back. My best advice would always be to start small. Invest in tiny movement routines like walking for 10 minutes after each meal, doing 15 minutes of core work while you watch TV, or putting on a YouTube Yoga or Pilates workout before bed that you can do in your room instead of scrolling on social media. Little switches in your fitness journey like this lead to BIG changes down the road!”
HIIT Training
HIIT, which involves alternating short bursts of intense exercise with periods of rest or lower-intensity activity, has become a major fitness trend in the past few years for its efficiency, greater calorie burn, improved cardiovascular health, and versatility. Is HIIT really worth the hype?
Incorporate HIIT into your routine
“HIIT Training is a very helpful fitness trend and should have its place in your fitness/strength training routine. A HIIT workout 1x/wk will add some variety to your workouts, potentially get you out of your comfort zone, and will test your mental/physical grit.”
Body Cycling
With an increase of trends honing in on women’s health, body cycling has emerged as a fitness tool that encourages women to switch up their workout routine based on different phases of their menstrual cycle. What are your opinions on body cycling and do you have any tips on aligning your workout with your cycle?
Draw energy inward during your period
“Huge yes to this! Our culture teaches women to “work through pain” all the time, including during the menstrual cycle. Traditionally, bleeding was a time for rest and internal awareness since the body was busy detoxifying itself. Adding exercise will draw energy away from that internal process and can result in periods that are more dysregulated over time. While we want to encourage circulation during bleeding, we want that to be directed internally rather than externally. While all people have different needs, the energetic phases of the cycle, as well as the ebb and flow of hormones, can result in these kinds of workouts feeling best throughout the cycle: Menstruation (especially the first 3 days): REST! Restorative and gentle yoga, walking Follicular phase (after menstruation through ovulation): gradual increase of cardio and strength; the body has more power and energy Luteal phase (after ovulation): strength (weights, slow and steady yoga with standing poses); the body has more internal heat from hormones so the movement should be grounding and stabilizing”
Create harmony with your hormones
“Women’s hormones ebb and flow monthly, like the moon. By allowing our mind and body to ebb and flow from more intense workouts, to more yielding movement routines, we work with our hormones to help balance them, instead of creating disharmony.”
Savory or Sweet Breakfast
While some sources claim that a savory breakfast is better for your health and wellness, others are claiming that a sweet breakfast is superior. Is one really better than the other?
Protein is key for recovery + energy levels
“I love both! However, I do ultimately make sure that whatever option I choose, it’s going to contain a strong amount of protein. Starting my day with 20-30 grams of protein has truly changed the game for me in terms of helping me recover more quickly from my workouts as well as keeping my energy levels high through a busy work day. For a savory option, I’d go with chicken or turkey sausage with any type of eggs (+ hot sauce, duh!!) and for a sweet option, I LOVE blueberry muffin-flavored protein powder mixed into overnight oats, cottage cheese, or Greek yogurt with lots of nuts, banana, dates or figs, and fresh berries on top.”
Calorie Counting + Weighing Food
With the popularity of MyFitnessPal and other calorie-counting apps, tracking and weighing food has been a common tool people are using to help lose weight or keep track of diet and nutrition. However, this trend has also been claimed by some to lead to unhealthy relationships with food. Are using these tools more harmful or helpful?
Honor your body
“Personally counting calories and weighing your food is a harmful trend. I understand it is vital for people who want to achieve certain fitness goals, but I feel that discourages people from honoring their bodies. I want my clients to ENJOY moving their body. Whenever my client asks about nutrition I tell them to make wise choices. Try to avoid the junk and read the labels. And don’t beat yourself up for having dessert, love your life!”
Wearable Tracking Devices
From Fitbits to Apple Watches to Oura Rings, there’s no doubt that tracking devices have gained widespread popularity in the past years. With technology coming out that allows people to track so many different health metrics, from sleep quality to heart health, is paying attention to so many of these metrics really that beneficial to our health and wellness?
Let your mind + body connection be the guide
“One of the latest fitness trends that I think can be more harmful than helpful is the wearable tracking device trend. These trackers can steal our attention and easily become the goal rather than the exercise. Instead of allowing the wearable to dictate how much exercise is good for you, let you own body/mind connection be the guide. Try 20-30 minutes a day of exercise that helps you to feel alive creates sweat on your forehead allows you to feel your heart pumping, gives you an opportunity to chat with another human, instead of another device.”
Cortisol Levels
As more and more people have become aware of the impact of stress on overall health and wellness, cortisol levels have been a buzzing topic in the wellness world. With so many tools and ways to reduce cortisol, the hormone produced in response to stress, being talked about online, what tools do you find helpful in reducing cortisol levels?
Slow down + nourish the soul
“All of us need to get to work and do some intense workouts occasionally, but in a world that awards the Yang (dynamic), more than the Yin (nurturing/building) we can find ourselves in a constant state of fight or flight with high cortisol blood levels. Instead of always signing up for the HIIT class, lean into a slower, quieter, and more nourishing form of movement such as yoga or mindful movement and you will be surprised by how your energy level grows. When I’m feeling hot, inflamed, or over-caffeinated, I reach for an herbal tea like Dandelion, Chicory or Nettle. These herbs are health tonics for the multiple systems of the body such as the urinary, kidneys, and liver. While they have a similar bitter taste to coffee, they have anti-inflammatory cooling energetics, and are packed with antioxidants.”
