2024 Health Trends That Were And
2022 Health Trends To Be
By: Your JNH Lifestylist
With 2023 behind us, it's now a great time to see what 2024 health trends dominated the year. For many people, these trends were a lifeline that helped overcome stress coming from COVID-19 and the uncertainties it brought into our lives.
And with the fresh air 2024 brings, we'll try to predict what new wellness trends will encourage us stay fit and healthy throughout the year. To begin, let’s reflect on 2023:
What Wellness Trends Dominated 2023?
Last year, wellness trends seemed to have a pattern of focusing on mental health and home-based workouts, for obvious reasons. Below, we'll outline the health trends people enjoyed; chances are you tried one of these too!
Mental Wellness
Once upon a time, mental wellness was a hush-hush topic, but today its significance is accepted as essential to leading a quality life. Social distancing and quarantining introduced novel methods of therapy that are much closer to the digitally-savvy millennial generation.
Applications like Zoom that were otherwise used for business communication expanded their purpose and became a popular avenue for the quarantined to speak to life coaches, therapists and other mental health instructors. Moreover, they provided video chats with loved ones and online celebration of holidays, the lack of which can make one depressed and feel lonely.
Because of necessary isolation, people became more oriented toward themselves and had more time to practice self-care.
Home Fitness
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Physical activity is essential to being in good health, but what happens when you can’t visit the gym or take fitness classes? Well, you have to make do at home and that's what a lot of people did to ward off the all-too common quarantine weight.
In 2023, people practiced home fitness in their backyards, balconies, or living rooms; pretty much anywhere they had extra space to stretch and work out. As an extra motivation, people bought equipment, like dumbbells and stretch bands, which created a shortage for those of us who hopped on the bandwagon a little too late.
Many celebrities organized free online fitness sessions or shared their routines with their fans as inspiration to adopt a more active home life.
Facial Massages
Giving your body the physical activity it needs was a common trend, but with so many people having so much free time, what were you suppose to do after you finished exercising? Why roll your face with jade of course!
Jade facial rollers boomed in the wellness market; being recommended by beauty experts, influencers and celebrities alike. They can reduce puffiness and stimulate the lymphatic system to drain toxins from your face through the lymph.
A facial massage is also a wonderful way to improve circulation and bring more oxygen to your face, creating a healthy and radiant complexion. Based on a 2017 study, skin massaging devices can improve the effects of anti-aging serums and creams if used regularly [1].
So it comes as no surprise that face gyms started to appear, the first ones opened in London, New York, and Los Angeles. That's right, a gym for your face! If you've never heard of face gyms before, take a moment to look it up.
Meditation
Meditation seems to top the wellness trends at the end of every year and rightfully so. It’s an excellent way to reduce stress, control anxiety and improve sleep. The key is to find the type of meditation that fits with your personality, so you can successfully practice mindfulness. If you have a hard time believing in the benefits of meditation, try to expand your knowledge with yoga. You can also try online guided courses or videos that became trendy during the COVID-19 pandemic [2].
Infrared Saunas
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With the shut down of salons and gyms, saunas became a scarcity; and many didn't realize how badly they needed to maintain their regular sauna sessions. Because of this, infrared saunas were invited into many homes where their benefits didn't disappoint.
The home infrared sauna gained more popularity because of its many health benefits, such as detoxification, pain reduction, weight loss and cardiovascular improvement, to name a few [3][4][5][6][7]. Infrared saunas can be affordable and easy-to-use/assemble, especially because they only need a reliable power source to function.
At JNH Lifestyles, we offer competitively prices far and full spectrum personal infrared saunas; ranging from 1–4 person sizes.
Shop our full infrared sauna catalog here!
Air Purifiers
Air pollution was one of the biggest concerns in the past decade when it comes to global climate change. According to the World Health Organization, around seven million people die from polluted air in their environment every year. Those who live in urban areas are the most affected by pollutants, even inside their homes!
It's expected that the air purifier market will increase in the 2020–2027 period because people are more aware of the quality and state of the environment. The effect of purifiers on COVID-19 is still under debate, but breathing clean air is certainly better than inhaling particles of pollution and dirt.
Decluttering
With more people working from home, and for those unfortunate enough to lose their jobs during the pandemic, 2023 really provided more free-time all around for everyone to get organized. Decluttering is not only good for making more room and keep your home clean, but it can also clear your head and fight off anxiety. Even something as small as reorganizing your closet can have a beneficial effect on mental health.
More importantly, decluttering improved disinfection, freed space for a home office, and offered a chance to save money. Since many people had to find additional ways to contribute to the household budget, decluttering also provided an opportunity to bring extra profit.
Second-hand shopping was already on the rise but with the global pandemic, buying affordable clothes online in mint condition grew 27% last year.
Plant-Based Meats
Plant-based meats came into play in 2019 with many fast-food chains deciding to offer this option to their customers. While many believed it would not last, this trend is still here and only grew in popularity in 2023 as people became more aware of their environment. According to World Animal Protection, plant-based meats can save a quarter of a million animals from being slaughtered.
