Lavish Spending, Water and Walking Nonsense
Personal Debt and Social Media
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Newgate, Committed for Trial, Frank Holl (1845-1888)
Photo Credit: Rochdale Arts & Heritage Service [CC BY-NC]
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They, the Researchers at the US National Bureau of Economic
Research, explain that the most visible people in an online network are the ones
who are shown consuming the most. In other words, the friends who are
constantly posting about mini-breaks and meals out are the ones most likely to
appear in timelines.
Social media sites designed for sharing pictures and videos,
such as Instagram are particularly influential in changing people’s spending
because of their heavy emphasis on travel, fashion and celebrity.This, they say, is the “driving force” for the
overconsumption observed.
Although the researchers do not mention it, the most popular
figures on these apps are paid millions of pounds to serve as “influencers” by
plugging particular products.
Celebrities including Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora and Zoella
have committed to disclose such payments clearly after allegations that they
previously failed to do so…
Previous research has linked heavy social media use to
anxiety and depression in young people, although the findings are contested by
others.
(The Times, 2019)
Lavish spending, rising debt, overconsumption, influencers – just madness.
Will there be another financial crash? Odds on.
Water
It’s not just the market for snacks that is booming. Rehydrating after exercise used to be a case of queuing to fill a cup from a water fountain in a corner of your gym whenever you were thirsty.
Now, at the fanciest fitness emporiums water is considered not worth sipping unless it has been purified or filtered, is alkaline or oxygenated. And it is likely to be consumed on the prompt of an app such as Waterlogged or Gulp that tracks water status, or according to a personalised fluid plan from Precision Hydration.
At SoulCycle regulars fill their reusable bottles (available to rent, naturally) from stations that provide seven-times purified water, while at the slick Cloud Twelve members’ spa in Notting Hill, west London, you will sip water that has gone through “advanced reverse osmosis” (supposedly to remove impurities).
Drinking has never seemed so complex, but whether or not we need this new wave of hydration – and the rules that come with it – is questionable. “There’s a lot of nonsense spoken about hydration,” says Dr Kevin Currell, a nutritionist and the head of technical development at the English Institute of Sport.
… “Tap water will do this job [enabling us to sweat more efficiently so that we don’t overheat] as well as any of the more fancy brands.”
(The Times, 2019)
So, drinking water is much better if it is seven times purified,
filtered, alkaline and oxygenated. Make sure, also, that it’s in a state of “advanced
reverse osmosis”.
You simply do need an app that tracks your water status and you must definitely have a personalised fluid plan. Don’t bring your own reusable bottle to the gym. Much better to rent one there.
Thank goodness Dr Currell comes to the rescue and cuts through much of this nonsense. Just drink tap water when you exercise and when you’re thirsty.
Walking
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Thirsty, Middleton Alexander Jameson (1851-1919)
Photo Credit: Brampton Museum [CC BY-NC]
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It’s not just the market for snacks that is booming. Rehydrating after exercise used to be a case of queuing to fill a cup from a water fountain in a corner of your gym whenever you were thirsty.
Now, at the fanciest fitness emporiums water is considered not worth sipping unless it has been purified or filtered, is alkaline or oxygenated. And it is likely to be consumed on the prompt of an app such as Waterlogged or Gulp that tracks water status, or according to a personalised fluid plan from Precision Hydration.
At SoulCycle regulars fill their reusable bottles (available to rent, naturally) from stations that provide seven-times purified water, while at the slick Cloud Twelve members’ spa in Notting Hill, west London, you will sip water that has gone through “advanced reverse osmosis” (supposedly to remove impurities).
Drinking has never seemed so complex, but whether or not we need this new wave of hydration – and the rules that come with it – is questionable. “There’s a lot of nonsense spoken about hydration,” says Dr Kevin Currell, a nutritionist and the head of technical development at the English Institute of Sport.
… “Tap water will do this job [enabling us to sweat more efficiently so that we don’t overheat] as well as any of the more fancy brands.”
(The Times, 2019)
You simply do need an app that tracks your water status and you must definitely have a personalised fluid plan. Don’t bring your own reusable bottle to the gym. Much better to rent one there.
Thank goodness Dr Currell comes to the rescue and cuts through much of this nonsense. Just drink tap water when you exercise and when you’re thirsty.
Walking
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| Beach with Village, Boats and a Walking Figure, George Hornblower Simms (1818-1889) Photo Credit: Victoria Art Gallery. [CC BY-NC-ND] |
…Last year
the trend forecasters WGSN predicted that hiking would become the biggest new
fitness trend of 2019. Buoyed by fashion houses including Gucci and Louis
Vuitton putting walking boots on the catwalk, style blogs declared hiking to be
officially hot.
The stats bear it out: The Ramblers’ Association, now The Ramblers and best known for attracting an older demographic, counts more than 50 groups nationwide for people in their 20s and 30s.
…Social media undeniably creates bubbles of like-minded people, but the cultural shift has been perceptible – Instagram is filled with photos of beautiful craggy coastlines taken by an array of young, part-time hedonists: part-time hikers. User research confirms that walking has become a widespread hobby.
…Chris Lines, who has more than 20 years’ experience working with the outdoor brand Berghaus and the It’s Great Out There Coalition, says the surge of interest in the outdoors ties into broader consumer trends: we want to enhance our lives with greater experiences rather than more stuff. More memories, fewer hangovers. “People want to get away from the hustle and bustle of an increasingly frenetic daily life in the city. Everyone is surrounded by technology and ‘on’ all the time; getting outdoors is a chance to put that down and reconnect with nature. It’s a mental escape as much as a physical one – and it’s good for you.
Laura Doling, 25, is a keen champion. “Everyone talks about mental health a lot, but I think, massively for young people, it’s a great outlet to be in the hills in solitude,” she says. “Everything else becomes insignificant when I’m walking; the world carries on and it slows everything down…I can go out at a weekend and camp out in the hills, where you sit and have a decent conversation. It takes away from the superficial problem of worrying what you look like or what you’re wearing.”
(The Observer, 2019)
The stats bear it out: The Ramblers’ Association, now The Ramblers and best known for attracting an older demographic, counts more than 50 groups nationwide for people in their 20s and 30s.
…Social media undeniably creates bubbles of like-minded people, but the cultural shift has been perceptible – Instagram is filled with photos of beautiful craggy coastlines taken by an array of young, part-time hedonists: part-time hikers. User research confirms that walking has become a widespread hobby.
…Chris Lines, who has more than 20 years’ experience working with the outdoor brand Berghaus and the It’s Great Out There Coalition, says the surge of interest in the outdoors ties into broader consumer trends: we want to enhance our lives with greater experiences rather than more stuff. More memories, fewer hangovers. “People want to get away from the hustle and bustle of an increasingly frenetic daily life in the city. Everyone is surrounded by technology and ‘on’ all the time; getting outdoors is a chance to put that down and reconnect with nature. It’s a mental escape as much as a physical one – and it’s good for you.
Laura Doling, 25, is a keen champion. “Everyone talks about mental health a lot, but I think, massively for young people, it’s a great outlet to be in the hills in solitude,” she says. “Everything else becomes insignificant when I’m walking; the world carries on and it slows everything down…I can go out at a weekend and camp out in the hills, where you sit and have a decent conversation. It takes away from the superficial problem of worrying what you look like or what you’re wearing.”
(The Observer, 2019)
For goodness sake. Forget ‘fitness trend’, ‘enhancing our
lives with greater experiences’, ‘reconnecting with nature’ and ‘mental escape’.
Don’t complicate things. Just WALK.
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