The next big fitness and diet trends for 2014

Indulged a bit too much over the festive season? Had a few too many mince pies? Have a taste of one of the next big super foods, try your hand at the latest fitness trends or give your system a cleanout with a detox. Make 2014 your healthiest yet!

Speedflex

Described as a unique and innovative way to get fit, Speedflex involves high intensity cardio and resistance training. This class is not for the faint hearted, but is encouraged for all fitness levels and abilities. It improves fitness, helps build lean muscle and as a bonus they promise you can still walk the next day! One 45 minute session burns 800-1200 calories.

Sand-bells

The new dumb-bells, sand-bell classes involve a session of high intensity interval training (calorie burning exercises) followed by body sculpting exercises with plenty of squats, lunges and press ups. The sand-bells are easier to grip meaning you can work out muscles you didn’t even know existed.

Soul Cycling

2014’s answer to indoor cycling, Soul cycling leaves your regular spinning class in the shade, literally. You mount your stationary bikes as the instructor dims the lights and lights some relaxing candles. Perfect for those early morning sessions when you aren’t quite awake!

Barrecore

A hybrid of ballet and pilates, this will be a celeb favourite in 2014. Not only does it help tone and sculpt but it also helps drive insulin into your blood from your fat stores, meaning you should have a few sugar cravings and also lose a few pounds. You can finally skip that afternoon chocolate bar and swap it for the ballet barre!

Aqua Cycling

Basically spinning, but underwater! The stationary bikes are submerged in a waist-high pool of water providing more resistance and making your body work that little bit harder. Excellent if you’re looking for a class that provides some support for your joints.

Return of yoga

Yoga has been scheduled to make a return in a big way in 2014. Hot yoga as well as more traditional yoga classes are expected to become more popular than ever. Suitable for all ages, yoga is excellent for toning and flexibility as well as being calming and relaxing.

Body Weight Training

Perfect if you want to tone up without bulking up, body weight training uses your own body weight to tone and sculpt your body. It s the world’s oldest training method, and you don’t even need to join a gym to get fit as you can do exercises at home. It involves burpees, lunges, squats and push-ups a plenty. The ultimate body builder himself Arnold Schwarzenegger even endorsed this fitness method back in the day.

New big superfood: Kale

Popular with celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Beyonce, super foods like kale will become very popular in 2014. Containing vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A as well as lots of yummy antioxidants, kale also contains plenty of fibre which means its has plenty of value in reducing the risk of heart disease and lowering cholesterol. Eat kale raw as part of a salad or steam it to eat with potatoes and chicken.

Chia Seeds

A healthy source of omega 3 fats and fibre, Chia seeds are another super food set to take the health and fitness world by storm. Chia is thought to be a natural treatment for type 2 diabetes due to it’s abilities to help balance insulin. Packed with protein, a snack on some chia seeds can help you feel fuller for longer and combat any sugar cravings.

High Protein Snacks

Put away your cereal bars and grapes, high protein snacks are the way to go in 2014. Pack some yogurt and almonds or turkey and cheese as a snack to have at your desk. Not only will it kill your hunger pangs, but it will also help keep your cravings at bay for longer.

The Sugar Detox

Nutritionist Brooke Alpert says that sugar ‘is making us fat and sick, and is prematurely ageing our skin.’ They cite sugar as more addictive than caffeine and cigarettes, and through the sugar detox promise that you can kick the habit once and for all and lose a few pounds at the same time. Even healthy items such as fruit are off limits in this detox plan, but they guarantee that you will feel much healthier with heaps more energy following the plan.

Vegan diet challenge

Beyonce and Jay Z have been public about following the 22-day vegan challenge. The diet basically involves restricting your intake of all animal products. With meat and dairy off the menu, the challenge lies in making sure your body gets all the important nutrients usually found in animal products. Protein can be found in soy and vegetables, so followers need to make sure they eat plenty of the green stuff. Luckily, alcohol and chocolate are still on the menu as long as you steer away from milk based treats!

Fasting

2013 saw the rise of the 5:2 diet which involves periods of regular (but healthy) eating followed by periods of fasting. It is now recommended to fast once a day every fortnight in order to lose weight and keep the metabolism in check. Dr Ayurvedic recommends drinking plenty of water and freshly squeezed fruit juices with honey water on fast days.

Meditation

For centuries meditation has been considered to provide health benefits, but it is now recommended to aid weight loss. We’ve all reached for the crisps during a weak moment of stress, but by spending just a few minutes a day to meditate and clear your mind you can help combat stress and therefore combat any unnecessary calorie binges.

Egg Yolks

We have been told for years that egg yolks are best to be avoided, with egg white based meals considered as healthy options. Now we’re being told that egg yolks do have some healthy properties. Egg yolks are a rich source of B-complex vitamin choline that helps neurological function and is said to make us happier. They also contain sulfur, which helps with the production of collagen and keratin, which helps give you nice shiny hair, healthy nails and glowing skin.

The Insanity Workout

Developed by personal trainer Shaun T, insanity workout promises amazing results within 60 days. It involves ‘max interval training,’ so all insanity work out sessions include 3-4 minutes of strenuous exercise followed by 30 seconds of cooling down… and then repeat several times. Insanity promises you can burn hundreds of calories a session and is open to all abilities.

Outdoor fitness assault courses

Outdoor fitness assault courses are gaining in popularity and 2014 will see them popping up all over the country. Tough Mudder – dubbed the ‘toughest event on the planet’ – was created by ex-forces and rather than focusing on finish times the course focuses on the element of team work. Tough Mudder involves running, climbing over walls, and crawling through tunnels, testing ‘all round strength, stamina, determination and camaraderie.’ Outdoor fitness obstacle course Major Series holds events up and down the UK. Their 5k and 10k courses are ‘littered with all kinds of obstacles, hills, mud and water.’ Like Tough Mudder, Major Series also focuses on determination and camaraderie rather than finishing times. Perfect for outdoor types!

Source: Closer Online.