New Year, New You

Health Trnds 2023

The best way to sum up what’s trending in wellness care in the coming year? “Do it your way!” The hottest trends are all focused on empowering you to decide what’s right for your unique needs. People are personalizing their healthcare routines more than ever. They’re also making time and in their lives to take care of themselves in a way that’s honestly refreshing! From wellness vacations to face yoga, green algae supplements to early dinner, there are seemingly limitless ways to help broaden your definition of wellness care. 2023 is all about deciding which trends are right for YOU!

by: amanda harper

Mobility First!

So many of us are struggling with the effects of aging and a sedentary lifestyle – even the most active among us aren’t immune to the problems that time at our desks can wreak. According to Pinterest, the hottest workout trends for 2023 are more centered on addressing particular physical mobility concerns. Think relaxing hip flexors, combating the “desk hump” on your neck and improving knee mobility… all of these physical therapy-inspired movements are spiking on search engines.

Low-Intensity, Everywhere

Low-intensity activities like walking, yoga and mobility exercises are becoming a normal part of our fitness routines. But more and more people are finding ways to incorporate this movement more intentionally throughout their days. While cardio will always be important, these low-intensity movement “snacks” mean you get in more overall activity – which can add up to even more benefits than your usual trip to the gym! This means that wellness can be incredibly flexible and integrated into your day rather than something you have to set aside time for; think standing desks, lunchtime strolls, “stretch breaks” and more trips to the water cooler.

Do Not Disturb

In the digital age, people have virtually limitless ways to contact one another – 24/7. More and more people are realizing that in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance, they need some time during the day when they’re not in touch. Phones have robust options for custom Do Not Disturb profiles, allowing you to choose which notifications, calls and texts you see immediately. This offers opportunities to time-block your responses, then get back to living your best life.

12-3-30 Goals

The formula is simple: set your treadmill to a 12% incline and try to sustain a pace of around 3MPH for 30 minutes. This trend exploded when TikTok creator Lauren Giraldo shared her treadmill setup, garnering 12.7 MILLION views. One of the reasons it resonated with so many people? It’s a workout you can easily take with you anywhere you go, whether at home, in the gym or while visiting relatives. Those suffering from tight calves and lower back pain should generally avoid such an incline, but it’s a fairly accessible challenge for most folks to work toward.

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Face Yoga

Can making silly faces make you look younger? Maybe not, but exercising your facial muscles and massaging your skin does have real beauty benefits! “Face yoga” stimulates the lymphatic system while toning facial muscles you might not ordinarily flex in your day-to-day life. Studies have shown that daily facial exercise really can result in firmer skin, fuller upper lips and more toning in the lower cheek area. More than that, this practice can reduce stress, help with headaches and ease parts of your face that may hold tension – and potential wrinkles. It’s very convenient; many people who do face yoga practice it before getting out of bed in the morning or even sitting at their desks.

Wellcations!

We’ve always known that vacations are absolutely essential to our overall mental health and well-being. We also know that American workers often let their vacation days go unused – even those who take theirs still end up working! 2022 was the year we finally acknowledged that the dangers of burnout are very real. In 2023, more people are using their vacation time more intentionally: enter the “wellcation.” Also known as wellness tourism, these trips are centered on wellness experiences that force you to really unplug from work. Think yoga retreats, group hikes, remote spas and digital detox retreats. By choosing a wellcation, you give yourself permission to ignore your inbox and truly unwind instead. Does the idea of a wellcation sound appealing to you? Here are some of the top wellness destiations in the US:

• Crestone Mountain Zen Center – Crestone,

Colorado • The Barns at The Toutbeck – Amenia, New York • Dunton Hot Springs – Dolores, Colorado • Miraval Austin – Austin, Texas • The Lodge at Woodloch – Hawley, Pennsylvania • Golden Door – San Marcos, California • The Omni Grove Park Inn – Asheville, North

Carolina • Hilton Head Health – Hilton Head, South

Carolina • 1440 Multiversity – Scotts Valley, California • Skyterra Wellness Retreat – Lake Toxaway,

North Carolina • Sanctuary Resort Spa – Paradise Valley, Arizona

Tech Talk!

