The Lemon Water Trend

Going in line with the last post about "wellness" trends, one thing that I've been seeing everywhere (mostly on Pinterest) is the phenomenon of hot lemon water.  Basically, drinking hot sugarless lemonade instead of coffee is supposed to get rid of "toxins" or something.  Apparently, according to the telegraph.co.uk Gwenyth Paltrow and Beyonce are both into this new trend, though I would take any fitness advice from Gwenyth Paltrow with a grain of salt, given her adherence to the questionable Tracy Anderson Method.

The telegraph.co.uk article wryly notes that the lemon water trend isn't so new as,

"Lemon and H20 isn’t exactly a new combination, of course: the earliest reference to lemonade is thought to date back to Ancient Egypt."

Lemon water has a bit of Vitamin C in it, but according to the article too much of it can erode tooth enamel.  Glossy Pinterest recipes/infographics kind of skip over that part.  It might be easier just to drink water.     

A Bad Rap for Wellness

I saw this article today "The Sickening Business of Wellness" by Yvette d'Entremont, also known as SciBabe at scibabe.com.  Basically, because of the lack of studies with reproducable results about how Himalayan salt lamps are magical, the entire industry of "wellness" must be snake oily gimmick, and it's better to avoid it completely, and never drink green juice again.

The article is right to slam certain pre-bottled beverages, that practically purport to be so effective as to bring instant health and enlightenment the momemt one drinks them, as cheap marketing schemes.  However, what I think this article missed, is that the wellness movement as a whole is a move in the right direction, as consumers are moving away from overly processed sugarfoods, and moving toward vegetables and potentially healthy Indian spices.  Although there are companies out there trying to profit from "wellness", as a cultural phenomenon, it's generally positive in nature, as long as its followers don't ignore Western medicine and science (and probably don't drink too much pre-packaged mystery algae) in their pursuit of it.

Another take on the "wellness" movement is in a nymag.com article from earlier this year, "Can Wellness Be Scientific?", which lists several helpful resources at the bottom of the page.  However, I don't know why this article lists the Environmental Working Group (EWG) within the same line that mentions Mercola and Deepak Chopra.

Although a lot of profit-oriented schemes exist in the wellness movement, one shouldn't knock "wellness" as a whole.  When used as an alternative to actual medicine, yeah green detox beverages are probably not a good idea.  However, in conjunction with Western medicine, yoga and turmeric might actually do some good, as some studies have shown.*

Also, Himalayan salt lamps really do have a pleasant glow!  I like Dr. Andrew Weil's take on the salt lamp matter.


*Jurenka, JS.
"Anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, a major constituent of Curcuma longa: a review of preclinical and clinical research." Altern Med Rev. 2009. Sep;14(3):277. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19594223

Are Hip Abductor and Hip Adductor Machines Nonsense?

A lot of times at the gym I'll see people (particularly women) using the hip abduction and adductor machines.  These machines can be found in any gym, but a lot of people seem to be unaware that they've gotten a lot of bad press over the past years.

This article from the Huffington Post, Fix Your Form: It’s Time To Stop Using The Hip Abductor/Adductor Machine notes that using these machines can strain the spine and disalign the knee cap.  Additionally, these machines come up in Mens' Fitness in 9 Machines You Should Never Use, which notes the stress that these machines can put on one's IT Bands. Additionally, SHAPE magazine lists hip abductor and adductor machines in 7 Exercises and Gym Machines to Skip. I don't fully agree with the SHAPE article in including the Lat Pulldown Machine, but they are right to note that this machine should be used with proper form.

In any case, it seems that it's better to pass over the hip abduction and adduction machines in the gym, opting instead for more functionally logically and beneficial exercises. 

Issues with Stainless Steel Water Bottles?

Nowadays, everyone seems to be moving away from plastic bottles, opting for stainless steel or glass ones instead.  However, problems abound with some water bottle manufacturers in China-- according to canarypapers.wordpress.com:

Because China has a proven track record of manufacturing steel products contaminated with everything from lead to cadmium, asbestos, Cobalt-60 and other radioactive wastes, I wouldn’t recommend any stainless steel water bottle from China[...] (https://canarypapers.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/digging-to-china-and-back-the-search-for-a-good-water-bottle/)

Anyhow, this article offers a good discussion of some of the issues facing stainless steel water bottles.

Problems with "Sportswear"

Even for non-professional athletes, for everyday gym goers, sports apparel is relentlessly marketed, aiming to convince consumers that you're not actually working out unless you pay upwards of $100 to sweat in some kind of high-tech "performance" wear.  Of course this is nonsense, and it's perfectly possible to effectively exercise to exercise in any sort apparel -- physiologically speaking, you could be wearing a tuxedo, a full Victorian gown, or a powdered wig, and still partake in the process known as "exercise."

However, many still believe that sportswear is a necessity, and maybe to a certain degree it could be convenient to own a few items of it. But, recent studies have shown alarming amounts of potentially hazardous chemicals in sportswear, such as phthalates, PFCs, dimethylformamide, and nanoparticle silver (used as a anti-odor/anti-microbial agent). A Greenpeace report found unsafe levels of unsafe chemicals in the sports uniforms and far merchandise for the 2014 World Cup. In order to cope with this situation in the sportswear apparel market, in Shape, Jessica Teas includes the recommendations of buying organic fabrics, avoiding screenprinting/plastic prints (these often have phthalates), and "avoiding trademarked technical fabrics."

Smoothie Confusion

So 2015 was the year that mason jar manufacturers likely experienced wild amounts of sheer confused astonishment and joy due to the fact that Pinterest and consumer interest in a vaguely rustic style popularized the commonly used canning containers as your go-to all-purpose beverage holders.

Go on Pinterest now and there is actually a ~40% (estimated) chance that you'll see an image of some kind of smoothie in a mason jar.

In any case, it seems to me that 2016 is going to see less of these mason jar smoothies because (1) the novelty factor of mason jars as a drinking implement is probably waning, and people are remembering that actual cups and glasses are actually more convenient and ergonomic for consuming beverages, and (2) the very institution of the smoothie has been called into question by recent research.

In particular, on an episode of the BBC's Trust Me I'm a Doctor, the amount of antioxidants left in the body after smoothie consumption was tested, and contrary to some marking claims, the smoothies actually increased antioxidant levels. Additionally, according to Barry Popkin, it's better to eat whole fruit because crushing the fruit into a smoothie rids it of its natural fiber.

However, it is likely that smoothies are still healthier than Twinkies (TM) and as they are also quite delicious, it is likely that their day is not over.

However, this blog's 2016 trend forecast (more to come, stay tuned!) is predicting a definite decrease in mason jar smoothies on Pinterest and in the world in 2016.