Content provided by British Council
[1] Forget hard wellness routines and costly supplements: the newest health trend on social media is similar to how an Italian grandmother lives her daily life. “Nonnamaxxing” is a popular movement on TikTok that encourages people to follow the simple habits of an Italian grandmother, also called “nonna”.
[2] The trend champions a slower, more thoughtful way of living. This includes cooking meals from basic ingredients, taking walks every day, gardening, having long meals with family, spending time in person with others and using screens less.
[3] A study from 2020 that was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that if you walk briskly for just 15 minutes every day, it can lower the chance of early death. Cooking meals from fresh ingredients is connected to healthier eating. Eating meals with others can provide physical and mental benefits.
[4] Italy consistently ranks among the countries with the highest life expectancy. Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean, is known as a Blue Zone region. This means it is one of the few places in the world where many live to be 100 years old or more.
[5] One of the key themes of this trend is taking breaks from screens. Laurie Singer, a mental health expert, said always being connected to digital devices can be bad for our minds. “We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health,” she said, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.
[6] Singer also said it is important to do activities with our hands, like gardening, baking and knitting. “Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something ‘real’,” she said.
[7] “Nonnamaxxing” is different from many other wellness trends because it is simple. This trend takes traditional ways of living and presents them as a modern way to be healthy. It connects living a long life with having a consistent lifestyle. The main ideas are movement, real food, social connections and a positive mindset. And if Italian grandmothers have been practising them for generations, perhaps the rest of us are just catching up.
Source: dpa, April 27
