My oh my. Can you believe that we're already halfway into 2019? Yeah, me neither. If you're anything like I am, you probably told yourself somewhere before Valentine's Day that you were gonna do (or not do) certain things to get your body together, just in time for the summer season. But spring seems to be flying by and now, here you are—trying to figure out what you can do to be, at least a little health conscious, before Thanksgiving.
Luckily, when it comes to the current health trends that are specifically aimed at women, I did some of the research for the both of us. The good news is a lot of them are affordable and not super stressful to implement into your daily routine.
Whether you want to shed a couple of pounds, desire to have more mental or emotional tranquility or you simply want to find a relatively simple habit that will improve your immunity and make you feel better overall, here are some proven and popular things that will definitely help you to reach your goal(s).
Mindful Eating
Mindfulness is a word that's used so much right now that I think it's important to take a step back and think about what it truly means. To be mindful is simply to be aware of what you're doing, preferably before you do it. How it fits in when it comes to food is it's all about avoiding being an emotional eater, thinking about what will and what won't benefit your health before consuming it and even meditating, if need be, before preparing or purchasing a meal.
What are the benefits of eating this way? From what I've read, not only can mindful eating help you to maintain your preferred weight, it can also reduce stress, anxiety, depression, insomniaand reduce the urge to binge eating. In short, mindful eating is not a diet; it's a way of life.
Oat Milk
GiphyA couple of weeks ago, I was craving a milkshake. After eagerly downing about half of it, I started to feel stomach cramps. I know what it was too. Other than a scoop or two of ice cream from time to time, I can't tell you the last time I've had cow's milk; I'm avoiding it on purpose. If you're still on the fence about why you should wean off of it yourself, check out "12 Reasons to Stop Drinking Cow's Milk", "Why We Shouldn't Be Drinking Cow Milk, According to a Gastroenterologist" and "12 Frightening Facts About Milk".
If after reading those pieces, you're a bit freaked out but you're not sure what moves to make next, no worries—there are all kinds of great milk alternatives including hemp milk, rice milk, coconut milk, hazelnut milk and, of course, almond milk. But guess what kind of milk is turning out to be even better than all of these? Oat milk.
The health benefits of oat milk include that it will give you 50 percent of the daily requirement of Vitamin B12 per serving. Oat milk also contains a high amount of riboflavin, calcium, phosphorus and vitamins A and D. Some other great things about oat milk is it's soy-free (leave soy alone, y'all!), lactose-free and nut-free, it lowers blood cholesterol, it fights off common allergens and even boosts skin health. All of this definitely explains why it's one of the hottest women's health trends.
Probiotic Foods
Do you currently take a probiotic supplement? If you don't, you definitely should. Whether you take it in capsule or liquid form, probiotics are live microorganisms that introduce friendly bacteria into your body; especially your gut. Probiotics can do everything from boost your mood and relieve eczema to strengthen your immune system and help you to lose weight.
If for some reason you'd prefer to not take a supplement, there are fermented foods that can give you the probiotic surge that you need as well. Some of them include yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut, miso and gouda, mozzarella, cheddar and cottage cheese.
Online Workouts
Fitness Workout GIF by socialbynmGiphyIf you've been saying ever since New Year's Day that you're going to start a workout regimen but you've yet to begin, take some of the pressure off of saving up for a gym membership and sign up for an online workout class instead. It's affordable, it's convenient and it's private too.
If you're interested but you're not sure where to begin, Gaia has some great yoga courses, Booya Fitness has a cool cardio class and Ballet Beautiful will let you get your Misty Copeland on from the comfort of your own house.
Cashews
Apparently nuts have trends just like everything else. While the "top nut" has been almonds for a while now, cashews are what's currently all the rage. For starters, they are high in copper, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamins C, E and K, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. If you snack on them regularly, they are the kind of nut that is good for your heart; can help to prevent diabetes; will strengthen your immune system; can fight premature greying (thanks to the copper that's in them); will lower the risk of amnesia, can help to prevent gallstones and, if you or someone that you know is currently undergoing chemotherapy, cashews are able to lessen the side effects associated with that too.
Cashews are dope. No wonder they now come in the form of milk, dips and even ice cream. Just make sure that if you'd prefer to eat them straight out of a container that you go the no or lightly salted route and that you consume no more than 16-18 nuts each day. Since they pack 160 calories per ounce, snacking on them is a really easy way to pack on the pounds, if you're not careful.
