Do you see a trend in the images above? (no pun intended)

I personally love reading trends. I like being in the loop… in the know… whatever you want to call it. But sometimes, towards the end of the year, these type of articles start to become a little overwhelming. Everyone is in the mood to review the year that has past, in hopes of figuring out which things worked, and which haven’t. But how do you know if the trend article itself is accurate? How can you trust a review – what things do you look for?

I’ll tell you what I look for:

1. A credible source.
2. Factual evidence.
3. Real-life examples. (i.e. tested by unbiased people from the general public).
4. Lack of exaggeration.
5. A commitment to the holistic approach when it comes to food and fitness (i.e. avoidance of processed methods as much as possible).

Now I’d like to share my favorite trends in food and fitness pooled from several different sources:

1. P90x

I’ve talked to enough of my friends who have tried this to know that it’s legit. The infomercials look a little sketchy – especially because some of the before-and-after footage looks so dramatic. According to this Yahoo trend article, “The hype machine of the infomercial doesn’t change the fact that P90X is a really solid, well-rounded, old-school weight and cardio program that will deliver great results to anyone who has the dedication to push themselves through the workouts and, most importantly, reel in their diet.”  It’s all about the commitment though… I know people who haven’t seen almost any results, simply because they’ve done maybe three days of the workout.

2. Real Food, All the Time

According to the Food Network 2010 Food Trends, # 1 trend is ‘Keeping it Real’: “It is about pure, simple, clean and sustainable. It is—dare we say—a shift from convenience foods to scratch cooking, now that we have more time than money and more food knowledge and concerns.” If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’d know by now that I believe that eating real food made with ingredients that are as unprocessed as possible is of utmost importance. In fact, I personally wouldn’t call it a ‘trend’ simply because I see it more as a way of life. This is not to diminish the fact that I’m relieved to finally see that many people are becoming more attuned to their bodies and realizing that they really are what they eat!

5. Mainstreaming Sustainability

More people are realizing that organic, locally-produced foods should be the rule rather than the exception and the trend is catching on. People are finally beginning to prioritize buying quality ingredients over eating out regularly. They are beginning to see value in finding food that is bought locally: “Eating local will be recognized as a sustainable way to eat. Eating seasonal and fresh is sustainable. Biodegradable packaging is sustainable. Grass fed beef—something we predict you’ll see more of in 2010—is all about sustainability as well as flavor. We are assimilating sustainability and making it work for us instead of fighting it” (Food Network).