Wellness brands are tapping into tech’s potential to revolutionize our lives. From virtual trainers to 21st-century body monitoring, tech will continue to be a part of our fi tness gear in 2023. We’re even seeing virtual reality stationary bike rides, allowing you to immerse yourself in the French countryside, for example. It truly feels like the future is now!

Smart watches have more or less become a staple for many of us. Other wearable tech – such as rings and pendants – have been less popular, mostly because they offer more connectedness and options. That said, smart rings are gaining some traction among people who want to step away from their text messages and inboxes for a while. For a while, the trends in fi t tech steered toward single items that could measure your progress over many different pieces of equipment. But inaccuracies in measurements were frustrating for a lot of users; fi tness trackers can’t necessarily tell the difference between a burpee and a deadlift! So 2023 is all about tailored tech designed to measure your progress and form more accurately. At-home training really took off during the pandemic, and it shows no signs of slowing down. It’s the experience that has evolved! Video, biofeedback and pre-programmed workouts help simplify and streamline the experience. But it’s not just fi tness tech that has us buzzing. The potential for technology to help us improve our overall wellness is so exciting. Apps offer support for better sleep, mental health, diet and more. If this has you thinking about digging that old FitBit out of a drawer, we encourage you to think about why it was so easy for you to take it off and forget about it in the fi rst place. Were the notifi cations annoying? Did it not provide the metrics you were hoping for? Did you really want an Apple Watch, but your partner bought a FitBit, and you just sorta went with it, even though you thought you were pretty clear that you wanted an Apple Watch, Todd? Whatever it was about the experience that disappointed you, it’s important to address that before you try again. New-gen fi tness watches (or other wearables!) may offer you the features your old tracker was lacking.

Our picks:

Tonal complete smart home gym with adaptive weight, form guidance and more ($3990 tonal.com)

Oura Ring Gen3 with sleep insights, activity goals and fi tness readiness insights ($299+ ouraring.com)

Hydrow smart rowing machine ($2495 hydrow.com) Fiture Core interactive fi tness mirror with rep counting, pace tracking and form feedback ($1,495 fi ture.com)

Apple Watch series 8 with “crash” emergency detection, enhanced Workout app and more ($399+ apple.com)

In Your Feels

The last few years have been focused on helping us see that mental health is the foundation upon which our entire well-being rests. Now that we’re finally acknowledging the importance of our mental and emotional health, we’re seeking new approaches to properly tending to our innermost selves. Pinterest reports huge increases in searches for alternative mental health self-care techniques like journaling, writing therapy and music therapy. The goal: feel your feelings and process them in your own way!

Try it!

Therapeutic Journaling Writing down your thoughts and feelings about personal experiences is nothing new. But very few people consistently keep up this habit. Those that do often keep a diary – that is, writing down the events of the day, focusing on facts over feelings – rather than taking the time to record and reflect on the emotional side of our days. Therapeutic journaling encourages you to think about how you felt during certain experiences, as well as to delve into what you think led to that emotional response. Starting seems easy enough – just buy a journal or open up a Google Document and go to town. But in reality, a blank page can feel overwhelming. Some people enjoy journals that come with prompts. Others like bullet journals that give their work a structure and some creative expression. Art Therapy Let me set your mind at ease right now: you do not have to be an artist to practice art therapy. The point of art therapy isn’t to make good art, but rather to express yourself, process your emotions and/or give yourself a tangible task to help you regulate your emotions. It’s really important to do a little research into art therapy before starting your journey. This will help you better understand your goals, as well as provide you some activities that will be most effective.

Music Therapy We all know that what we listen to greatly affects our mood – just take a look at your workout playlist or what you listen to when you’re going through a breakup. Music therapy encourages you to experience or even create music that aligns with the emotions you are processing or the feelings you want to experience.

Early Dinner Class Act!

Group fi tness classes have always been on-trend, but more than ever, people are seeking community and togetherness in their workouts. We haven’t forgotten the perks of one-onone training; more classes are switching to a hybrid format that offers the benefi ts of personalized attention inside a group setting. Still others are utilizing technology to bring that sense of community and care, using newsletters and virtual classes to add more content and connectedness.

