With the new year comes a fresh opportunity to work on yourself inside and out, with fitness goals reassessed and health mileposts prioritized. We have identified several products and burgeoning trends — including a talking yoga mat, CBD gummies, and improved telehealth services — that research and reviews say could shake up your routine significantly as you head into the 2020s.
Price: $9 from Amazon
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Improved hand strength and more range of motion results from use of these little bands — good for playing tennis, baseball, golf, or if you play a musical instrument, according to Amazon reviewers.
Price: $30 for 300 mg from cbdMD
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The alternative health movement looks to CBD to alleviate ailments and improve overall health, and these THC-free gummies (which won't get you high) get top rankings for their quality, taste, and price from HealthMJ and CBD School.
Price: $90 from Amazon
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This is one smart yoga mat — it talks to you. Pairing with Women's Health Yoga on Amazon Alexa, it talks you through the practice of the day.
Price: $26 from Amazon
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Getting six-pack abs after inhaling second or third servings of holiday feasts might take a while, but this product can help. Men's Journal says the Ab Carver Pro Roller features padded, angled, ergonomic hand grips that maximize muscle engagement while remaining comfortable and stable. Many Amazon reviewers praise their quick results from a 21-day plan included with purchase.
Price: $10 from Amazon
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If hungry bugs seem drawn to you during camp outings, this tool may pique your interest. Basically, it sucks, which is what it's supposed to do — it sucks out insect venom and other irritants left from bites, stopping itching and swelling without chemicals. It won approval from all five expert panelists on the television show "Shark Tank" last year.
More fitness-focused folks may ease up on water and instead sip more so-called functional drinks, called the "next frontier" in health beverages because they are made with superfoods, herbs, spices, amino acids, or additional raw fruit or vegetables. Gold Thread Herbs offers a variety of plant-based tonics that in six-packs ($30) or 12-packs ($60).
If you work out with YouTube videos, prepare to take it to the next level — workout class subscriptions are just getting started, and adding live streaming classes to libraries of on-demand content that make long-distance exercise more entertaining. Monthly rates range from Crunch Live at $10 and Daily Burn at $15 to TA Online Studio at $90, CNet notes.
Price: $400
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In 2020, more of us will include emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness in regular fitness and health routines, even during travel. Camp Yoga provides a three-day immersive sleep-away camp for adults in nine locations around the United States and Canada, and offers yoga, group runs, and a healthy dose of wine — another MindBody recommendation.
The sleep-deprived could benefit from free apps such as Relax Melodies (which plays restful sounds and bedtime stories) and Sleep Cycle (an alarm that makes you feel more rested by knowing the best time to wake you), according to Mindbody, a software company for the health industry. A National Sleep Foundation study says 45% of Americans likely aren't getting enough sleep, even though getting the right amount can lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease, improve mental alacrity, and help you stay at a healthy weight.
Related: 10 Things Robbing You of Sleep, and How to Beat Them
Books about healthy living and cookbooks especially are also still a thing, a low-tech thing that beats its digital-age upgrade. Two to explore in 2020, according to CNet, are "Body Love Every Day: Choose Your Life-Changing 21-Day Path to Food Freedom," ($20 from Amazon) and " The Defined Dish: Whole30 Endorsed, Healthy and Wholesome Weeknight Recipes" ($18 from Amazon).
Things are going to get interesting in the kitchen as unique and interesting flours with more protein and fiber enter the market in 2020, according to Whole Food Markets. Be prepared to see an array of fruit and vegetable products such as banana flour and cauliflower flour.
Though high-intensity interval training called HIIT remains, um, a hit, what's really going to become popular is HILIT, or high-intensity, low-impact training. The workouts will still get your blood pumping and build muscle, but removes stress on joints and is less likely to cause injury. You can stream a workout on the p.volve site, starting with a month for $20.
More than 60% of people surveyed in March agree that alternative medicine is a good complement to modern, Western medicine. Some of the practices gaining popularity include acupuncture, acupressure (which is acupuncture without the needles), and even ear seeding (which is acupuncture with seeds). In proclaiming 2020 "the year of mental and spiritual health," marketing firm Social Granola points to trends such as new age-y Kundalini yoga to stand out among workouts as varied as goat yoga and trap yoga — which uses trap music to make the practice more welcoming to black men.
Telehealth services are predicted to widen reach and scope, helping keep up with an aging population by letting more patients "see" their doctor via an internet connection. Organizations offering telehealth services will explode starting in 2020, health industry watchers say.