Health and Fitness Trends I Have [Personally] Rejected

There are a ton of health and fitness trends that seem to be served to society on a daily silver platter. So long are the days when it's the new year and you're reading about the previous year's most popular diets because as soon as next week, you may already be reading old news. The billion dollar health and fitness industry continues to thrive off of new trends that hit the market faster than COVID-19 spread in the US. Not funny, I know, but probably very accurate.

The thing about trends is that they are meant to last for a period of time and then they lose relevance once a new trend gains popularity and traction within the market. Health and fitness trends are constantly changing– one week you are on keto and the next you're missing fruits and vegetables so you begin the Whole30. The next month you are tired of eating nut butter as your only type of treat so you decide to go paleo and allow yourself the occasional almond flour chocolate chip cookie. You then realize all of the amazing food that you're missing out on so you remain in a rut, confused about your current diet when all you really want is to eat what you want, when you want. You then decide to increase the intensity and frequency of your workouts with an effort to try and mitigate the amount of lbs you know your body will gain from eating whatever you want, because surprise we weren't all gifted with a model's naturally thin figure. There is absolutely no negative connotation associated with that statement whatsoever because we were all gifted with a body and that's enough to appreciate and be grateful for.

However, everyone's bodies are different and personally, I was given natural curves with an athletic build so I can't munch on cookies all day without gaining more lbs in those curvy areas more so thank I would like. Over the years I have grown to understand my body, which definitely took time and patience. I had to understand that my body was not going to respond the same way others would to certain ways of life, which allowed me to be patient through the process of understanding what would make my body thrive. When trends are changing constantly and are presenting new lifestyles so frequently, it becomes difficult to practice true intuitiveness, which is where the patience comes in. Here are some health and fitness trends that I have personally rejected, not because I see them as negative, but because I have found other ways in which my body personally thrives

Fasted Workouts

I am going to be honest, I used to be a firm believer of working out first thing in the morning even if it meant waking up at 5am before work. Due to the recent climate change and having been working from home for the last 5 months (like, what?!) I haven't had to take on my usual California commute so my alarm hasn't been set that early in a long time. I still sometimes workout in the morning, however my reasoning behind it is no longer the same. I had heard from so many trainers, fitness instructors that I looked up to, fitness brands that I followed religiously who had said that working out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach would create a larger caloric burn and optimize your fat burn throughout the day opposed to doing it later in the day when your glycogen stores have already been replenished. I had even heard from one of my favorite nutritionists when she was a guest start on a podcast I listen to that if you're not able to workout first thing in the morning because you feel you may faint or that your blood sugar levels are low then your body may not be as metabolically adaptable as it should be.

This immediately made me determined to workout in the mornings because only being 5'1" my metabolism is slower than the average human since my body doesn't take up as much space (totally could be another health myth) so I wanted to increase it in whatever way that I could. But what would happen on the days I woke up hungry? Or days I didn't get enough sleep the night before? Or days I truly just did not feel like working out immediately after waking up? This made me realize that it takes me a little bit to wake up. I like to check my emails in the morning. I like to check the news. I like to make coffee, drink it, and enjoy it. I would rather get another hour of sleep because I knew I needed it rather than forcing myself to hit the gym. Once I started understanding what I enjoyed and wanted in the morning, it didn't really make sense as to why I was doing those things. I became more in tune with what I needed, which is slower mornings with coffee, reading, and getting some extra snooze time.

The interesting part about when I started to make the switch is that I started putting less pressure on myself to hit the gym at all because by the end of my work day, I was actually looking forward to my choice of movement rather than forcing it. This took away a lot of stress associated with working out, which made me less stressed overall. I used to be so regimented and felt that if I wasn't working out in the morning first thing then I wasn't prioritizing myself and my workouts, but the truth is that I do still prioritize that time but it's just later in the day. It also took me a while to let go of the idea that I wouldn't burn as much fat during my workouts later in the day vs. in the morning, which scientifically may be true, but hormonally and personally that's not always my goal with with my workouts.

Baking with Vegetables

OK, so I know this was a major trend at one point at least with the people I follow on the gram who represent the food and nutrition space. At one point all I was seeing on Instagram were sweet potato brownies, chickpea blondies, and I can't forget about literally every treat made with zucchini. The endless amounts of brownie and cookie recipes with zucchini were truly exciting at the time because who doesn't like treats with vegetables? Well, it took me a bit to understand that I was one of those people who isn't fond of the trend. I am a huge lover of all things chocolate and I have a major sweet tooth. Ice cream is my love language and I rarely turn down a gooey, chocolate loaded brownie.

I have come a long way in trying to honor my cravings when they hit and not beating myself up about them, especially if it's something that I want over the course of a few days. Before this point, I went through a phase where I thought that vegetable filled baked goods were the answer to my sweet tooth cravings. I had the mindset while making these healthified treats that I could just have zucchini brownies every night for dessert and that would satisfy my dessert craving, right? Wrong– I would have one that night and then the next night I would still want a brownie. I wouldn't touch the zucchini brownies again, but I would store them in the freezer thinking that maybe one day soon I would want one and then they would end up in the trash. My boyfriend made fun of me all of the time for it. There was also the issue where I would make the brownies, have one, and then maybe the next night I wanted a cookie instead. So do I make zucchini cookies now and repeat this cycle of wasteful baking?

