As health and fitness become more and more prevalent in today’s society, there have been countless health trends that promote natural (or unnatural) wellness.
Waist Trainers
Waist Trainers were an interesting health trend that was mostly made popular by in-shape celebrities. The goal of the waist trainer was to wear a corset-like slip that would give ladies an exaggerated hourglass shape with little to no effort. Fat in your waist area would be forced either upward or downward to achieve this look.
Reports have been made that waist trainers can actually be detrimental to a person’s health if they are worn for extended periods of time. Stomach problems, limited blood flow, and compressed lungs are some of the side effects.
Health problems aside, the waist trainer does not help people lose weight. The trend marketed by celebrities had no actual results besides when it was worn.
No make-up look
The trend adopted by Alicia Keys can be easily simplified into a phrase: girls aren’t wearing makeup. The public embrace for natural beauty started a social media eruption; women became more body positive and comfortable posting about their natural skin with no makeup, stretch marks, and other natural aspects of their appearance.
This trend promotes skin health and self-confidence that has overflowed into other beauty trends, such as cleaner, more natural makeup looks that required less actual product.
“I loved it!” Carly Carman, a Bloomsburg theater major, said. “I’ve participated a few times in the body positivity posting too. The positive feedback I got personally helped me feel better about myself.”
CrossFit
One of the most intensive and explosive recent fitness trend is CrossFit. CrossFit.com describes the workout regime this way: “…workouts are based on functional movements, and these movements reflect the best aspects of gymnastics, weightlifting, running, rowing and more.”
CrossFit revolutionized exercise for both men and women since 2000. People who endure the CrossFit tradition are considered to be apart of a “cult” but this fitness cult was the fastest growing trend since it began.
Veganism
Not so much a trend as it is a lifestyle, veganism has growth more popular within the past few years. As described by vegankit.com the diet consists of eating only plant-produced products, excluding milk, honey, or eggs.
Adopting the vegan lifestyle is a way of showing mutual respect for animals and vowing not to use them in any aspect, whether it is for food, clothing, or entertainment.
“The passion I have for protecting animal rights is more important, so it wasn’t much of a sacrifice to me,” said Nick Crouse, an English major and art history minor. “[When] joining the vegan community right before the big boom in the trend, I still got some eye rolls from my friends about my decision to cut animal products.”
Veganism became more “mainstream” around 2010, and since then multiple cookbooks, restaurants, and vendors are tailoring their menus to this lifestyle and healthy choice.
Fitness Trackers
The health trend with the most technology use would go to fitness trackers. Fitbits, Apple watches, or Nike’s Fuelbands track a range of health related things: such as sleep waves, heart rate, exercise information, calorie intake, water loggers, etc.
Some trackers allow the wearers to connect with other people they know and compare their own fitness journeys to others. Wearing them is also an incentive to keep up with the fitness plan a person can decide to make for themselves.
Goals can be easy made and achieved with the help of these trackers, which add to their popularity. Articles stated that trackers can help people stay motivated and more likely to keep striving for self-improvement.
As health trends come and go, the strive for wellness and happiness doesn’t end for society. The culture around healthy living will continue to grow and expand as new trends evolve and older ones fade away.
