The Fresh decade has started, and along with it, new Fitness Trends are to be set, which will be smarter and efficient from the previous methods. Where we’ve seen people go crazy for new fitness trends and new workouts, including hybrid spin classes, meditation apps, lunchtime sessions, Your House Fitness and even yoga.

The industry has increased in the past ten years, and the competition has been growing in nearly all fields. Thus, it is essential to stay healthy and also by spending a minimum amount of time in the gym to save time. 

This can be done by following these trends and make yourself ready for 2020.

1.Wearable apps and technology

People are interested in recovery and fitness stats, and 2020 will be all about ‘the more information, the better.’

As technology-based wellness innovations continue to evolve, the fitness landscape is shifting toward more digital connections.

Thus, these wearable gadgets are handy for keeping the correct record of our fitness and giving appropriate solutions and aids.

2.Restorative Fitness

Restorative fitness will bring a welcome balance to those who are High Intense Training and Cross-Fit lovers.

Restorative fitness centers on the idea that the body goes through a cycle of stress and recovery, and high-intensity workouts aren’t effective when the body is stressed, as from an intense workout.

3.Swimming

The benefits of Exercising in water builds cardiovascular stamina, strength, flexibility, burns body fat, and increases circulation.

Research shows that people who exercise in water can burn as much body fat and build as much muscle as those who engage in land-based exercise programs.

4.Strength Training

In 2020, dieters will increasingly insist on having strategies for muscle retention or development while they lose fat.

Most popular diets result in the loss of about a third of a pound of muscle for every pound lost.

 Losing muscle mass not only makes you weaker, but it also slows your metabolism down, which in turn causes weight loss all the more difficult.

5. Mindful Workouts

For many people, exercise is their go-to stress management strategy. Studies show that many Americans use their fitness regimen as their principal stress reduction method. It is a fantastic tool.

Physical activity has the power to relieve anxiety and reduce stress levels in the body.

There is a shift towards using this tool more and adding to it. Mindfulness practice provides many of the same values; it helps manage anxiety and even depression.

With the knowledge that we can use both mindfulness and exercise to help ease stress, people are now looking to harness both techniques.

 Taking all these points into consideration can help you live the best possible lifestyle for you and promotes a longer and more fulfilled life. Therefore, these were the top 5 fitness trends that will be seen all over in 2020, and you can follow these to make yourself competition ready, fit, and healthy. Because it has been said that being healthy is being wealthy, so Stay Fit, Stay Healthy!

2019 ended with the beginning of a new pandemic. Identified on 31st of December 2019, Coronavirus has become a global threat within a very short period, with 14,628 people infected and 305 deaths. The spread rate and the death toll of this new coronavirus have surpassed SARS, which is also a member of the coronavirus family. SARS killed 774 people with a total of 8098 cases between 2002 and 2003. 

In this article, we’ll explore more about how the new coronavirus compares to other pandemics in recent history.

Novel Coronavirus (n-CoV):

Coronavirus is quite common in our environment, and quite frequently it causes the common cold in the flu season. It’s very likely that you and I previously had a common cold caused by Coronavirus. But that strain of Coronavirus is not deadly and doesn’t do much more than causing fever and a runny nose.The new strain of Coronavirus, AKA, Novel Coronavirus, however, is not the same. It’s a more severe, mutated form of Coronavirus, which is capable of causing severe respiratory diseases like pneumonia and ARDS, leading to death.

n-CoV is believed to have originated from a seafood market that also sells wild animals, in Wuhan, China. All of the first few cases of n-CoV had a history of exposure to this particular seafood market.

It is believed to be zoonotic in origin. Meaning, it was transmitted to humans from an animal source, most likely to be a bat which then infected a snake. “After the RNA sequencing of this virus, it was established that the Coronavirus transmitted to the snake underwent mutation and formed the Novel Coronavirus. It’s been theorized that this particular snake was brought to the source seafood market and ended up infecting humans, and thus the spread began,”says Dr.Nonika,an infectious disease specialist at Doctor Spring.

