The Best Trends to Keep You Happy & Healthy in 2016

There are so many simple ways to live a happier and healthier life in 2016. From better fitness options to do anywhere to easier ways to eat healthy, here are the best trends to keep you happy, healthy and fit.

Top Fitness Trends for 2016

Fitness and exercise will always be a part of a healthy and happy lifestyle. In 2016, you have a ton of choices for how and where to work out. That should make it easier than ever to commit to a regular exercise plan throughout the year, but it doesn’t have to involve making a trek to the gym.

The American College of Sports Medicine recently released its annual list of top fitness trends and the top three are all fantastic options to make working out a simple part of your life without the need for a gym membership or classes. The top 3 fitness trends this year are:

- Wearable Technology – This includes smart watches, heart rate monitors, and fitness trackers. There are so many options for great wearable technology and, even if you just wear it during your workout, it will add a new level of accountability and tracking to your exercise routine. You will be able to definitively see how long you worked out and how strenuous the activity.

- Body Weight Training – The idea is simple. Workouts that include minimal equipment. Many people might opt for a yoga pad or softer surface to do the many ground based exercises, but that’s not even necessary for a great body weight training regimen. There are tons of great options and videos for body weight training plans and routines. Here’s a great video of some basic body weight exercises on YouTube. As with any exercise program, it’s best to start slow and consult a professional if you have any issues.

- High-Intensity Interval Training – Instead of trying to push your workouts longer in 2016, make them more intense for short periods of time. A simple example is running at a near-sprint pace for a few minutes and then backing it down to a jog for a couple minutes. You can make this change instead of simply trying to run for longer distances this year. The change to high-intensity training can allow you to get more out of shorter workouts. Again, it is best to consult fitness and medical professionals before embarking on a new program that involves pushing your physical limits.

Healthy Eating Trends for 2016

The options for healthy eating are tremendous in 2016. We live in an age where you can get an assortment of healthy foods delivered directly to your door and there are many new technologies that will allow you to prepare those healthier options in creative new ways. There are also many wonderful movements to decrease food waste this year, which only makes sense. All the improvements in technology should allow us as a society to make better use of our limited agricultural resources and decrease the amount of food that is wasted in 2016.

Healthy eating and convenient shopping are only an app away in this day and age. There are tons of great options, like PostMates and Instacart, for grocery delivery websites and apps and they generally include many grocery and health food stores in your area. These options can make it so much easier to make healthy choices on the foods you buy and eat. Think about how often you throw in those foods you might love, but know they are not good for you. We all have those delicious treats we have a hard time walking past at the grocery store. These options are also fantastic for the busy professionals that end up eating poorly because they are too tired to shop for healthy meals after work. All the delivery services do charge small fees, but they are generally affordable and can be a great deal when you consider the time it takes you to shop for healthy food.

There are also a ton of great apps to help you plan healthier meals and create shopping lists for those meals. PlanToEat and PepperPlate are two of the most innovative options in this area. Both have simple to use websites and apps that will allow you to save all your favorite recipes, assign them to the day and time you want to eat them and create weekly shopping lists for those recipes. They sync up your weekly and monthly meal plans among all your devices so you have your healthy eating plan at your fingertips wherever you go. PlanToEat offers a 30-day free trial that will allow you to test all the features of the program. PepperPlate is a free service.

As the amount of available food waste grew to about one third of all food supply in the United States, the US Department of Agriculture announced an initiative at the end of last year to cut the amount of food waste in half. This ambitious plan includes many important government agencies, private businesses, public corporations and food banks across the country. Most of the plan involves voluntary ways for food to be redirected instead of thrown away. Much of the food that is wasted on farms or in grocery stores and restaurants around the country can be used to feed the many homeless and hungry people around the country. This initiative is about finding and implementing the simplest and safest ways.

As part of their reporting on the new initiative to cut food waste, National Public Radio put together a helpful report on ways that we can all cut down on the amount of food we waste in our own refrigerators. You can check to see if your eggs are good past their expiration date by putting them in a bowl of water. If they sink to the bottom, they are still good to eat. If they float, throw them out. They also have a bunch of information on understanding expiration dates of many other foods and products. There are even tips on using your freezer to the fullest potential to make the food you have in your kitchen last longer. There are so many simple ways to cut down on food waste and save your family money in the process.

Healthy Living Trends for 2016

Healthy living is something that is harder to quantify, but no less important than healthy eating and regular exercise. There are a few simple things you can do to enjoy the wealth of benefits from healthy living this year. From removing the toxins in your life to finding ways to slow down and appreciate the present moment, we have a few simple suggestions to make 2016 the most enjoyable and healthiest year yet:

- Slow Down and Find Simple Joys in Life – We live in world where we are surrounded by constant stimuli. Most of our jobs have expanded outside the office with email always available on your phone. The news cycle never ends and every device tempts you to dive in further. We can binge on TV shows anywhere. Take some time to remove yourself from the chatter on regular basis this year. This could be as simple as a few minutes of meditation before you dive into your favorite Netflix series or opting to simply listen to an album you love without any other distractions or devices. Most of us can think of some simple things we took great pleasure in years ago, but haven’t taken the time to enjoy in quite a while. Make a list and make some time for them this year

- Remove Toxins From Your Life – Make 2016 the year that you say goodbye forever to most of the unnecessary and avoidable toxins in your life. Most of the common sources of toxins in your home, including name brand cleaning supplies, aerosol sprays, laundry detergents, shampoos and more, have effective and natural alternatives. Simply replace them one by one with all natural products and you’ll be on your way to a much healthier year.

- Read More – Study after study shows that American children are reading less than ever. In the span of the last 20 years, American children have gone from the most active readers in the world to among the least. It corresponds perfectly with the age of the internet. Technology is immensely helpful and impactful, but it can make it easier to stop pursuing more enduring forms of happiness. Reading a good book on something you love, or even exploring a topic you’re just curious about, is the perfect way to fight back against the temptation for too much instant gratification. Find a quite spot and dive into a good book a few times a week this year to put yourself on the path to a more lasting happiness.

At Green Virgin Products, we are always looking for simple ways to share the art of healthy and happy living. We are offering you a special opportunity to stock up on our array of healthy living products with a discount. Use the coupon code: 10off – to get 10% off on anything in our store at checkout today.

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!!