Top 10 Wellness Trends in 2024
Table of Content
- Introduction
- 1. Focus on Immune Health
- 2. Healthy Eating, Nutrition & Weight Loss
- 3. Mental and Emotional Health and Wellness
- 4. Digital Healthcare Products
- 5. Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- 6. Corporate Wellness
- 7. Sustainable Lifestyle
- 8. Financial Wellness
- 9. Spiritual
- 10. Wellness Tourism
- Summary
Introduction
There has been nothing so significant in the life of all people globally in recent times like there was the impact of COVID-19. We saw how our lives can suddenly change and how lives can also be taken so suddenly. In this new era that we are all living in, many changes have happened in our lives and as like in the past, life always strikes for a way to live and to live good.
As a result of COVID-19, many innovations were discovered and implemented across many industries, and some life changes would result in a more supportive and stronger humanity. We also witness growth in people’s interest in better health, immunity, and protection. Some families got closer and stronger, and in some communities, we could see increased care for general wellbeing and humanity.
Following global patterns, new Wellness trends surfaced, and some grew even more. Looking at some statistics related to the Wellness industry forecast, it is expected to grow at a 10% annual pace through 2025. (1) In the next three years, a large shift to Wellness plus more healthcare investments are expected to increase the wellness economy’s growth to $7 trillion.
Compared to the pre-covid time, wellness now means far more than a spin class or facial massage, with a growing focus on health and wellbeing in all areas of life.
This article is about our top 10 wellness trends of 2022 that you should be aware of. Here is our list:
1. Focus on Immune Health
The Immune System is the complex system that fights and protects our body from bacteria, viruses, infections, illnesses, diseases, toxins, and fungi and keeps body cells healthy and strong.
In recent decades, science and the medical care system have become more open to assessing other aspects of living that impact immunity. Results of lifestyle change during the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of mental health issues highlighted even more the importance of a good and balanced immune system. As a result, the “immune boosting” trend on all social media channels grew exponentially, offering so much advice and products that, unfortunately, many used it to promote their influence presence or to gain science-free commercial benefits.
We all need to understand that gaining a good healthy immune system is a commitment to a healthy lifestyle that requires a multi-disciplinary approach and actions and covers many areas in life.
Here are some things that we can do to maintain a strong, healthy immune system:
- Have a balanced and healthy diet
- Improve gut health and immunity
- Reduce consumption of sugar
- Drink plenty of water
- Exercise regularly
- Have plenty of sleep
- Maintain good mental and emotional health
- Detox and cleanse
2. Healthy Eating, Nutrition & Weight Loss
With the Covid-19 pandemic, more people stayed at home and explored options for healthy eating. This trend seems to continue and is not going away. People want a good knowledge of what they eat and how this food will affect their bodies.
With the increase in digestion problems, allergies and various sensitivities, more people started to have more interest in gut health, which is also very important to our immunity and brain.
Experts at Harvard Medical School suggest intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, or depression, all because of the intimate connection between GIT and the brain. (2) One way to ensure good gut health is to switch processed food with natural ingredients such as green vegetables and organic foods.
Along with gut health, weight loss and plant-based movement have also been listed among the top trends of 2022. Fad diets that promise dramatic results are gaining popularity. Many people follow these diets, but you should prioritise your health and talk to your nutritionist before starting any diet.
Following a trend, there are also on the market a lot of options of low sugar and no alcohol drinks, as well as “functional beverages” that claim to have many health benefits.
It is always beneficial when consumers research and understand their bodies before they decide to replace some supplementation with healthy food and practise a healthy diet.
3. Mental and Emotional Health and Wellness
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, mental and emotional health awareness has been increasing in the past few years. People are looking more for ways how to navigate through day-to-day challenges and manage their mental health.
Mental health problems are described as an absence of positive emotion. Recent studies show that 1 in every 5 people is affected by some form of mental health, mostly showing as a low mood or depression.
Due to the increased interest, the mental health market is expected to grow from $383 billion in 2020 to approximately $538 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 3.5% from 2021 to 2030. (3)
Different mental health-promoting products and practices are now growing in popularity. For example, there is a rising demand for stress-relieving herbs and essential oils. There is also an increasing interest in practising some mind-body techniques such as meditation, mindfulness, mobility exercises, coaching, walking and counselling for their mental and emotional wellness. There are many courses and coaches helping people to gain strategies and tools that support them to achieve stronger mental fitness and resilience and reduce stress.
