Modern health and wellness trends have taken a wild turn in recent times.

 

 

Entire cultures, ideologies, and industries have been established around the simple desire to improve our quality of life and health.

 

With this wave of healthy lifestyle attitudes sweeping society, many useful facts have come to the surface.

 

A Society More Conscious About Health

 

As science advances and our access to instant information rapidly evolves, our understanding of health and nutrition protocols that can benefit us continues to grow.

 

Fitness is now a multi-faceted, multibillion-dollar industry organized into a myriad of goods and services.

 

 

A burgeoning market has evolved and a culture that sustains it keeps breathing life.

 

Brands are born and entire movements build momentum.

 

Vegans, CrossFitters, those on keto, all forming part of an ecosystem of a health enlightened society.

 

But amidst all these well-intentioned health trends lurk some misleading and even risky methodologies.

 

Some of the health and fitness trends popping up today could potentially do more harm than good, and at best, do nothing at all.

 

In this article, we’re going to look at some of the most misleading and potentially harmful health trends of the modern age. Some of these have been around for some time, while others are just beginning to emerge.

 

 

5 Misleading Health And Fitness Trends

 

Humans Are Obligate Herbivores

 

Plant-based living is a great alternative when it comes to nutrition.

 

Firstly plants are categorically more nutritious than animal products. They contain more essential vitamins and minerals as well as useful compounds such as antioxidants and fiber.

 

Plant-based living is also overall more ethical from an environmental and humane perspective.

 

 

These are fair and good reasons to go vegan.

 

What isn’t true however, is the fringe notion that human beings are vegan by nature, that is to say, our digestive system is designed only to process plant material.

 

This idea has nothing to back it up aside from the comparison of teeth and the relative size of our digestive systems compared to carnivores.

 

Without going too deep into debunking this misleading idea, since that would require a separate article, we’re just going to let you know that your body and your digestive system is a robust machine that has throughout human history, adapted to ever-changing nutritional situations and has allowed us to become the dominant species on the planet.

 

Without our diet being what it was, which included meat and animal products, we would have never made it this far.

 

 

 

Site-Specific Toning Equipment

 

If you’ve watched an infomercial channel at any point between now and 20 years ago, you will be familiar with the numerous, incalculable assortment of quick fix pieces of workout equipment

 

Equipment touted as the solution to your weight-loss woes. Primed and prepped to deliver that summer body you’ve been craving all winter.

 

 

Equipment designed to target problem areas and help burn the fat away.

 

The first thing to note is that as soon as something promises to “target” and area of fat on your body, you need to register it as a scam immediately.

 

Losing weight happens simultaneously and proportionately all around your body.

 

The only way you can target fat loss is via liposuction.

 

Waist trainers are examples of the lunacy involved in manipulating your body towards a better shape.

 

Exercise, diet, discipline, and patience are the only way to a better-looking body.

 

Weight Loss Teas

 

Detox and skinny teas, the nutritional equivalent of instant ab machines.

 

 

These teas, sometimes coffees or even gummy like candies come with the age-old promise of instant gratification. In this case, gratification in the form of immediate weight loss.

 

The weird thing is, these actually work, but they work in absolutely the wrong way.

 

That’s because many of these miracle beverages are laden with diuretics and laxatives. That means they basically give you a sustained diarrhea attack which causes you to lose weight super fast.

 

The problem is, the weight you’re losing is not fat, its water, and all you’re doing is giving yourself a severe case of dehydration.

 

 

Extreme Instagram Yoga

 

Yoga is an incredibly useful tool. Not only does it help improve your range of motion and flexibility, but it also improves breathing, an area of the daily function we often don’t even consider needs tending to.

 

Yoga also has some profound mental health benefits and is at its core, a spiritual practice..

 

 

But today, just like most wellness movements with wholesome origins, we can see mass adoption of the trend as prospects of fame and fortune grow with it.

 

Online today, yoga is represented by an army of supple ex gymnasts most of whom may have no inkling of yoga training, methodology or philosophy, contorting in positions that are beyond the average person’s ability or necessity simply for clicks views and the spoils that come with them.

 

This has lead to a disenfranchisement of the essence of what yoga really stands for from how it is currently practiced leading to confusion for newcomers.

Yoga needs to be taught and learned, not shown off.

 

 

Anything With A Celebrity Endorsement

 

Celebrities get us to do anything these days.

 

They tell us how to dress, where to shop, what makeup to wear, who to vote for, who not to vote for.

 

These are all well and good and it's ultimately up to your discernment to decide what to follow.

 

But one thing that needs to be avoided is adopting a health and fitness trend simply because it was endorsed by a celeb.

 

Celebrities are individuals, they are not representative of an entire group of people, even though fanbases can seemingly take on a life of their own.

 

Even if what they are promoting truly works for them, it might be harmful to you.

 

Conclusion

There are many more health and fitness trends out there that need to be squished.

 

It’s kind of tricky to know which is which whilst being inundated by all these different information sources and voices of opinion.

 

If you want to truly drown the noise, get your information from independent peer-reviewed sources or just talk to a registered health care professional