 After Airbnb bought Trip4Real in 2016, the travel trend began to shift from sightseeing endeavors to more intimate encounters with local landscapes and cultures. Instead of traveling to enjoy similar home commodities or cuisines in exotic places, travelers began to seek journeys that allowed them to experience life as the locals did and to reflect on their journeys afterward. This change in travel motivation is what spurred the experiential travel trend of 2018: transformational travel.
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 In the last five years alone, a number of exhaustive studies and documentaries have been released with the intent of unveiling the darkest secrets of the food industry. Whether this content pertains to how the sausage gets made, how food animals are treated and fed as they are raised, or how such products negatively impact our bodies, attitudes toward certain foods and their somewhat hidden ingredients have rapidly shifted, especially in the United States.
Due to our evolving mindsets, a number of social movements were given the opportunity to break into the mainstream and thrive. The most popular of such movements is, without a doubt, farm-to-table dining.  It is no secret that stress levels have skyrocketed in recent years, leaving people of every age and background feeling burnt out and completely devoid of morale. Thankfully, this distressing trend has pressed many of us to seek unique and thoughtful solutions to alleviate our tension and effectively escape our stressors.
As mentioned in a previous blog post, wellness retreats and other excursions that allow us to unplug from technology and escape our daily commitments have become increasingly popular over the last several years. Naturally, variations of such trips have cropped up in the past year or so, but the one that seems to be growing at a rapid pace is, without a doubt, glamping.  Over the last several years, wellness has quickly transformed from a personal lifestyle choice to a thriving industry. However, it is important to note that this growth was not fueled merely by trends like athleisure wear, fad diets, or artisanal pressed juices.
Instead, people of every age have looked to wellness programs to help them counteract the negative side effects of stress they encounter on a daily basis, whether at work or home. Therefore, exercise, clean eating, and other forms of self-care have quickly risen not only in popularity but importance as well. This increased need for relaxation has resulted in the development and growth of one particularly helpful health trend: wellness retreats. Designed to allow individuals to escape from endless to-do lists, familial commitments, and work-related anxieties, these programs integrate a variety of exercises and routines to mitigate stress and improve mindfulness.  For athletes, remaining in prime physical shape does not simply encompass eating well and spending hours in rigorous training. Instead, there are many underlying contributors to athletic success that are often overlooked, with the greatest being one’s mental capacities and wellbeing.
On average, many coaches believe the work their teams perform is approximately 50 percent mental, and even as high as 80 to 90 percent in certain situations. Therefore, a strong awareness of one’s body and how it relates to the present moment is absolutely critical to each sport. While there are countless ways one could attempt to strengthen such a sense, the most effective method is, without a doubt, meditation. After all, adopting this routine not only encourages one to quiet their mind and prepare for the physical task at hand, it also enables them to hone their internal resources to boost their level of motivation and willingness to execute difficult plays and strategies. With that in mind, let us examine how you can integrate mindfulness and meditation into your daily routine. Ditch all preconceptions To be completely clear, meditation is not locking yourself in a dark room and sitting on the floor with your eyes closed for hours on end. Instead, it offers a unique opportunity to find peace and encourage heightened awareness. Therefore, you can meditate just about anywhere at any time, though it is still recommended your location of choice does not pose any distractions. Perhaps, then, you ought to try exploring your own hometown to find your optimal spot. Follow a new hiking trail, find a secluded area in your local park, take a walk along the beach, or simply spend time in your backyard — it is all about where you feel the most at peace. Balance your beliefs As mentioned previously, meditation is not a tactic used to clearing your mind, but a method of finding a clear connection between your physical and mental abilities. To effectively do so, you ought to use meditation and mindfulness to break free of your negative opinions of yourself. Visualize yourself achieving athletic success — winning that trophy or finishing that marathon. Once you see yourself reaching that goal, you will not only build positive reinforcement, but create the optimal conditions you need to succeed now and in the future. Keep your spirit In sports, it is all too easy to get caught up in the competition and view your opponents as nothing more than a roadblock to your triumph. By practicing mindfulness, you are equipping yourself with the tools you need to realign your focus and rediscover your love for the camaraderie and intensity of athletics, rather than obsessing over the victory itself. |
AuthorCaitlin Crowe is a certified health coach, lover of nature, and creative soul. Archives
June 2019
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