We all looked forward to the end of the year when the pandemic started to spread in the first quarter of 2020. Travel bans, lockdowns, and social distancing required us to quickly adapt to alternative lifestyles, pushing us to rediscover our own personal space and habits.
Now that we just entered another year, it would be naive to say that things would slowly return to normal. Social distancing, enjoying a more nutrient-rich diet, and exercising at home are some of the things we think are here to stay.
Here are 6 health trends we think we’ll see in 2021:
1. Eating more immunity-boosting food
The year 2020 made us examine our daily food intake. The threat of the COVID-19 virus encouraged us to include anti-inflammatory and immunity-boosting food in our diet. With stronger immunity as a vital preventive measure for sickness, we think this lifestyle change is essential for anyone seeking a health-conscious new year.
2. Cultivating plants
Who could forget the surge of plantitas and plantitos who started learning how to tend to house plants the second quarter of 2020? Gardening was a way for people to confront their isolation amid the pandemic. With snake plants and collecting cacti as a good start, this year may be the year for people to try planting fruit-bearing trees, especially now that the importance of food security has been emphasized.
3. Air frying
With a lot of restaurants closing down while dining in remains risky, people have turned to home cooking in 2020. Some have become quarantine chefs, while others discovered the wonders of air-frying. With most people shifting to a healthier diet this year, this cool appliance that lessens the use of oil is here to stay.
4. Prioritizing mental health
If there were good things that happened in 2020, one of them would be how we took mental health and well-being more seriously. Being locked inside our home for most of the year took a toll on our mental health, but it also got people started on advocating its importance. We think more mental health initiatives, routines and activities will be explored this year.
5. Exercising at home and biking
Shutting down gyms have forced many of us to practice fitness routines at home. We designed our own personal gyms and discovered exercises that could break the monotony of daily life under lockdown. With restricted public transport, some people have invested in bikes, using cycling not only as exercise but as a greener alternative to getting around.
6. Remote health consultations and virtual care
Teleconsulting allowed doctors to accommodate more patients without the risk of face to face contact. The virtual setup of online consultations proved that remote health care is possible, at least in minor cases. We see a burgeoning trend of virtual care appointments, probably with AI or robotic assistants in the future.