Food Sensitivity Testing
Dietary Restrictions Food GIF by Hyper RPGGiphyIf you've been experiencing bloating, migraines, a runny nose, coughing or hives, while on the surface it might seem that all of those things point to seasonal allergies, it could actually mean that you've got some sort of food sensitivity going on.
There are all kinds of things that can trigger a food allergy in your system—histamines, chemicals and/or toxins in the food, missing enzymes in your body or a few other underlying causes. The only way you can get to the root of what's making you sick is to get a skin prick or blood test from your doctor. Make the time; it's worth it.
Tongue Scraping
When we were first learning how to brush our teeth, we were told about how important it is to brush our tongues. Be honest—do you still do it, though? If you don't (or you don't as much as you should), let's first talk about what could happen. For starters, your breath could wreak. Not only that but your taste buds could become dull. If those two things aren't enough, you could end up with oral thrush (which is basically a yeast infection in your mouth) or worse, a "black and hairy tongue" which comes as the result of leftover particles of food giving your tongue a dark and hair-like appearance (GROSS). Another problem that arises from not brushing your tongue is it creates a biofilm of bacteria on it; the kind that doesn't go away with water or even mouthwash.
So yeah, if you want to avoid having a "yuck mouth", brushing and flossing after every meal isn't good enough. You also need to scrape that tongue of yours. (A brush is cool, but an actual tongue scraper is so much better!)
Less Alcohol
No Way Omg GIF by E!GiphyIt seems like ever since the beginning of time, there has been conflicting information on whether alcohol and coffee are good for you or not. On the alcohol tip, let's look at red wine as an example. It's loaded with antioxidants. It raises the level of omega-3 fatty acids in your system. It helps to prevent cavities, fights allergies and is a great libido booster. Red wine even strengthens your heart and keeps your blood sugar levels under control. Shoot, even the Good Book sings wine's praises (Ecclesiastes 9:7, I Timothy 5:23). But then there are articles like the one that was published on NPR's site a couple of years back—"No Amount of Alcohol Is Good for Your Health, Global Study Says".
I've never been a big drinker, but I am known to have a shot of honey whiskey or a cocktail from time to time. I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. But, as far as current health trends go, if you want to be "trendy", a lot of health experts are recommending that you ditch the alcohol and go with a mocktail (a fake cocktail) instead. (If you want to read about how excessive amounts of alcohol affects our health as women, click here.)
Transformational Travel
The xoTribe is such a big fan of travel that there's an entire section on our site that's entirely devoted to it! Traveling with your boo is romantic, traveling with your girls is fun, but there is something very powerful and yes transformative, about traveling solo. You're able to get some much-needed downtime, you're able to meet new people and try new things, you can rest for as long as you want and it's a great way to take your self-confidence up a notch as well.
Now that I've done my little commercial for what you should put travel on your annual itinerary, does it surprise you that transformative travel is also on the women's health trend list this year? What the heck is transformative travel all about? It literally consists of planning a trip for the sole purpose of changing your life for the better. Y'all, it's so serious that there's even an official The Transformational Travel Council to help get you started.
Out of all the trends I shared, try and not let this one fade. Make it a part of your life now and for the long-term foreseeable future.
Being a Sovereign
Family Vacation Fox GIF by GrandfatheredGiphyOut of all the women's trends that I checked out, to me, this one exceeds them all. As you probably well know, being healthy isn't just about what you do physically, it consists of being proactive as it relates to mental and emotional well-being too. That said, something that's a really big trend right now is not putting everyone and their grandma's needs before your own. This year is all about being what is known as a "sovereign".
What exactly is that? In the context of relationships, being a sovereign is all about being highly-selective about the people you surround yourself with, spend time with and share your resources with. It's about honoring your time, your heart and your energy. It's about creating boundaries and cultivating the kind of relationships that will truly benefit you.
A sovereign is a monarch. A sovereign takes authority. A sovereign reigns supreme. BE ONE.
Featured image by Getty Images
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This was first evident more than a decade ago when she quit her job as the corporate executive of a Fortune 500 company during a Periscope livestream. “I’m not sure if there’s an alignment of [our] future trajectory. I’m going to work for myself. I'm promoting myself to work for myself,” she said at the time before flashing a smile at the viewing audience. As she resigned on camera, a constant stream of encouraging messages floated upwards on the screen.
