Several trends can be found in the food and fitness habits of higher-education students in America. University and post-graduate students represent the incoming generation to the future labor market and their preferences can affect different areas of society. They have more time than others to pursue self-improvement tasks than the population at large. In addition to more flexible schedules that allow more time for specialized workouts, they also have quick access to academic data. Their habits can help start or reflect trends that filter out into the general population.
The location where a university is found can also have an echo effect that will affect students. The access to more urban areas due to location in city environments can lead students to be given an opportunity to try out fads or cutting-edge health trends that might take more time to filter out to less urbanized areas. The digital age has shrunk this cultural effect and there is quicker uptake of what health influencers might be doing in one areas getting out quickly over social media. So an urban-based student might be able to visit a specialized workout studio that has become popular while others can only read about it. It also matters what geographical area the university is located as to what specific health trends are heavily represented. The coastal areas of America usually are testing grounds for business introducing new health products. Customized delivery services might only be prevalent in areas of the country in which the greater demands make them economically justifiable.
An ongoing trend that will increase over the next year and reach more portions of the country is people's attention to food origins. There has been greater interest in where and how food is grown. Farming has become a topic more accessible or at least more discussed by people. Various businesses have used this trend as a way to market more organic produce. Some businesses have also started to introduce services that market the speed at which they can get food delivered direct from farm producers to individual consumers.
Another food-quality trend that is increasing is the focus on so called super foods. These food items such as fruit or vegetables that are said to have multiple health benefits packed into small packages. A key focus is on the antioxidant potential of different types of food as away to help combat symptoms such as inflammation. Food that deliver increased nutritional benefits quickly are of interest to university students who have come to discover better eating habits can lead to better results for their academic pursuits. So an overall trend that can become clear is the increased concentration on the origins of food and the specific ways they can have an effect on the human body. People have become more aware of what they consume can have an impact on how they think or feel. This trend will become stronger as more customized research tools such as apps allow people to see facts about what they are eating on a daily basis.
In the fitness world there is an increased focus on creating customizable health plans. More people including university students expect to have a personal workout designed based upon their interest and motivations. As people look for separate niches that appeal to them, various workout concepts are being subdivided. General exercise such as running is now being tweaked for specialized races in outside environments, the idea being that the classic experience of going to a gym and using a treadmill doesn't allow you to connect with your outside environment and is not appealing. Finding ways to incorporate exercise into more environmental areas that are out of the gym or off the road are gaining interest. If they choose to do classic exercises they expect to have some added flavor to make it a special experience.
Another physical-exercise trend is a growing interest in more mind-body-connected workouts. These are marketed as ways to challenge the mind and develop emotional intelligence. So now someone who goes to a boutique exercise studio might include meditation as one area of the routine. These slower, focused workout routines concentrate on trying to center the individual performing the exercises. Ending the workout shouldn't necessarily leave someone exhausted rather more invigorated and thinking clearly. University students have become more open to this trend of using alternative fitness routines as a way of trying to feel fit but also more relaxed.
Seeing people using wearable technology is becoming an increasingly common sight on university campuses. People have found that personal tracking of their daily movement can not only give the user a general idea of their exercise habits but also help motivate them. By automatically recording their past actions they can focus on the areas they need to improve upon. This trend dovetails into the concept of personalizing the user goals and solutions.
The trends that will occur over the next year will see people including university students seeking more personal solutions to their health status. Each individual will have a specific set of things they need to do to improve their health. They want to feel as if the goals they wish to accomplish are unique to their situation. Becoming more aware of how they eat and the alternative exercises available will be part of this overall trend.
(Article changed on June 30, 2016 at 03:03)
