There is something about this time of year that makes all of us start to think about change. Often, that change is linked to some form of wellbeing. Maybe it’s fatigue as we lead up to Christmas, maybe it is disappointment about those long-abandoned New Year’s resolutions, but the common theme is wanting to feel healthier, fitter, and generally better.
To help you on your path to a better you, we look at the top health and wellness trends for 2022 and show what you can do over the next 12 months to end the year feeling stronger, happier and in charge of your wellbeing.
It’s no surprise that Mckinsey says the global wellness market is currently worth $1.5 trillion and is on track to grow annually by 5%-10% (potentially $100 billion a year). In the UK alone, the wellness industry in 2020 was worth £22.8 billion, and is estimated to continue growth of 6.4% year on year.
Are we changing from a nation of boozers to a nation wanting to just feel better? Yes, according to The Massage Company, a fast-growing business with a unique approach to wellbeing.
“We can expect to see more disposable income spent on nutrition, wellness, health and massage therapy,” says Charlie Thompson, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Massage Company. “That’s linked to an increasing amount of focus on health and wellbeing which will play out in many ways.”
So which health and wellness trends will dominate in 2022? Read on to find out.
Mindfulness and meditation
Not heard of Headspace yet? You will by this time next year. That’s because meditation and mindfulness apps have exploded in popularity recently. Over a quarter of UK adults have used meditation as a therapy, while 5,000 educators in the UK are teaching mindfulness in schools.
Mindfulness has extensive benefits, from improving mood and sleep to reducing blood pressure and chronic pain. People of all ages are practising mindfulness to escape negative thought processes and focus on the present. Not sure where to start? It’s all about living in the moment and just, well, being.
Reducetarianism: the latest eco-nutrition trend
It can be hard to keep up with food trends, but one thing most people agree on is the need to reduce meat intake – but give people pork crackling, or a beef chilli, and their resolve can go out the window.
You’ve heard of veganism and pescetarianism. But have you ever heard of reducetarianism? This focuses on reducing the number of animal products you consume, rather than eliminating them from your diet entirely, which makes it much easier than going cold turkey (pardon the pun).
Interestingly, cutting out a few meaty meals a week can be enough – in fact, the RSPCA says that reducing meat consumption by as little as 10% has been shown to have significant benefits for your health and the environment. What’s more, eating less meat decreases the risk of heart disease, certain types of cancers, strokes, diabetes and other chronic illnesses – a ‘win-win’ as far as we’re concerned.
Wellness subscription models
It is fair to say that the subscription market has exploded, growing 435% over the last nine years. From wellness boxes to fitness classes, subscription models make wellness more accessible and easier to incorporate into your daily routine. They do this by making wellness a habit and something that people look forward too – just like any great Netflix series or Gousto meal box. Take Headspace, which now has two million subscribers and counting, and generated $100 million in revenue in 2019.
Another example that caught our eye is The Massage Company, a company taking a revolutionary approach to massage. It turns the idea of massage on its head, taking it away from a luxury one-off treat to a regular wellbeing staple, proven to aid mental health, stress and overall physical health. Interestingly, The Massage Company is focused on helping people incorporate massage into their monthly wellness routine through their subscription model. In fact, in a recent survey 31% of The Massage Company’s customers said that mental health was their main reason for getting a massage in 2021 and the impact it has had on individuals is extraordinary.
Home fitness innovations
It may have started with Davina, but the trend for home fitness has been turbo-charged by the pandemic. Unlike exercise-at-home videos, this trend is all about interaction and making home fitness part of your day-to-day. Always wanted a personal trainer but never got round to it? The latest apps have the answer.
Imagine if you were dressing in front of your bedroom mirror and it suddenly asked you to “DROP and give me 20”. That’s the concept behind Mirror, a new innovation that plays full personal trainer classes on a mirrored screen, displaying calorie usage, heart rate and other biometric information in real time.
This trend is set to grow throughout 2022 and beyond, and it’s not hard to see why. Now that technology can recreate the gym environment, people have got used to interacting through screensand with demand growing for remote classes that are accessible anywhere, anytime, there has never been an easier way to exercise.
Health and wellness set to reach new heights in 2022
With the future still feeling uncertain, ‘wellness’ has become an important anchor for many of us to counter-balance the strain of living alongside Covid-19.
Whether it’s trying to achieve better sleep, build fitness, reduce anxiety, or increase happiness, these wellness trends aren’t going anywhere soon.
So, all that’s left is to ask the question: which health and wellness trend will you try in 2022?
