Wellness Trends Part Two

I like you have had time the past 16 months to pause for a minute and think about the things I care about most.  I never realized that I had literally been on the go my whole life until …. Lockdown. Yep! an AH HA moment.

Also like you I have had a chance to really think about what I want my life to be like and look like.  I know that many families are deciding that they want life to be different than before.  Maybe it means more space, or they want to live in a different city, or they want to have a more flexible work schedule.

Many families are also re thinking their health and their wellbeing.  Now that the aftermath of the FEAR has subsided and our basic needs have been met we can now be open to more conscious health decisions.

We realize more than ever that our Health is our most important asset and its needs to be protected. To do that we need to make thoughtful decisions that lead to Atomic (small, powerful with immense energy) Habits.

Perhaps you are thinking ” I want something different for my life going forward “? Maybe it’s more happiness, vitality, longevity or all three!

In most cases that means making a change to what you have been doing or as I like to think of it as building on the good that is already in place.

So that brings me to Wellness Trends Part Two with some ideas and options on how you can do exactly that.

PROACTIVE AND PERSONALIZED WELLNESS

Tech has exploded with all kinds of tools to help you to keep track of all the things.  These are just a few of the many many options out there.

• FitBit
• Apple Watch and it’s expansion of its health capabilities
• Continuous Glucose Monitors
• Oura Ring
• Heart Rate Variability Tools
• Apps for mediation, exercise, food, diets and more
• Music as Medicine with tech that can detect what type of music you need to hear based on your Heart Rate, and or your emotions.   This one sounds good but it also scares me a little.
• Genomic testing that can provide personalized nutrition and supplement recommendations based on your Genetics.
• Breath tech and wearables that know when you are anxious and stressed.  They trigger you to stop and listen to and follow along with guided breath-work

All of these types of tools are available to help you take action that is very personalized and in the moment.  They are designed to NUDGE you to make better health decisions.

NUDGE ARCHITECTURE

Retailers, Shopping Malls and Hotels etc having been using visual cues and positioning to encourage you the guest, shopper etc to make certain decisions.  Nudge architecture has now more than ever moved into the home.  Some call it environmental psychology, an understanding that our environment affects our choices.  Hmm where have I know heard that before… I know I talk about this a lot “Epigenetics”.

The idea is that you create your home to help improve your health habits.

An example would be that you want a calming space. It might have a water feature, or plants, or it might be cozy or clean or the lighting might be subdued..

Another would be that you would set up your fridge so that all your healthy foods are at eye level, or like me you set your herbs on the counter in a glass jar so you are triggered to sprinkle them on your foods to improve your nutrient intake..

If you work from home then creating an environment that allows you to change states as you move from one space to another is vital to your health and wellbeing.  I would suggest that balance is what we should aim for.

I hope you enjoying the Wellness Trends series so far and that some of ideas have triggers thoughts and action steps that help you on your wellbeing journey. If you are looking for support you can make an appointment with me.

Happy 4th to you and enjoy this time your family

Best Dr Pia

PS If you haven’t already done so … pick up a copy of the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.