Build stronger mental and emotional resilience
Different institutions offer various wellness programs to reduce and manage stress, anxiety, and depression among people. These mental health and wellness programs typically include activities such as stress education, meditation classes, different stress-relieving practices, coaching and other activities to promote a positive work-life balance.
Taking care of your emotional health and applying all those emotional wellness programs is important for feeling good and advancing in your life. Creating a stress-free environment both at home and workplace to maintain good mental and emotional wellness is now becoming everyone’s priority.
4. Digital Healthcare Products
The most common health-focused wearables include smart watches, heart rate monitors, pregnancy monitors, and smart glasses. According to recent statistics, the number of US adults wearing smartwatches has increased from 25 million in 2014 to 67 million in 2022, which is more than double. (8) The reason for this increasing interest is to keep a check on the fitness level without any appointments.
The other big winner of the pandemic was fitness technology, fitness tracker, streaming wellness and self-improvement channels and podcasts, digital health apps, and on-demand workout platforms. The digital future of this industry is bright; therefore, the market is expected to double from 2020 to 2025.
The demand for wearable activity trackers is increasing because these devices make it easy for users to collect health metrics and keep in contact with health professionals to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
5. Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to products, treatments and services that are not used in traditional medical practices. They are mostly based on traditional knowledge, and some of them have more or less evidence for their effectiveness and safety.
Some of them are acupuncture, Chinese medicine, massage therapy, yoga, chiropractic care, Reiki, meditation, biofeedback therapies, dietary supplements, etc.
Based on recent studies, this market will grow from US$ 100.04 billion in 2021 to US$ 315.5 billion by 2027.
According to the 2021 report by Grand View Research, Inc , the global alternative and complementary medicine market size, from the year 2021 to 2028, is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 22%. (4)
At present, CAM is mostly used for pain management in cancer patients. As the consumer demand rises for a more natural way of healing, the number of studies increases, and more traditional medical care incorporates alternative treatments as part of the integrated programs.
Energy medicines are now practised worldwide for the promotion of the mental, physical, and spiritual health of patients. Energy medicine is widely used for diagnosis, pain management, improvement of sports performance, and recovery after surgery.
Reiki healing has been a growing wellness trend for the past few years. This Japanese form of energy healing therapy is now practised worldwide. The mechanism of Reiki healing is almost the same as other types of energy medicine in which practitioners balance or restore their client’s energy levels to improve their health. (5)
6. Corporate Wellness
Have you heard about ‘Great Resignation’? It is a term that describes a large number of people leaving their jobs which started at the beginning of the pandemic. Based on the Employee Movement and Retention Report, more than one-third of people said they are planning to quit their current job and look for a more fulfilling one. Some people went to better-paid jobs or opened their businesses, and some decided to continue working away from the city or even continued working while travelling.
More than 60% said work-life balance is their top priority (6), while most people don’t want to return to the pre-pandemic way of working. Even though most people love contact with their colleagues, returning to the workplace and staying safe has been a big challenge for the employees.
Moving forward, the key is flexibility, promoting care and compassion and a culture that supports mental health and optimal wellbeing.
Corporate wellness programs are specially designed to improve the physical and mental health of the employees at the workplace. This is an effective way to educate the employees about creating healthy habits and make them aware of the benefits of sticking to health goals.
This also helps employees choose a workspace where they feel comfortable, safe and part of the community. Correlating their health and wellness goals with their work-life can improve business outcomes.
This is why corporate wellness is now becoming a new normal in 2022. People have prioritised health and are now looking to the workplace to help them achieve this goal. According to a study, employees exposed to the corporate wellness program reported significantly greater rates of positive health behaviours than those not exposed to the program. (7)
7. Sustainable Lifestyle
According to the United Nations Environment Program, a sustainable lifestyle is an understanding of how your lifestyle choices impact the world and finding ways to reduce the use of natural resources. (8) The world is now gradually becoming conscious of environmental health and depleting natural resources. Many scientists and government agencies are now working at different levels to mitigate environmental issues. The increased awareness of environmental problems is making the consumers conscious of the products they use and how they impact environmental health.