By 2021, she’d fashioned her work as a corporate consultant and her personal life with her husband and three adopted daughters into a reality show, She’s The Boss, for USA Network. This year, she released the New York Times bestselling memoir Nothing Is Missing, written as she was in the process of getting a divorce and dealing with her eldest daughter’s struggles with substance use.
Convinced that there’s no way the 39-year-old has achieved all of this without intentional strategic planning, I asked her about it when we spoke less than a week before Christmas. I’d seen videos on social media of her working on 2024 planning for other brands, and I wanted to know what that looked like following her own year of success.
She listed a number of goals, including ensuring that the projects she takes on in the new year align with her identity “as a Black woman, as an African woman, as a mother, as someone who has lived a [rebuilding] season and is now trying to live boldly and entirely as themselves.” But, I was shocked by how much of her business planning also prioritized rest.
Despite the bestselling book, a self-titled podcast, and working with numerous corporations, Walters said she’s been taking Fridays off. This year, she doesn’t want to work on Mondays, either.
“A lot of us think we work hard until retirement hits. I want to progress towards retirement,” she said, noting that she’ll check in with herself around March to see how successful this plan has been. The goal, Walters said, is to only be working on Tuesdays and Thursdays by sometime in 2025. “It is intentionally building out what I know I would like to have happen and not waiting for exhaustion to be the trigger of change.”
"A lot of us think we work hard until retirement hits. I want to progress towards retirement... It is intentionally building out what I know I would like to happen and not waiting for exhaustion to be the trigger of change."
Walters said the decision to progressively work less was partially in response to her previously held notions about her career, especially as an entrepreneur. “When I first started, I thought burnout was a part of it,” she said. “What I didn’t realize is that even if you’re able to bounce out of burnout or get back to it, there’s a cumulative impact on your body. If you think of your body as a tree and every time you go through burnout, you are taking a hack out of your trunk, yes, that trunk will heal over, and the tree will continue to grow, but it doesn't mean that you don’t have a weakened stem.”
But, the desire for increased rest was also in response to the major shifts that occurred three years ago when she was experiencing major changes in her family and realized her metaphorical tree was “bending all the way over.”
Courtesy
“One of the things we have to recognize, especially as Black women, is that there is this engrained, societal, systemic notion that our worth is built around our productivity,” she added. “That is some language that I think is just now starting to really get unpacked.” In recent years, there’s been an increased awareness of achieving balance in life, with Tricia Hersey’s “The Nap Ministry” gaining attention based on the idea that rest, especially for Black women, is a form of resistance. Even online phrases such as “soft life” and “quiet quitting” have hinted at a cultural shift in prioritizing leisure over professional ambition.
"One of the things we have to recognize, especially as Black women, is that there is this engrained, societal, systemic notion that our worth is built around our productivity."
If companies are lining up to consult with Walters about their brands and products, then women have been looking to her for guidance on starting over since she invited them to livestream her resignation 12 years ago. As viewers continue to demand more from content creators in the form of intimate, personal details, Walters has navigated her personal brand with a sense of transparency without oversharing the vulnerable details about her life, especially when it comes to her family.
The entrepreneur said she’d been approached to write a book for several years and was initially convinced she was finally ready to write one about business. “I started to do that, and then I went through my divorce. When that happened, I said, why would I write a book telling people to get the life that I have when I’m not sure about the life that I have,” she said.
Instead, she decided to write Nothing Is Missing and provide a closer look at her life, starting with being born to immigrant Ghanaian parents (“You need to know my childhood to know why I’m passionate about entrepreneurship.”) through the adoption of her three daughters and eventual divorce. Despite her desire to share, however, she said she felt protective of the privacy of her family, including her ex-husband.
When discussing this with me, Walters said she was reminded of a lesson she learned from actress Kerry Washington, who released her own memoir, Thicker Than Water, just a week before Walters’ book release. Washington’s memoir grapples with family secrets, too, specifically the fact that she was conceived using a sperm donor and didn’t learn about it until she was already a successful TV star. While Washington reflects on how the decision and subsequent deception impacted her, she’s also careful to hold space for her parents’ experiences, too. “A lot of things she said was that she had to recognize where she was the supporting character and where she was the main character,” Walter said.
This is something Walter worked to do in Nothing Is Missing when discussing her daughter’s struggles with addiction. “I was very intentional about making sure that I did not reveal more than what was required,” she said. “If I say something about someone’s addiction, I don’t need to go into the list of the substances they used, how they used them, what I found. [I don’t need to] walk into a room and paint a picture of what it looked like for people to understand.”