I was not only wasting perfectly good vegetables that I loved eating, but I was also abusing the value of my favorite desserts and treats. When I started baking with real ingredients, whether that be almond flour, oat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, etc. depending on how I wanted the recipe to turn out, I started creating some really delicious treats. It also took a ton of stress out of baking because when I was using vegetables I had to understand what other ingredients to use just to get the texture right, which became exhausting and expensive. Baking became fun, creative, and delicious again when I started using normal ingredients. Using more wholesome ingredients in treats does not mean you can't over indulge the same way you can with a full fat, gluten, or dairy filled muffin because you definitely can, but that's a whole other conversation. Through this realization, I have also come to truly appreciate home baked goods from bakeries and even those that aren't "healthified" because as long as I know the ingredients and there aren't a ton of crap that isn't real food, I have no problem indulging. Zucchini, sweet potatoes, and chickpeas will remain in my salads or roasted from now on.

Diet Labels

This is pretty much multiple trends in one because the list of diet labels can go on and on with how many new ones there have been only within the last decade. I wanted to mention this topic because a lot of people within the Instagram health and wellness space tend to identify with a specific way of eating. If it's not full on "vegan" then it's "dairy free" or "gluten free" or "paleo" or "grain free" and I can't keep up because I see food for food. I think the mindset of a specific diet label is simply how you view food and categorize it. Do you categorize foods that cause inflammation vs. promoting gut health? Macros and micros? Calories and serving sizes? Whole foods vs. processed? I think the closest I have ever come to labeling myself is using the term "plant based" and when I do mention it to someone, I have to fully explain it.

Plant based is not only eating plants– in other words, not vegetarian. I still eat meat, I still eat eggs, I still eat gluten, I still eat dairy, and I still eat processed foods from time to time, but I prioritize fruits and vegetables and wholesome foods as the base of my diet. Instead of building my meals around a protein source or a starch, I make vegetables the main event and then add dazzle and sparkle with some protein, healthy fat, and complex carbs. This mindset has come from my background knowledge in macro counting. I have a love-hate relationship with macro counting because I have seen the physical effects it can have on your body composition in combination with proper training, however while that method of eating and exercise is very valuable and has taught me a lot about nutrition and fueling my body properly and really helped me get out of the restrictive mindset, it's not ultimately what my soul vibes with. I genuinely love roasted vegetables, lentils, beans, fruits, salads, greens, etc. and I feel my absolute best when I am eating those in abundance while still enjoying my meat, grains, eggs, etc. 15%-20% of the time.

I know that the "I feel my best when I eat whole ingredients" is also a major commonly used explanation that can still be a cover up for restrictive eating–I know because I have been there, so I want to explain what I mean by it now. Physically, I have energy all day and I am good with my one cup of coffee in the morning. My digestion is no longer an issue and my workouts are fueled properly. Emotionally, my cravings are pretty nonexistent, my hormones feel so much more balanced, and I no longer feel like snacking mindlessly all day. Mentally, I can think clearly, be productive, and actually understand what my body needs. I am not saying that eating a couple of more servings of veggies and fruits a day will bring all of this like a magic pill because it does take consistency, just like anything else, but it starts with allowing yourself to have a healthy relationship with your body and with food. All 3 of those things need to be in tune before you define a specific way of eating.

Cardio is Stress on the Body

This is a big one. Being an athlete and having played sports all of my life and competitively in College, I have always been used to running around. After lacrosse practice in high school I would go on a run for fun or dance in my room. On the weekends if I wasn't at a tournament, I would be doing something active. I think this expanded into an unhealthy relationship with working out at one point, but my love for being active and moving my body has always been a focus for me and has never changed in any capacity. I think any form of movement that you enjoy whether it be running marathons, yoga, pilates, lifting heavy things, etc. is only something you and your body can decide. I have gone through probably every workout there is out there, except for maybe CrossFit, but trying new workouts, new ways to move and challenge my body is genuine fun for me.

Unfortunately in college I became very injured after spending a semester abroad and coming back thinking I could jump right back into a season of DIII lacrosse– nope! My hips didn't agree and I was on crunches due to stress factors in both hips, dislocated my shoulder, and had major shin splints all season. I had to take off a lot of time from running in order to fully heal, so at one point I stopped running all together and thought that running just wasn't how I would stay fit anymore. I worked with my brother who is a personal trainer, along with Madeline Move's workout guides to slowly transition into weight lifting since it put the least amount of stress on my joints. My physical therapy trainer also said that I would benefit from strengthening my muscles to prevent re-injuring myself in the future. I began to love it! It was challenging, motivating, fun, and I started seeing some major definition progress that I had never seen. Continuing the momentum, I stopped doing any form of cardio because I had heard all of the benefits of weight lifting and stressors that cardio puts on your body from all of the trainers I was following on Instagram. I started convincing myself that cardio was something I didn't need to do or wanted to do. Social media can be a trap for information– there can be some great sources on there that provide helpful information, but there are some marketing, phony, bullsh*t sources (pardon my language), which is why it is so important to always be in tune with your own body and only do what makes you feel your best.

Then my friend asked me to join Orange Theory. Then a Barrys Bootcamp opened up in my neighborhood. Then I discovered a running path. Then I began cycling, and soon I was running and doing other forms of cardio because I felt damn good doing them. I started exploring other forms of cardio that really got my heart rate up for cardiovascular benefits. I would walk the hills in my neighborhood or dance like a maniac in my room. Who was I listening to that told me I didn't have to do cardio? I couldn't remember why I had ever thought cardio was not a form of exercise that I didn't enjoy and that it put stress on my body because it became a major stress reliever. Similar to my approach to food, I approach exercise wanting variety. Specifically with my workouts, I want to be challenged, feel strong, feel fit, and have fun. This may be a studio class, a barre workout, pilates, a long walk, a HIIT workout, lifting, an interval run, etc. but it depends on the day. That's the most wonderful thing about owning your relationship with your body because you decide what it needs on a daily basis.

These are only a few of many, many health and fitness trends out there that I may not agree with, or have an unpopular opinion on, but if anything my objections to these health culture trends only provide more insight on my balanced approach to overall wellness.

XO stay vibrant