Health

Popular health trends of 2008

by Yuliya Talmazan | December 22, 2008 at 04:49 pm

663 views | 25 Recommendations | 9 comments

They say, "discipline weighs ounces, but regret weighs tons." Healthy lifestyle is always in fashion whether we actually achieve it or not, so let’s have a look at what were some of the popular and sometimes questionable health trends of 2008:

--Chocolate yoga: combines the benefits of yoga with eating chocolate to “facilitate relaxation, health and happiness.” But I guess anything is enjoyable with chocolate. It must be an “enjoy and burn it off before leaving the room” kind of thing. The idea is definitely creative and it is picking up quickly in the States.

--Acai weight loss: yummy acai is the new magic berry that will help you shed those extra pounds. Hm..maybe not! While it is true that it is packed with antioxidants and minerals, experts doubt the fruit’s effectiveness in weight loss.

--All natural sweetener in Diet Coke: until recently aspartame did a great job of fooling our taste buds into thinking that whatever we drink tastes sweet, but the phrase “chemically synthesized” just does not resonate well with consumers, so Coke and others are incorporating an all natural sweetener, harvested from stevia plants, into their zero-carb products. Yay for new labels, but the same old taste!

--Zumba workout: Zumba combines Latin dance moves with aerobics. From the YouTube videos of it, it looks like any other Latin dance workout but the cult of Zumba followers is rapidly growing. What is more, Kelogg is partnering with Zumba founders to feature Zumba dancers on its Special K cereal boxes.

--Spinning (a.k.a: indoor cycling): spinning would not be any different from exercising on a gym bike if it was not for an instructor who leads the class of participants through routines that are supposed to mimic outdoor cycling. Oh, and there is motivational music to keep you going. My question is why pay money for spinning when you can just ride your bike to work while listening to Aguilera's "Fighter" or whatever keeps you motivated on your iPod for free.

--Organic makeup: in the pursuit of everything organic, makeup is no exception. The common assumption, however, is that if it is natural, it does not cause allergies or any side effects. In all actuality it still can, and it does have to go through animal testing to be approved by FDA. In my view, the most organic makeup is no makeup at all. Whether what is clogging your pores is organic or artificial in nature is probably irrelevant.

This list is by no means comprehensive so please, comment on anything else I have missed.

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sara star

at 20:46 on December 22nd, 2008

The truth about antioxidants has been exposed, they don't keep us young.

Glad to see natural Stevia being used.

Dark chocolate is supposed to help you lose weight.

sean harringon (not verified)

at 23:55 on December 22nd, 2008

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I would like to introduce you to the RealRyder a new type of indoor cycle that replicates the feel of the road.

Regards,

Sean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdErmg6syHw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL1bLk7XYYU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erzzpuj1Reo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD3A-A_Dwas

www.realryder.com

dunkelberg

at 00:18 on December 23rd, 2008

Perhaps "spinning" should also include rain, mud and chowderhead drivers.

dunkelberg

at 00:18 on December 23rd, 2008

I would like to introduce you to our SPAM cleaner, if anyone is watching...sean harringon (not verified) meet the SPAM gobbler.

Milieunet

at 01:16 on December 23rd, 2008

Great. Any idea of the trend for 2009?

Flash-Flood

at 14:52 on December 23rd, 2008

Model: A photographer and yoga instructor in Boston, Ma
Photographer: http://www.flashfloodphoto.com/

Flash-Flood has contributed a photo to this story.

Paschen

at 09:09 on December 24th, 2008

Okay, some of this I simply do not buy or believe. Kip it simple and Stay Natural is my motto.

ditchtheworkout.com

at 14:53 on December 25th, 2008

ZUMBA the hot new fitness trend that is taking the world by storm! Classes are popping all over the country, including places like the Natick Collection in Natick Massachusetts. This demonstration was led by the mult-italented Ann Saldi the New England Zumba Education Specialist, accompanied by Official Zumba Instructors Char Willingham & Ali Struyk Photos compliments of http://www.ditchtheworkout.com.

ditchtheworkout.com has contributed a photo to this story.

jenn_carter

at 20:23 on December 26th, 2008

This was at a local Community Health Fair. The public, including adults and children, were encouraged to participate in the yoga class and received brochures on yoga's physical fitness benefits. Everyone enjoyed themselves and were enlightened quite a bit about something so different from what they were used to.
It was a very enjoyable evening!

jenn_carter has contributed a photo to this story.