YOU’LL FEED YOUR MOOD.
“Immune health was in the limelight in 2020 with everything from elderberry to zinc and talk about vitamin D,” says Deanna Minich, Ph.D., Equinox Health Advisory Board member and author of The Rainbow Diet. “I have a hunch that we will move from immune health to mental health [this year]. Concerns such as anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and overall stress, will continue to rise. We’ll be looking for foods to change moods more acutely, within hours. We might do it with specialized adaptogenic-infused beverages and specialty coffees/teas, or functional foods with specific extracts for enhanced mood effects. Research also links cocoa and blueberries to improved mood so we’ll likely see more products featuring those ingredients hit the shelves.”
SLEEP IN.
In Ayurveda, it’s currently Kapha Season (winter). “Adequate rest and overall steadiness are important to keep your kapha in check,” said Shrankhla Holecek, founder of UMA, in a recent EQX Talk. “Kapha is the time you would most delay getting up. A 7:00 a.m. rise time, even for some of us early birds, is better because you want your body to rest and regenerate.”
LISTEN TO YOUR (FITNESS) CRAVINGS.
“Although I have a training program, I don’t always stick to it,” says Monique Bell, a group fitness instructor at Equinox+ In the Wild Century City. “There are days my body craves something different. Instead of lifting weights or doing HIIT, I just need a long therapeutic run to my favorite playlist. I’m keeping up the momentum but allowing myself to give my body what it needs as long as I move.”