The noughties truly was the decade of appearance and physicality. Gym- sculpted figures, honed through intensive workouts with trainers, bolstered with excessive doses of creatine and whey powder extract; these peacocks of fashion and appearance were once at the forefront of culture and everyday acceptability. Though these individuals still command a degree of notoriety and a healthy number of fans and followers, the trend has changed, and now people are trying to not simply make their appearance look honed and healthy, instead opting for a healthy lifestyle that does more for their interior than exterior.
Taking a look at the Cyruses, Byneses and Situations plastered across tabloids and gossip magazines, the bodily images on offer are enough to make any sound minded individual recoil. For the women, the now overly prescribed image is that of skinniness and pertness, bolstered by a ridiculous diet regime that is more likely to cause organ failure than a vacuous award from Cosmo. For the guys, six packs that look like overly constricted bundles of meat and ridiculous tans that could turn the word ethnicity on its head; these used to be the apex of image and fashion. Not any more, however.
The focus now is on real health, a healthiness that stems not from image but from a good, natural diet that lacks all of the chemicals and toxins that, accepted in previous decades, now are causing headaches and nausea for anyone informed of the ridiculous tirade of food scandals that now seem ten for a penny. It is certainly true that physical fitness is part of maintaining good bodily health, but the notion of looking like Mr Universe is now far from the minds of the average joe.
The one thing still neglected however, is that of the health of the brain. Lots of things can help us train our brains to perform better, defter tasks; puzzles, Sudoku, reading, even online gaming such as that offered by sites such as River Belle online slots; all of these can engage your brain and increase your mental acuity, far better than merely sitting in front of the television.
For the youth, doing such tasks isn’t unknown, and digital natives are likely to have far healthier, ‘worked-out’ brains than their parents or grandparents for whom leisure time lacked the need for decision and abstract reasoning skills that games and puzzles now require. Those with a few more years under their belt shouldn’t be fazed by the need to train their minds, as the potential benefits could include fighting off dementia and feeling happier in general. Try it out!
