Top 10 Wellness Trends for 2022 from Julia Stewart, Alurx Founder & CEO
Against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, many more of us have taken it upon ourselves to invest in our health and well-being. I founded Alurx to help guide us on our personal journey towards wellness with vetted, reliable and effective solutions. I received valuable feedback from our customers, from testimonials about getting better sleep the first night they took our 5 Herb Tea Blend with Hemp to professional reviews from wellness experts in our community. Our Alurx Medical & Expert Council members continue to develop and curate wellness rituals as we embark on a new year shaped by past and future challenges. Here are our Top 10 Wellness Trends for 2022:
1) It’s a Lifestyle
People are caring more about day-to-day wellness beyond their workout regimen. This is evident in the direction fitness powerhouses like Peloton, SoulCycle and many start-ups are taking. Having cornered the spin class workout market, they now offer services to optimize your wellness both on and off the machine or mat. CrossFit has launched an online nutrition course and even partnered with the telemedicine provider Wild Health, providing access to a network of trainers who are also healthcare providers. Caring for your health and well-being is truly a personal mindset, starting out with a daily intention and plan to establish long-lasting habits supporting your personal goals. Our https://alurx.com/pages/wellness-studio offers real-life advice and tutorials to help you create your own wellness rituals.
2) Walk on
It is the trend that keeps rising, a revitalizing way to both clear the mind and get in some exercise, and my personal favorite ritual at the end of a hectic day. It requires no special equipment, no gym membership and no prior training. Apple’s senior director of fitness technologies Jay Blahnik, who helped introduce the Apple Fitness+ audio walking experience feature notes, “Even throughout this challenging period of time, one activity that has remained available to many is walking.” According to a Rockport survey, 53% of us are walking one to five miles more per day compared to pre-pandemic statistics. Walking is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle and many mental health practices such as forest therapy.
3) Veg-out
Vegetables are highly recommended by physicians, including Dr Micah Yu, our AMEC Immune Health expert in his recent blog https://alurx.com/blogs/news/immune-support-advice-from-dr-micah-yu. To follow this growing trend, our lexicon now includes word like flexitarianism (a combination of “flexible” and “vegetarian”) and reducetarian (committing to eating less meat and dairy). 29-year-old British food blogger and Instagram celeb Ella Mills reminds us, “There's this assumption that it's all rabbit food—limp lettuce, grated carrot, and crudité. I think showing people that they can take these supposedly ‘boring’ foods and transform them in an easy, inexpensive way is key. Remember guacamole is a vegetable, it's not only about kale!". No strict diet is required to get started today.
4) Good Gut
With a recent 83% surge in Google searches for “gut health”, it’s clear that a healthy gut is an increasing priority for many of us. It begins with but goes well beyond a healthy diet. We are constantly learning more about the three stages of good gut health: probiotics (the good bacteria in our gut), prebiotics (the fuel that helps probiotics thrive) and now postbiotics (the outcome of pre- and probiotics working together). A healthy gut is so much more than digestion. It impacts everything from our mobility to our immune system and our mental health, which is why Alurx is conducting ongoing research for a new line of gut health products.
5) Vitamin Upgrade
Science is reengineering old school vitamin formulas into functional foods. Vitamins are no longer focused on simple nutritional deficiencies. New formulas and healthier ingredients can now specifically target areas such as our bones, brain, heart, eyes, immunity, longevity, and more (whole body) from cells on up. Experimenting with emerging product solutions is the highest it has ever been thanks to new absorption technologies and formulations that deliver superior convenience and taste, like our https://alurx.com/collections/gummies. At Alurx, we encourage you to find the "right" solution for you and select the product form that works best with your lifestyle and keep your taste buds happy.
6) Wine Wise
Alcohol sales have been booming during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is not good news on the health front. There is a growing trend to be much more mindful about drinking alcohol and ask ourselves why? Why now? What’s the purpose? This is not about cutting alcohol completely, explains Rosamund Dean, author of Mindful Drinking: How Cutting Down Can Change Your Life. It’s about potentially cutting back and figuring out when we really want a drink as opposed to drinking for the sake of it. Rosamund says, “Drinking may temporarily blur feelings of loneliness, money worries or career anxiety but, when you wake up the next day, you still have those worries – and now you have a hangover too…alcohol actually depletes dopamine levels - causing anxiety, insomnia and even depression. So, it can be a vicious circle, because you drink to relieve negative emotions and then they come back ten-fold.” So, the next time you grab that glass of wine, ask yourself, is this a good idea? And explore non-alcoholic options now available from beer to gin and cocktails.
7) Hemp is Here
CBD is still in a regulatory grey area; however, the industry and market are growing incredibly fast. Forecasts are projecting U.S. market sales of $15 billion by 2024. About 75% of the U.S. population will derive a benefit from a hemp-based product. All-natural ingredients are on the rise, especially adaptogens as consumers look for alternatives to traditional medicine. CBD companies as well as pharmaceutical companies conduct extensive research to create new compounds for specific uses and push for less restrictive regulations. Expect to see explosive growth in skincare, topical and ingestible products, especially those enhancing balance, calm and better sleep such as our https://alurx.com/collections/all-products/products/5-herbs-tea-blend-with-hemp-for-sleep.
8) Environmentally-conscious
Reducing our impact on the environment is everyone’s responsibility and requires innovation. Sustainability and plastic-free packaging will be two major trends to watch in 2022. Plastic-free alternatives are on the rise as consumers look for simple ways to cut down their environmental impact by using more recyclable and compostable packaging. The overall ‘footprint’ of package goods is also important. The rising ‘buy local’ movement incorporates eco-friendly practices at every stage of development, from sourcing to retailing. The notion of doing less with more is critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At Alurx, we are committed to doing our part as a small business based in California.
9) Virtual connectivity
Today we can book online sessions with fitness experts or physicians, from personal trainers to nutritionists or GPs. Meditation and fitness apps are growing rapidly in popularity. This trend is not only about expanding access to services but also about addressing health conditions, from diagnostics to prescriptions. Apple, Google, and Fitbit are working to track our stress level through heartrate variable on digital devices. Technology is also taking us into new fields of research. The most promising one in my view applies to sleep studies. Sarah Moe, Founder of Sleep specialist and AMEC member, reminds us that sleep is the foundation of overall health. Tracking sleep through apps and devices like the Oura Ring, and adopting new rituals before bedtime improves our wellness, supports our immune health and increases our readiness to tackle the next morning.
10) Time to Be
This one I saved for last. Time to rest and refuel is often the most elusive and yet, perhaps the most important thing we can do to promote our well-being. Ashley Whillans of the Harvard Business School suggests the adage “Time is Money” is the wrong way to think. Time does not cost anything. In her book, Time Smart, she argues that prioritizing making more money over valuing our time has severe consequences. She identifies “Time Traps” to which many of us fall prey: Busyness as Status; Idleness Aversion (fear of boredom) and incessant scrolling through social media. They all increase our unhappiness. Instead of Time Traps, find time to just to sit and…be. No appointments, no Zoom calls, no deadlines, just be. This might sound challenging, but well worth the time. It is an idea with increasing popularity and one that is so important for our mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Those are our predictions for 2022. Personally, they help me plan my wellness goals, which I adjust throughout the year. Living a healthier lifestyle starts with small steps and daily rituals.
I wish you all Happy & Healthy New Year.
With gratitude,
Julia
