Wellness - the active pursuit of activities, lifestyle decisions and choices that lead to a state of holistic health.
What is Wellness?
The Global Wellness Institute defines wellness as the active pursuit of activities, lifestyle decisions and choices that lead to a state of holistic health. Moreover, wellness consists of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to enhance physical and mental health. In order to comprehend the significance of wellness, you must first understand how it relates to health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "a state of fully functioning physical, mental, and social well-being, rather than merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Several key dimensions of overall wellness include social connectedness, exercise, nutrition, sleep, meditation, and mindfulness - each of which impacts our mental and physical health. Essentially, reduction of stress, positive social interactions, and optimal wellness can be achieved by making small, healthy choices on a daily basis.
The global pandemics, economic meltdowns, racial injustice, polarizing politics and psychological crises - changed the face of humanity in 2020, so it's not surprising people are more concerned about wellness now than ever before.
The Wellness Industry
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) estimates that the wellness industry is worth $4.5 trillion, or roughly 5.3 percent of global economic output. Wellness economy encompasses a diverse range of sectors, including personal care, cosmetics, anti-aging, healthy eating, weight loss, wellness tourism, fitness and mind-body, traditional and complementary medicine, spa economy, thermal/mineral springs, and workplace wellness.
Key Market Drivers:
With the increase in sedentary lifestyles and busy schedules, the prevalence of diabetes, blood pressure, asthma, arthritis, cancer, dementia, and other stress-related disorders has increased significantly. This has prompted people to adopt a variety of wellness activities, including yoga, mediation, and athletics. Furthermore, the rising trend of wearable devices such as fitness trackers and bands has also contributed to market growth.
Market growth will be driven further by rising disposable incomes, rapid urbanization and the rise of health-conscious consumers around the world. A report published by the publisher predicts a value of US $4.24 Billion for the global health and wellness market by 2026, at a CAGR of 4.10%.
2021-2020 Wellness Trends
Immune System Boosters
In the coming years, even after the COVID outbreak fades into history, immunity-boosting products (food, powders, sport activities, etc.) will remain in demand, and the global immunity-boosting market is expected to surpass $17 billion by 2025. We will see more customized immunity hack services, using genetic testing and biohacking to pinpoint which immunotherapies best suit your system and situation. Among the main trends in the immune booster sector will be the incorporation of whole food immunity boosters. There are many trendy whole food ingredients that can boost immunity, such as blueberries, cranberries, acai berries and many others. They contain a lot of fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese.
City Wellness Centers
Considering the wide variety of wellness centers, the actual meaning of a "City wellness center" can be confusing. In its broadest sense, such centers serve the needs of mind and body and allow busy urbanites to relax in a setting that offers a wellness retreat within the city. The 2021 wave of city wellness centers aims to help people relax, manage their stress and anxiety, and live happier lives. Additionally, these centers will integrate an array of healing and detox facilities, customized health plans, and modalities to assist people in maintaining a healthy lifestyle in a modern environment. The future of city wellness will include culinary approaches to wellness, Ayurvedic medicine, health coaching, and the presence of integrative medical doctors and skilled practitioners.
Better Eat, Better Sleep
It is widely accepted that a good night’s sleep is a guarantee for good health. The constant commotion of everything happening around us affects our capacity to be calm and relaxed, as well as the quality of our sleep. Difficulties falling asleep can be resolved by consuming the right kinds of foods and beverages, which can also ensure improved quality of sleep. During 2021 consumers’ awareness of eating light snacks, drinking tea blends and eating desserts that contain natural essences and nutritious ingredients that promote a sense of relaxation has grown.
The market of foods that support this approach has been on the rise these last six months, offering solutions that promote bodily relaxation and assist us in sleeping better even on our busiest days. There are quite a number of brans that offer their buyers unique ingredients combinations that support better sleep to their buyers. They include essences such as lavender, passion fruits, minerals such as magnesium, Casein protein, and foods such as sour cherries that are enriched with melatonin.
Companies like Nightfood Ice Cream, Som Sleep, Good Source Snacks Evening Chill have already identified the trend and are responding to consumer demand, and there is no doubt that through 2022 these options will continue to grow and offer exhausted consumers new options to support and improve their sleep.
Cold Water Therapy
Cold water therapy is the practice of using water at a temperature of around 59°F (15°C) to treat health conditions or stimulate health benefits. It’s also known as cold hydrotherapy. The practice has been around for a couple of millennia. But recent adaptations include ice baths, brisk daily showers, outdoor swims, and cold water immersion therapy sessions. Whether it’s a quick swim in icy surf, a post-workout ice bath, or a brisk shower — this practice can benefit your health in several ways such as cutting down on muscle soreness, boosting metabolism, decreasing inflammation, improving sleep, and sharpening mental focus.
As more research needs to be done to determine whether these benefits are supported by science, in 2021 we are seeing a growing trend in 2021 of health influencers, celebrities, athletes, and trainers supporting cold water therapy.
Wellness Tourism
The wellness tourism industry combines two large and growing industries: the $2.6 trillion tourism industry and the $4.2 trillion wellness industry. There is a common misconception that wellness travelers are a small group of wealthy, elite leisure tourists who visit resorts and spas, or attend yoga retreats and meditation retreats, but wellness travelers are in fact a much broader and more diverse group of consumers with varied motivations and interests. Among the biggest hits in this segment are wellness retreats, which are growing at twice the rate of general tourism. More and more tourists are seeking wellness by improving their health and, consequently, the quality of their lives. In addition to this, wellness retreats promote spiritual and mental health, healthy sleeping techniques, and beauty treatments to improve one's health. Tourism of this type is extremely profitable, as wellness travelers generally spend 178% more than the average traveler. A number of recent studies demonstrate that wellness travelers have a higher degree of culture and affluence than many other tourists, and this is crucial to the success of wellness travel.
Interested to learn more about consumer self care trends? Read, The Sleep Economy post.