WELLNESS TRENDS IN 2022
Masks on? Masks off? Social distancing? How much of that antibacterial gunk must I rub into my hands? Lockdown? Semi-lockdown? Travel? Peace of mind? Financial stability? WFH? Socialising? Schooling from home?
At the dinner table or over a coffee or glasses of wine – we talk about wellness and a booming trillion dollar market; global, ever-changing landscape of the pandemic and how we, our governments and the world is faring; polarising politics; inequities in society – racial, gender, wealth, health, education, etc; growing mental wellness crisis and lots, lots more as the coffees or wines keep coming. Innovations emerging this year will guide us into the unpredictable future.
2020 has worn us down physically and emotionally and this year hasn’t seemed to be different – yet.
Staying well has become everyone’s number one priority.
The REVIVE team has brain stormed and researched 8 wellness trends to watch for 2022.
Some of the trends that may be leading the industry are :
1. Increased media presence, reporting and analytics
Healthcare data and personalities have given our institutions insight and support into how we deal with the pandemic. Supporters and critics alike will be loud and in your face. These influence the strategies we implement for ourselves and our society in the unstable future into 2022. This info can also be used to equip and track individual and business outcomes. On a personal level, stats will be available for how we as individuals work out, what we eat, the cosmetics we use, how we sleep (or not), heart rates, etc.
2. Wellness and mental health apps and wearable technology
Electronic Health Record (EHR) – allowing additional ways for providers to connect with their patients, maybe everyday providing feedback and motivation, data automatically syncing with the users portal; increasingly secure Application Programming Interfaces (APIs); online platforms and expert directories aimed at addressing the need of the individuals and communities; an example – one band detects your mood from your tone of voice! Eek that is revolutionary!
3. Immunity
Immunity boosting programs will be big hype. From pole dancing to pilates, from weightlifting to workouts, from breath-work to broccoli. All are helpful in the quest for resilience.
See below for ideas and small changes in your lifestyle that will strengthen your immunity as a healthy lifestyle becomes a priority.
To strengthen your immune system stress levels, tiredness and nutrition all play a big part.
The body’s natural defence system against pathogens (bacteria, viruses and microorganisms that cause dis-ease) promotes effective cellular repair. We are talking about white blood cells, lymphocytes, the bloodstream, lymphatic system – vessels and nodes, bone marrow, the spleen, the small intestine and much more.
Some things to support your immune system:
* garlic – an ancient remedy but also now considered a superfood
* antioxidant-rich diet – supports the immune system, reduces cell death, promotes the development of white blood cells which destroy harmful bacteria, repair damaged DNA aiding in body reparation, promotes healing, reduces chronic inflammation.
Foods rich in antioxidants – berries, dark chocolate, artichoke, kidney beans, green tea, apples, tomatoes, green leafy vegetables and oily wild caught fish.
Finding a balance – this trend has been around forever but still most people haven’t found their balance in life. REVIVE’s link
4. Good gut health We’ve all heard of microbiome, chronic inflammation, leaky gut, SIBO, ……… Healing the gut and improving proper digestion involves removing the inflammatory stressors, engendering a balanced gut. Experts and practitioners are experiencing an influx of clients as the waiting list to see them extends. Most people can change their gut health in 30-90 days by acquiring some knowledge and taking action overseen by a health practitioner.
5. Sleep
Regenerative sleep aids the immune system to work effectively. Circadian rhythm sleep will come into vogue as it improves the body’s ability to fight off infections.
6. Exhale
You don’t need to hang upside down or know where your chakras are to work with your breath. An increasing number of studies (Harvard, Stanford, Johns Hopkins) are acknowledging what many civilisations have known for centuries – the way we breathe has a profound effect on our mental and physical health and abilities. It may even help reinforce our immune system.
Breath-work is being pushed into new and exciting directions. Audiences are becoming bigger and more varied with many other reasons for the practice becoming apparent – rehabilitation, optimisation of fitness and sport, community building, relief from stress and trauma and maybe a therapeutic aid for one of the world’s deadliest dis-eases : hypertension (high blood pressure).
REVIVER Club will have many exciting ways to bring better breathing into your lifestyle.
7. Self Care
is being redefined and really important in tough times. It is changing from a rose petal or bubble bath or a glass of wine to research showing us that self care often looks more like community care. eg Laurie Santos, PhD, from Yale University tells us that buying things for others has been shown to yield more happiness than buying for the self.
Human beings are social and need connections with other people. New connective habits are emerging. Virtual communities have taken the lead for people to meet remotely and have facilitated self care and healing. Zoom, Meetup, co-working spaces, etc have allowed our communities to become world wide, not just whoever is in the room or local area. It has connected communities which maybe are geographically distanced, in an area without events happening, or maybe cost-prohibitive requiring money for childcare, admission, transportation, etc.
8. Hybrid Models
Virtual communities will not leave us the minute the pandemic subsides. Connectivity will blend between real life experiences and digital usage. WFH in order connect and unite a workforce will be blended with on-site and office visitations – hybrid experiences to engender as sense of belonging, independent of physical proximity. Fitness classes and information will be accessible to most people.
We will all play a part in keeping ourselves and others safe, engaged and productive at work. Exercise will also become an activity with various trends. Online or virtual training has to be THE number 1 trend. Wearable technology, exercise is medicine, health and wellness coaching, outdoor experiences, mind and body training, etc.
TO KEEP IN MIND
Innovative approaches to fitness, eating regimes, mental wellness strategies, mindfulness and the environment are developing and emerging to meet the new needs of 2021 and beyond.
Influencers and celebrities are jumping on the trillion dollar industry – watch out and evaluate everything and see if it is the correct path for you to take.
Bio-individuality, focuses on your needs and wants. No one size fits all. The challenges that an individual faces need nuanced care, and an approach that takes into account their individual differences, from their back ground and lived experiences.
You will need to be aware of fresh ideas about the practices you want to keep going. Keep the good habits going that you developed in 2020 and 2021.
Being seen, included, understood and listened too, is vital.
Know that you are not alone.