Walters said some of the most vulnerable moments in the book barely made a ripple once it was released. She was extremely nervous to write about getting an abortion, she said. But no one has asked her about this in the months since the book was released. Instead, people have been more interested in quirkier revelations, such as the fact that she once appeared on Wheel of Fortune.
“I have bared my soul about this thing I went through in my youth that has changed me for people, and people are like, ‘So how heavy was the wheel when you spun it?’” she said, chuckling. “It just goes to show that people never worry about the thing that you worry about.”
With the success of Nothing Is Missing, Walters said she still isn’t planning to release a business book at the moment. But, as she navigates parenting a teenager and two adult children while also navigating a relationship with her new fiancé, Walters said she believes she has at least one or two more books to write about her personal journey. “There is sort of an arc of where my life has gone that I know I’ve got something more to say about this that I think is important, relevant and necessary,” she said.
In just three years, Walters’ life has undergone a major transformation. There’s no telling what the next three years will have in store for her, but it seems likely she’ll retain an inspired audience wherever life takes her.
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In an exclusive interview, Jonathan lists 10 dating profile mistakes to avoid in 2024. Read below to kick off your dating journey in a positive way.
Blurry Pictures
Jonathan says blurry pictures are the ultimate no-no. "Pictures are your first representation of yourself on the dating app. So make sure that you have a clear picture, make sure that the picture represents you. If it's a blurry picture, people can't see you. They will see your picture before they read your profile."
Inappropriate Pictures
Next are inappropriate pictures. "Typically, they'll get flagged on dating apps by our moderators, but I mean a torso pic. I mean, even if you have a six-pack, people still want to see your face."
Morsa Images/ Getty Images
Incomplete Biographies
"Another profile mistake; I will say incomplete bios because after people see your pic, if they like it. They want to, you know, get to know a little bit about you," he says.
"If the app gives you as much information to fill out like if you want kids, education, are you a smoker or do you work out, you know, fill out as much as possible because that way that also helps, you know, get you to your match quicker and can alleviate some of that time back and forth. If you know, it's not going to be a match."
Misspellings and Grammar Mistakes
Jonathan recommends that dating app users use spellcheck when writing bios. Grammar mistakes and misspelled words may show that you don't "pay attention to detail, which people probably don't want."
Being Vague About Intentions
While you may be looking for a serious relationship, other people may just be looking for a good time so revealing what you're looking for in your profile will help weed out those who don't match your intentions. "So on BLK we now have, you can select your intention right on your profile. Are you looking for long-term relationship, friends with benefits, friends, you know, things like that?"
Pro-Stock Studios/ Getty Images
TMI
However, there is such a thing as too much information. "Because then that could be safety and privacy, like you don't want to put your phone number on there. I mean, you might not want to put your Snapchat or Instagram." He continues, "I will say like, keep your different social media separate and not give all your information out on your profile."
Negativity
If you're on dating apps, then you've probably seen a negative profile or two, but don't follow in those footsteps. "Even if you've had bad experiences in dating apps or relationships, you don't take it to the dating app because it's supposed to be a place of hope."
Not Updating Your Profile
Have you dyed your hair or lost weight since creating your dating profile? Then you might want to update it, sis. "I mean, you don't want to misrepresent yourself, like if you got a picture from when you were in high school, probably not the best thing because if you meet somebody in person, you're not going to look the same. People's weights, especially during COVID, have gone up, gone down. So you might want to keep that updated to be in accordance with what's real."
10 Dating Profile Mistakes To Avoid In 2024Igor Alecsander/ Getty ImagesOveruse of Filters
While we love our filters, we want to make sure our pics on our dating profiles match how we look in real life. No catfishing here. "Overuse of filters is definitely a faux pas because, again, it's not representing who you truly are," he says. "We want to be all about authenticity. Like that's why BLK exists because it's like you can be your real self, so with BLK, you don't have to code switch. So, I would say, like the filters and edits, let's not lean into that so much.
Lack of Initiative
Lack of initiative applies to after matching with someone. "Bumble says make the first move. We're not gonna say that, but it's like, I mean, send a message if you already matched, so it's like okay, you both swiped right on each other. Don't wait for the other person to message you first. Just go for it. I mean, all you can lose is just somebody you don't know."
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