People now understand how incorporating sustainability in their lifestyle impacts the environment and the quality of life of all organisms on the Earth. Sustainability has been an essential part of old civilisation. Only the luxurious lifestyle of humans has exploited the natural resources leading to various social and environmental issues.
People are now focusing on using natural resources within limits and caring for their environment and the community. They are currently working on urban farming, restricted use of natural resources, organic composting, and recycling the materials to ensure a better quality of life on Earth.
8. Financial Wellness
A study by the American Psychological Association (APA) concluded that financial stress in adults has been at its highest since 2015. While there has been significant interest and growth in capital for many people on one side, COVID-19 and the Ukraine war have left many people stressed about money.
Financial wellness, also known as financial security, means having a good relationship with your money. It’s about having peace of mind knowing that you can meet all your current and future financial obligations at any given time.
The goal is to ensure you are living your best life. Not stressing about paying your bills, debt or retirement no matter your income level.
Research done by PwC shows that attaining financial wellness can help you have:
- Good physical and mental health
- Healthy relationships
- Freedom of choice
- Quality and fulfilling life
- Increase productivity and creativity
- Business growth
COVID-19 has changed our attitude towards money. The crisis taught us that focusing on our mental and physical health is not enough. To obtain the optimum balance in our lives, focusing on financial health is important as well.
One way to assess the current financial health is to ask yourself:
- Are you able to meet your monthly budget?
- Do you have savings for emergencies?
- Do you have a retirement plan in place?
- How is your credit score?
Are you able to answer all the questions? If you cannot answer, investing in financial education and having a coach to support you through the changing process can help you. The goal is to live a happier and more fulfilling life. Attaining financial wellness can get you there.
9. Spiritual Wellness
Following big global changes in the last few years, we see that Wellness and focus on self-care are rising. More people are now deciding to let go of things that are not serving their higher goals, and they start to put their health, wellbeing, life and family as a higher priority. We can see changes in many areas, and interest in spiritual Wellness is one of them.
What is Spiritual Wellness? Spiritual Wellness focuses on our connections and relationship with ourselves and the external world. It brings values and desires focused on doing good to ourselves and others, caring, supporting and loving, valuing life and the life of all beings, and having a feeling of gratitude, compassion, and forgiveness. Those higher feelings come from within and help us to answer a question about our purpose in life and happiness. Without that connection, it is hard to be happy and stay at the piece for a longer time. Having that connection makes it easier to overcome obstacles and challenges in life.
Spiritual health is an element that encompasses all areas of our being.
There is no prescribed way that fits everyone regarding spiritual health. What is the path to heart to one person, it could be different to another person.
But some ways that we all know could be:
- Prayer
- Meditation
- Connecting to the nature
- Practising mindfulness
- Connecting to our purpose in life
- Gratitude
- Helping others
- Connecting and caring for the community, etc.
By practising healthy connections and relationships internally and externally, people will have an opportunity to reconnect with themselves, other people, nature, and their sense of purpose and find deep joy and satisfaction.
10. Wellness Tourism
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the wellness tourism industry saw a significant decrease from $720 billion to $436 billion; however, the future looks more optimistic. According to the Global Wellness Institute forecast, the wellness industry is expected to grow even more and reach $812 billion in 2022 and $1.3 trillion by 2025. (9)
During the pandemic, global travel restrictions worldwide have caused a significant loss to wellness tourism. With open borders, there is more interest in travel and finding new connections. More people look for a well-deserved holiday that gives them a chance to relax, reconnect with themself, rejuvenate, connect with nature, regain balance and meet new people around the globe.
There is also increased interest in places with touchless services that promote relaxation, detoxification and fast healing such as spas, infrared saunas, float tanks, salt therapy, Reiki, cryotherapy, hyperbaric chambers, cold therapy, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, compression therapies, etc. There is a high interest in places with thermal & mineral springs and spas, detox wellness packages, holistic wellness travel tours focusing on yoga and meditation, plant-based holidays, remote wellness tours, etc.
Summary
After the COVID-19 pandemic, where different areas of life have been affected, the definition of Wellness has been expanded. It is more than just feeling good. The term wellness now includes mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health, ensuring a healthy lifestyle that improves your quality of life and the best for the environment and community.
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