Abs Are Made In The Kitchen
When people say, “abs are made in the kitchen,” they’re referring to belief that what you eat is more important than how much you exercise if you are hoping to see defined abdominal muscles. What are your opinions on this trend?
Diet changes are necessary
“TRUE for most of us. The only way to have visible abdominal definition is to have minimal body fat in that area, so the only way to gain that definition is to lose body fat. Simply put, that means you must eat fewer calories than you are burning (AKA calorie deficit). This is easier for some folks than others – everyone has a different body shape naturally. But if visible abs are what you are after, crunches alone won’t do the trick – diet changes are necessary.”
Long-term, sustainable habits are key
“Abs are made in the kitchen is true to some extent. No matter how much you train, poor nutrition will hold you back. However, I believe it’s important to understand my client’s history with diet and exercise to create a plan that promotes long-term, sustainable habits and keeps them motivated.”
Doing Cardio Ad Nauseum for Weight Loss
There’s no doubt that doing cardio is beneficial for weight loss. However, many are seeing it as the one and only key to losing weight, making people focus in on doing a ton of cardio during their weight loss journey. Do you believe solely focusing on cardio or adopting a more holistic approach is better for weight loss?
A blend of cardio, calorie deficit + strength training is key
“Cardio is great for many reasons, but leaning on it so much for weight loss likely won’t provide the best results. The driving factor of weight loss is being in a calorie deficit. Non-stop cardio won’t contribute as much to your progress. The way you’re eating and strength training alongside it will.”
Embrace an all-encompassing approach
“Doing Cardio Ad Nauseam for Weight Loss – Doesn’t work! The route to weight loss is calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than you burn). And the truth is, long steady state cardio workouts just don’t burn that many calories. Cardio is great for heart health and longevity, but for sustainable weight loss, you need an all-encompassing approach that includes diet changes, resistance training and yes, some cardio as well. On the bright side, you’ll save yourself a lot of time on the treadmill by cutting out the Ad Nauseam cardio!”
Fad Diets
From the keto diet to veganism to the Mediterranean diet, people are always coming up with new diet plans that claim to optimize health benefits. With so much confusion around which diets are best to follow, can you provide some clarity on some of the trending fad diets?
Focus on a diet you can sustain
“As a former Keto queen, I experienced the highs and lows that came with it. Carbs are the body’s main source of energy as well as essential for brain function. Cutting them out to such an extreme can impact your performance in the gym, your mood, hormones etc. The thing with fad diets is they all “work”, but most are not realistically sustainable over a long period of time. They are either too restrictive, boring, cost prohibitive or hard to stick to when you’re out and about. So when people can no longer adhere to the parameters of any given fad diet they will inevitably lose the progress they had made and then some.”
Making good choices on a daily basis is key
“Intermittent fasting is a trend I see as more harmful than helpful. Everyone is different of course but I have seen more often than not it becomes something too hard to sustain over time as well. Eliminating an entire meal from your day will most likely put you in a calorie deficit by default which is the way to achieve weight loss but you were already fasting the whole time you slept. Skipping meals also doesn’t do much to teach you how to eat and make good choices for yourself daily as well as how it can reinforce feelings around restrictive eating for people who have struggled with any kind of eating disorder in the past.”
Supplements
From hair and nail growth to stabilizing mood to increasing their focus, there’s no doubt that people are looking towards supplements to help them with each and every one of their mental and physical health and wellness concerns. With so many supplement products coming out all claiming to be beneficial to our health, it’s hard to know which ones work and which ones don’t. What advice do you have when it comes to choosing supplements?
Do your research first
“Be careful! Supplements have become popular and marketed as “enhancers” or “quick fixes”. Before starting taking supplements of any kind, I have two serious pieces of advice for every client. 1. Be mindful that supplements are NOT regulated by the FDA. That means what the package says may not be what is actually in the powder/pill/bottle. There is no governing body making sure that ingredients listed are actually in the supplement. There are of course good brands and bad brands, but it is important to know that these are not regulated substances. 2. Consider these questions before taking supplements: Why are you taking this supplement? Is this something you can get by eating a nutritious and balanced diet? Did you get blood work done by a physician and were directed that you were specifically deficient in one area? Is there a specific element of performance that cannot be improved without adding supplements to your diet?”
Great additions to a healthy lifestyle
“When it comes to supplements, the key is in the word itself, supplement. They are designed to enhance and complete a balanced approach to nutrition and exercise. As a weight trainer, I’ve realized the importance of using the right supplements to complement my training. Supplements like creatine, protein powder, and L-glutamine, play a key role in supporting muscle growth and recovery. Creatine boosts strength, protein aids in muscle repair, and L-glutamine speeds up recovery from intense training. They are great additions to a balanced fitness routine.”
5K Steps A Day
The 5K steps a day trend has gained popularity for those who are looking to improve their health without committing to rigorous exercise routines. People have been claiming that walking 5,000 steps in a day can improve cardiovascular health, help with weight management, and improve mental well-being, but should we really be getting in 5,000 steps a day?
Move your body daily
“You should get your 5K steps a day! Walking is such a great way to move your body, clear your mind, and boost your mood. It doesn’t even have to be walking, it could be cycling, dancing, or even the stair master! Just plan to move your body for at least 30/40 minutes a day.”
If you are interested in a customized one-on-one approach, fill out this form to talk to one of our experts.
