The first wealth, Ralph Waldo Emerson famously said, is health.

The slow living lifestyle, which focuses on adopting slower approaches to aspects of everyday life, will permeate into the health industry, and is likely to rule the coming decade. Born in Italy, slow living is a conscious, intentional, mindful, and organic way of life that aims to promote balance, ease, and sanity, and lower stress.

Last decade saw the rise of high-intensity interval training, the keto diet, and wearables. This year will be about slowing down be it stress levels, workouts, diets, drinking habits, and more. Our list of the top 2020 health trends reflects this shift.

With rising awareness that rearing livestock has significant environmental and human cost, there has been an increase in vegetarianism and veganism across the world.

As DJ Blatner, author of The Flexitarian Diet, says: Its more about getting the benefits of eating more plants without having to follow strict diet rules. Its about just eating what works for you without labeling it.

Till now, most trainers recommended high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which involved short, intense bouts of exercise that promised kept your metabolism revved up for hours after your workout. But slowing down is likely to bring in high-intensity, low-impact interval training (HILIT).

Top trainers are now rooting for HILIT as it ensures strenuous workouts while preserving bodies for longevity and ensuring proper recovery.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has awoken us to the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle by listing physical inactivity as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths globally.

Reason enough for many companies to incorporate standing desks and meetings into their offices. Research shows that long walks and extended hours of standing can lower body mass index and cholesterol levels, improve blood sugar and posture, and lead to more energy and core strength. The war against sitting is on, and will continue through the decade.

Umpteen studies have revealed that sleep deprivation can fuel depression, apart from health consequences like stroke, diabetes, and heart disease.

With realisation of the impact of sleep on overall health peaking in 2019, the next few years are likely to see the 40 winks grow into 60, 75, and may be 90! In the US, nap bars places where professionals can head to grab a quick power nap during the workday are cropping up.

India may not have them yet, but sleep is certainly on everyones mind.

Terry Cralle, a registered nurse and sleep clinician who co-authored Sleeping Your Way to the Top: How to Get the Sleep You Need to Succeed, writes: The trend from here on out will be to value sleep, prioritise it, maximise, and optimise it. We will likely look for more and better ways to optimise sleep quality by way of better sleep surfaces (mattresses, pillows and bedding), better soundproofing, natural lighting, better pajamas, better schedules, and more respect for our need for sleep.

For many years now, gyms have been the go-to place when it comes to staying fit. But home workouts are now becoming de rigueur as people, strapped for time, try to make fitness fit into their daily lives.

Were all set to see an increase in sales of home gym equipment, streamed fitness content, and on-demand workouts. The rise of InstaTrainers will see many more fitness enthusiasts turn to free or subscription-based personalised or nearly-personal plans from online trainers.

Many of us will cancel gym memberships, as on-demand workouts seem more accessible, inclusive, flexible, and easier to fit into busy lifestyles. The home workout, likely to be a huge fitness trend, can also be credited to more professionals working from home.

Tired of vacations that leave you wanting another vacation? This could be the year of getting away from packed-to-the-gills holidays that dont leave you revived and rejuvenated.

And with sleep becoming an area of focus, the wellness vacation could well metamorphose into a new holiday: the sleepcation. A vacation dedicated to help you get the shut-eye you need, this break it could be a couple of days to a week or even more will help repay your sleep debt" and return to work relaxed.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has said that wearable tech will be the top trend in fitness in 2020.

Wearable tech has become ingrained in todays culture, and the industry shows no signs of slowing down, said ACSM Past President Walter R Thompson, the lead author of the survey and associate dean in the College of Education and Human Development at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Smart watches, activity trackers, sleep trackers wearable tech will continue to trend as people get keener to track all aspects of their life. Having fitness-related data handy is also likely to help inspire us to do more.

Apart from these seven trends, others that are likely to stay on top of our minds in 2020 include the turn-it-off movement that exhorts people to opt for digital detoxes; the joy of running that will be discovered by thousands of new runners; a conscious choice of sober curiosity, advocated byRuby Warringtons Sober Curious, which states that hangovers and alcohol may be keeping you from living your best life; and circadian-synced intermittent fasting, which can help with weight loss, longevity, and reducing major disease risk.

Were at the end of the first week of 2020, and its time to pick which of these trends will be part of your resolutions this New Year. Get healthy, get wealthy!

(Edited by Evelyn Ratnakumar)

(Photos: Shutterstock)

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[2020 Outlook] Top health and fitness trends to get you in the best shape - YourStory