Global Wellness Trends Report: The Future of Wellness 2022

The world has changed since coronavirus hit. In the post pandemic, the future looks little like it did before.
The idea of wellness has shifted and new themes and wellness trends have emerged. The following top 10 trends are taken from the Global Wellness Institute’s report entitled “The Future of Wellness 2022″.

This report can be purchased in full (108 pages) from their website here.
I have done a brief summary of these trends. Keep reading to number 9.

  1. Dir-ty Wellness relates to soil and attention is now been given to the need for healthy microbiology rich soil as we are recognising the profound impact on human health and the damage that has been done to the soil over recent years.

  2. Toxic Muscularity Comes Clean
    The evidence is growing that males are unhappy with their bodies and this is put down largely to the emphasis on the need for “bulging biceps and rippling arms”.

    Body image is now no longer solely a woman’s issue and there is a need to support males to create better role models and avoid the damage that may have been done during the pandemic by exposing men and boys to unrealistic ideals.

  3. From Wellness Tech to Technological Wellness
    Wellness technology is expanding again. Much of technology involves looking at a screen which is harming our health, not helping it. We are well aware of the unhealthy addictive nature of technology and the use of devices.

    Globally the average person spends 6 hours 55 mins looking at a screen each day. It is anticipated that wellness and technology will come together to create a healthier kind of relationship and an awareness of exactly how much time is being spent we engage with technology and how we do it.

    Many ways are being developed of regulating and reducing this so that technological wellness sits alongside exercise, nutrition and mindfulness – where it belongs rather than controlling our lives and health.

  4. Senior Living Disrupted
    We need to plan for a younger future as the old model of a healthcare mindset is being replaced with a wellness mindset for the people as they age. The term “intergenerationality” is used to describe communities that have people of all ages living in them instead of the elderly being forced into an “us and them” situation.
    The report describes several models that are aimed at improving senior living and changing the face of retirement homes and how we age.

  5. Wellness Travel
    The post pandemic commitment to work/life balance and personal growth and happiness are fuelling a new wave of travel experiences led by the travel industry who need to meet the changing needs of the traveller.

    Holistic approaches are being taken by large hotel groups and wellness experiences woven into their offerings, with people looking for indigenous connections and a desire to explore ancient wisdom making operators market creative solutions.
    Sustainability and a desire to preserve our environment are driving many travel decisions.

  6. Innovative Tech Closing the Gender Gap in Medical Research
    AI, apps and wearables collect data for a wide range of women’s health conditions which has lagged behind in medical research.

    This is being rectified by the use of sophisticated technology targeting information that relates to creating treatments for women’s issues and thus catching up with the fact that until the 1990s women were not even included in clinical trials with “norms” based purely on male data.

  7. Urban Bathhouses and Wellness Playgrounds
    Affordable wellness is coming to a city near you!

    Saunas, steam rooms and pools, or open-space public parks, where nature meets art and wellness are popping up in cities around the globe. The pursuit of wellness is becoming more accessible, affordable and inclusive.

  8. Next-Gen Naturalism
    The Return of self-reliance.

    For decades progress has been about requiring humans to do as little as possible. Automation that makes our lives easier has been applauded, yet now, growing supply chain issues, together with the climate crisis are giving rise to a modern survivalism movement.

    Naturalism is the idea that nature is the biggest force in the universe and this has helped birth the popularity of no-frills wellness and focus on fundamentals such as good sleep, movement, balanced diet and mental healthcare.

  9. Health and Wellness Coaching gets certified!
    Coaches trained in the art and science of motivating healthy change have been the missing link in both healthcare and global wellness.

    The global wellness trend towards using a coach to support behaviour change has led to the need for rigorous training and certification programs worldwide. (Wellness coaching Australia is mentioned as being recognised as one of NBHWC’s credentialed programs.)

  10. Wellness welcomes the Metaverse
    Metaverse is a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and with other users – a nice description is that it is an immersive version of the internet.

    While the definition is still being debated, it is believed that the metaverse will transform health and wellness and that “the next generation of virtual care will feel more like rich human interactions that re-create the human experience”. Watch this space with interest!

The Future of Wellness 2022 annual report is definitely worth a read, as always and has interesting insight into what consumers are now demanding from wellness, and where the global wellness trends are moving.

Fiona Cosgrove
Founder and Managing Director of Wellness Coaching Australia