With the rise of Intermittent Fasting and awareness of biorhythms, more and more people are having dinner earlier than ever – and the practice has very real health benefi ts. Doing so allows you plenty of time to digest, setting you up for a more restful night of sleep. Research tells us that people who eat earlier benefi t from better overall heart health. Some studies have shown that keeping all of your meals within a 10-hour window can improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Some people worry that they’ll end up with midnight munchies if they wrap up dinner before 6pm; if you’re a snacker, the key is to keep sensible snacks on hand so you don’t end up turning your bed into a giant charcuterie board. (Unless you have blood sugar concerns, avoid any snacking in the two to three hours before bed.) But research actually suggests that this won’t be a problem once you adjust to the switch; in one study, people who ate the same meals on a later schedule felt hungrier throughout the day than the people who ate earlier. Those same study participants seemed to burn calories more slowly and their fat tissue stored more calories. Food for thought!

So Long, Shirley Temple!

We’re saying goodbye to lackluster non-alcoholic drink options in the New Year. Whether you’re choosing to abstain from alcohol or you simply want a more delicious alternative to water, you deserve a drink with some pizazz! Fortunately, bartenders are getting on board. More exciting non-alcoholic drink options are hitting menus everywhere. In recent years, beverage companies have worked on non-alcoholic drinks and mixers that mimic the taste of traditional spirits, making a Manhattan or Moscow Mule mocktail possible. Here are some fun mocktail recipes you can try at your own bar!

HARVEST MOON

Recipe & photo courtesy of Everyday Kitchen, Louisville, Ky. 1 ounce butternut squash simple syrup 1 ounce grapefruit juice 1/4 ounce lime juice 2 sage leaves Top with soda water Instructions: Add all ingredients to small rocks glass and shake well. Garnish with dehydrated lime.

MELLOW MY MAN

Recipe courtesy Katie Tobin, bar manager of The Aquifer at New Riff Distilling | photo courtesy New Riff Distilling 2 ounces carrot juice 1 ounces beet simple syrup .5 ounces lime juice Soda water

Instructions: Add carrot juice, beet simple syrup, lime juice and ice to a cocktail shaker. Shake then double-strain into a highball glass with fresh ice. Top with soda and garnish with fresh berries on a skewer. * Beet simple syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar, ½ cup beet juice, ½ cup water in a pot and heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool and store refrigerated.

GET NAKED!

Recipe courtesy of Miranda Densford, beverage director at Barn8 Restaurant and Bourbon Bar, Goshen, Ky. | photo courtesy of Ryan Mahoney / Hermitage Farm 2 ounces NKD LDY Gin 1 ounce lemon juice 3/4 ounce foraged fortifi ed wine syrup** 4 dashes Scrappy’s Black Lemon Bitters Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Shake to chill and dilute and double strain into rocks glass with KY Straight Ice. **Infuse Chianti Classico with foraged botanicals from Hermitage Farm for one month. Strain solids and cook wine at a simmer for 10 minutes until alcohol is cooked out. Add sugar and cook until dissolved.

HOT BUTTERED RUM MOCKTAIL

Recipe courtesy Heather Wibbels, Bourbon Women managing director and author of “Bourbon is My Comfort Food” | photo courtesy Heather Wibbel

2 tablespoons hot buttered rum mix* 1 ounces salted caramel syrup the kind for coffee, not ice cream 1/2 tsp rum extract a drop or two of almond extract 8-10 ounces hot apple cider

*Mix: 1 stick butter (room temp.) ½ cup brown sugar 1.5 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp ground ginger 1.5 tsp vanilla Instructions: For the hot buttered rum mix, cream all the ingredients together with a mixer or mix well by hand. This can be done in advance and refrigerated. For the drink, add butter mix, steaming apple cider, salted caramel and extracts to a warmed heat-proof mug. Stir until the butter has melted and everything is combined. Garnish: whipped cream, cinnamon stick, salted caramel drizzle •