After observing the first few cases, it’s been established that the n-CoV has an incubation period of 7-14 days. During this period a person is already infected but there are no apparent symptoms. This is an issue because a person in the incubation period will still be capable of spreading the disease further without even knowing that they are sick.The symptoms are similar to a common cold. It starts with a fever and cough, which then progresses to breathing difficulties. In some cases, it can lead to pneumonia leading to ARDS and death.

The disease spread via air. Coming in close contact with infected, or infected surfaces leads to exposure to the disease.No specific vaccine or treatment is available so far.WHO has declared it a global emergency, and currently efforts are being made to isolate the infected and screen the ones who are potentially already infected.SARS:

SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) is a disease caused by the SARS virus from the coronavirus family (SARS-CoV). Viral investigation showed that n-CoV even has some structural similarities to the SARS virus. However, they are two different strains of coronavirus.

The transmission of the virus was also zoonotic in origin. But unlike 2019-nCoV, SARS originated in civet cat, which then transmitted the infection to humans.

The disease caused by the SARS virus is quite similar to the n-CoV. Both SARS and Novel Coronavirus affect the respiratory system, and therefore SARS also causes fever, cough and breathing difficulties. 

The spread of the disease also happens in the same way, i.e coming in direct contact with the infected and infected surfaces.

SARS was ultimately contained in July 2003 by isolating the infected.

Spanish Flu:

Spanish Flu Pandemic was the most severe pandemic in human history, mostly affecting people of the age group 20 to 40 years of age. It killed about 50 to 100 million people and infected about 500 million people (about 1/3rd of the total world’s population at the time) within a few months. The deaths caused by this flu was far more than the casualties of the first world war.

Spanish Flu was caused by an H1N1 influenza virus with bird’s genes, in 1918. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new strain of influenza virus is formed by a mutation in an animal source, usually pigs and birds and then spread to humans by direct contact. It is believed that Spanish Flu was transmitted by birds to humans.

It is not well known what kind of genetic changes made this particular influenza pandemic so severe, but one theory is that malnutrition, poor living conditions, overcrowding in the military camps and high mobility of people due to war were few of the reasons why Spanish Flu Influenza was able to infect so many people and cause a severe form of disease leading to death.

The infection begins with usual flu-like symptoms and then progresses to ARDS quickly. It spreads by direct contact.

There are many unknowns about this disease. Nobody exactly knows where this Flu first appeared, but it was reported by a newspaper based in Madrid for the first time and was therefore named as the Spanish Flu.

Ebola:

Ebola or Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever is caused by the Ebola virus. It was first seen in 1976 in a village near the Ebola River in Congo, Africa. It spreads from infected primates coming in direct contact with humans. 

The average case fatality rate is about 50%. 

We recently had two Ebola outbreaks. The first epidemic happened between 2014-16, which started in Guinea of West Africa and then again in 2018-19, originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 2014-16 epidemic was the largest Ebola outbreak since 1976, killing 11,325 people and infected 28,600.

The disease is spread by coming in direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or animal. and objects contaminated by the virus. The incubation period can be anywhere between 2 to 21 days.

The symptoms include fever, sore throat, muscle pain, and headaches. Then it progresses to vomiting, diarrhea, and rash. Liver and kidneys are the two major organs that are usually affected causing their reduced function. The disease ultimately leads to both internal and external bleeding, causing the death of the patient.

Surprisingly, this virus can persist in the semen and breast week for several months after recovery.

There is no specific treatment available for Ebola as well. However, we do have vaccines against them which was used during the 2018-19 outbreak.

In Christian circles, Yoga is a controversial topic. There are several opinion pieces that are out both for and against it, and the majority of the Christian community is kind of trying to shrug their shoulders at Christians who have yet found another issue to be against each other and divide over with.

There is rising fame for a certain yoga specifically for Christians – the Christian Yoga or Holy Yoga. Holy Yoga (or any type of Christian Yoga) is not considered as a religion. It is rather a physical activity to harmonize the body in confluence with deep breathing and a conscientious intent to focus on God.

The Holy Yoga experience has become a time of veneration, praise, as well as intimate connection with Christ performed in contemporary Christian music. It is a divine experience that teaches someone to cherish, nurture, acknowledge, recharge and thrive in His word and spirit.

