1. MEDITATION

 

Meditation is a practice that has been around thousands of years. Yes, Thousands! It dates back to ancient Egypt, China and obviously, Buddhism. While we know biohacking isn’t a real thing, Meditation is the closest thing to it.

Meditation can come in many forms. It involves deep breathing, slow in-and-out breaths. Slowing down your heart rate, activating your parasympathetic nervous system and paying attention to your breathing. Daily meditation has endless health benefits. This includes reduces stress, increased blood flow, decreased inflammation, better brain function from increased oxygen and so much more.

These days, it’s easier than ever to get involved. Hundreds of YouTube videos are there to help you on your mindfulness journey. From brief, 5-minute meditation sessions to 90-minute yoga videos. Not to mention apps like Calm and Headspace that provide content to help you meditate. From calming music to verbal guides, you have all of the tools to take control of your mind in 2023.

2. SAUNA AND INFRARED SAUNA

What was once a cultural practice shared by the Slavic and Scandinavian peoples, is now being widely utilized around the world for its health benefits. Sitting in a sauna has tons of valuable health benefits. It has thermogenic effects, which increases internal body temperature and helps you burn calories. You find this in sports, especially among UFC fighters, which they use saunas during weight cuts. Among the other health benefits is increased blood flow and reduced inflammation.

There is some disagreement (as there always is) in the medical community in regards to the health benefits of saunas. All people aren’t built the same. Those with heart issues are not encouraged to spend long periods of time in the sauna since it’s a burden on the heart. Depending on your age and fitness level, you should always consult with a doctor if the sauna is right for you.

While not everyone has the funds or space in their home for a sauna, businesses have come to the rescue. Many gyms now have saunas available for use. There are even businesses that offer only the sauna experience. You can even buy portable saunas from Amazon at fairly reasonable prices.

3. WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

This is perhaps the largest subsector of the health and wellness market. While we have many products and services that claim to have health benefits, the only way to see if that’s accurate is with wearable technology.

It’s important to differentiate activity trackers and actual health wearables. Activity trackers… do just that. Track what you’re doing. From heart rate to steps and distance. We’ve said it many times, these are more so motivational devices. Health wearables provide insight, data and analytics into the inner working of your internal health. And how do they do that?

Smart wearable devices like the AIO Smart Sleeve have a feature called heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is a biomarker that closely studies your heart rate pattern. The variability arises from beat-to-beat variation of your heart rate. The higher the variability, the better. HRV gives users insight into stress levels, recovery, resilience and the overall effects of the environment on their body. With this tool you can assess which diet works for you, which workout works for you and even how your body is affected by hot and cold therapy. The possibilities are endless.

4. COLD THERAPY

There are different forms and names for this particular trend. Cold therapy, cryotherapy, polar plunge; the list goes on. The theme is immersing yourself in (ice) cold water for seconds / minutes at a time. Cold therapy actually has a long history. In the former Soviet Union, mothers used to leave their infant children outside in the cold for short periods of time to strengthen immune systems. It was believed that the Romanov’s (Russia’s royal family) had greatly weakened immune systems because they never went outside.

In modern history, cold showers and ice baths have been made popular by guys like Wim Hoff and Joe Rogan. This is quite a popular recovery method among many pro athletes as well. If you can master it, it helps you build resiliency, boost immune system, reduce inflammation and help you control your brain and body. The mindfulness aspect of this method should not go unnoticed.

5. SLEEP

This is one of the most important, yet obvious wellness trends to take over in the past few years. Since the 1980’s, Western culture has normalized working 24/7, and 4 hour sleeps. This is the only way you get ahead. But research has shown the negative health effects of poor sleep patterns.

Poor sleep can lead to tiredness, poor recovery, reduced digestion efficiency, lack of focus, poor decision making and more. People are really starting to listen to the advice of doctors and sleep experts. Burning out and working 12 hours will lead to poor output as opposed to 8 hours with complete focus.

The sleep industry is also massive. From sleep apps, to sleep trackers, mattresses and supplements, the importance of sleep is finally getting the attention it deserves.