Holy Yoga: What is it?

If we quiet our thoughts and focus on God, something incredible happens. It would feel that we are more at peace and more at ease with everything around us.    

Many of us wish to spend a longer period of quiet time with God on a daily basis, but we sometimes run out of time. Holy Yoga sessions will be able to encourage and facilitate Christians to spend more meaningful time nurturing the mind whilst maintaining a healthy body as well.

Holy Yoga focuses on Jesus. It is all about making our relationship with Him deeper and more intimate. It is, therefore, a meditative practice with about the same aim just like any other religious practice to have a spiritual encounter with God, like prayer, abstinence, and meditation. Holy Yoga is about yoga just as much as a music of worship is just about music. In this yoga experience, we are committing everything that we are, and that includes our every breath and every move we make, to Jesus Christ. It is also about remaining still with the mind and heart, to truly experience an intimate and deeper relationship with Him and spend some quiet time in that moment. While it is true that there are plenty of physical benefits when doing Holy Yoga, hopefully, the spiritual benefits of practicing this would outweigh the physical benefits as not to forfeit the true meaning of Holy Yoga.

Physically, we can improve both flexibility and strength that could alleviate stress-related problems, back problems, arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, breathing difficulties and digestive disorders. It also can lead to reducing weight and muscle strengthening which has in themselves have various physical benefits.

Just like the physical benefits are different for each individual, no specific spiritual experience can be guaranteed for everyone. However, if someone would just spend some quiet time (for just about an hour or so), it would definitely do something amazing in one’s life, particularly their faith. It might also rejuvenate their souls and enkindle spiritual change.

Holy Yoga is not an occasional physical fitness class. Nor is it a religion that dictates how we should live and praise the Lord. It is really a spiritual practice that weaves into one’s current walk of faith. It will help connect a deeper relationship with God by offering us a new way of experiencing Him with one’s whole being.

Benefits of Holy Yoga

..to the Physical Body

1. Improve muscle tone and flexibility.

Holy Yoga works the muscles in the same way with typical pushups or squats using the bodyweight for resistance. The muscles that do the work are growing stronger by going through a range of movement while bearing the body’s weight and using other muscles for stability and support.

2. Increase blood flow and proper circulation.

Poor blood circulation can be the underlying cause of all sorts of problems in our bodies, such as fluid retention and lower extremity swelling. In many aspects, movement is essential to overall wellness, and that includes circulatory health Holy yoga can boost the blood circulation of the body with low-impact motions which are the best form of exercise for circulation problems. Such stretching motions stimulate an increase in blood flow to the body.

3. Strengthen the joints, tendons, and ligaments.

When you have weaker muscles, the body will depend more on the joints for increased stability. It puts considerable pressure on the joints, tendons, and ligaments. Healthier joints can be developed by strengthening muscles with Holy Yoga. Stronger muscles can support the body, ridding stress and pressure and aid with healthy body weight and pain management.

..to the Spiritual Body

1. Deepens the connection with God.

As Christians, it is said that they are primarily called to learn the Word and also to be deeply entrenched in the grace of God, for that is the only Truth. Holy Yoga sessions provide scripture and a theme where the time spent doing yoga will also be the perfect time to spend in cultivating a deeper relationship with Him.

2. Promote stillness with the body, mind, and soul.

It is a chaotic world with such an array of distractions that perhaps the devil uses to try and drive us away from God. Satan wants everyone to believe that being busy and trying to do more is what makes life worth living. The very last thing he wants is for us to slow down, stay still and sit and connect with the Heavenly Father. Holy Yoga does not only promote solitude but stillness in God’s presence with which we can be drawn closer to Him, where we can encounter Christ as the Prince of Peace and ask Him to fight our fights.

3. Open up and hear God’s voice.

God does not have to deal with the world’s noise. We often pray to hear Him, pray to get an answer to our prayer but we don’t do our part in slowing down so that we can hear His voice above everything else. We open ourselves through humility and stillness during Holy Yoga workouts, to prepare the heart and mind to start receiving what He has readied for us.