Because it can lower the number of animals grown for meat, it can decrease greenhouse gas emissions and help improve the environment. Not to mention that proteins, vitamins and minerals in veggie burgers and sausages are much healthier than processed meat.
Circadian Health
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It's a well-known fact that good sleep is important; but in 2023 it was all about circadian health. In short, the circadian rhythm is our internal clock that reacts to light and dark, affecting metabolism, the immune system and our overall sleep habits.
Since stress levels were off the charts last year, reaching optimum circadian health was more important than ever. Leaving electronic devices outside the bedroom, enjoying sunlight during the day, and going to bed and waking up at the same time are some of the ideal methods to establish a healthy circadian rhythm [8].
Quit Smoking
A UK survey showed an increase of people kicking smoking to the curb by July last year due to the higher risks of COVID-19. Millions of smokers expressed their wish to quit in 2020 and the Access Initiative for Quitting Tobacco is intended to help 1.3 billion people do just that.
It is led by WHO in cooperation with global institutions and intends to provide access to nicotine replacement therapy and Florence — an AI for support and personalized plans to quit smoking. In December, WHO launched a "Commit to Quit" worldwide campaign that will last for a year and include a WhatsApp challenge and publication, “More than 100 reasons to quit tobacco.”
Besides COVID-19 risks, smoking is responsible for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and respiratory diseases.
Chickpeas
Last year, chickpeas were the new broccoli! This legume is a source of vitamins, minerals and fiber with a moderate amount of calories. Since they’re rich in protein, vegans and vegetarians use them as a replacement for meat and can help you keep your appetite under control [9]. The most popular chickpea dish is hummus paste, but you can use them for stews and salads too.
What Wellness Trends To Look Forward To In 2024
With 2024 now here, let's see what wellness trends will stick around from last year and which ones will to look out for this year:
Infrared Saunas
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During 2023, we think it would be fair to say that infrared saunas will transcend the 'trend' category and become a wellness staple that most will add to their wish lists. Owning an infrared home sauna can help you even after the pandemic to not just retain good health, but continue to improve it too.
Consider purchasing a 2 person far infrared sauna, which is ideal for couples/solo users and fits perfectly into small spaces at a great price [10].
Postbiotics
Unlike probiotics which are live bacteria found in your stomach, postbiotics are substances, like peptides, polysaccharides and short-chain fatty acids, released when microbes in your gut process food. They can have an anti-inflammatory effect, anti-cancer priorities, act as antioxidants and improve the immune system [11].
If you want to increase postbiotics in your body, you need to eat more probiotic food, like kefir and yogurt, but it applies to any food. For example, if you eat flax seed, the chemical released will have a light estrogen effect.
Micro-goals
A lot has changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it's not a good time to rush into big choices and concentrate on more realistic outcomes. Micro-goals may delivery small outcomes, but can drive you to continue towards more other small goals since goals are more attainable.
For example, instead of going straight for weight loss, start with baby steps; like making better food choices. The idea is to take one step at a time and avoid disappointment and discouragement if you fail.
Green Environments
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Improving one's mental and physical health by recognizing the value of local greenery is going to be a new wellness trend in 2024. What do we mean by this?
Since 2020 kept us indoors, this year we're hoping more people will embrace the outdoors, such as going on walks, runs or even just visiting a local park. Embracing our green environments have always had a significance on human health, so we're sure going forward that no one will take them for granted anymore [12].
Home-Brewed Coffee
Some of the benefits of coffee include burning calories, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and protecting the liver. Since coffee shops were closed, a lot of people had to prepare this popular beverage themselves. According to a 2020 report, 45% of respondents used new brewing methods and intend to improve and use them throughout 2024.
Digital Detox
As we all know, social media is rampant with trolls and negativity, so taking a break from time to time is exactly what you need in 2021. A digital detox doesn’t have to be anything drastic — a day, weekend or a week without television, phone usage, and/or other media outlets may be enough to reconnect with yourself.
Wellness Travel
Traveling in 2024 will not simply focus on your typical vacationing activities, but will also have a focal point on emphasizing your inner-self. Although the state of tourism is still uncertain, you can travel to a nearby national park for camping, wellness retreats and ranches. Even going on an outdoor adventure for a day, like hiking or mountain bike riding can be just what you need to fill yourself with positive energy.
Home Workouts
Just like infrared saunas, working out at home will become a permanent occurrence for otherwise regular gym-goers. If you know this is you, don't get comfortable following the same routines; push your body further with more challenging exercises like you would with increased weights at the gym.
Home workouts don’t mean you have to do them alone, search for an online partner or group to help you stay focused and continue with regular physical activity.
Here's to 2024!
If we learned anything from last year, it's the importance of becoming/staying healthy. Wellness is all about a healthy lifestyle and improving yourself mentally and physically.
As a company dedicated to providing the best wellness experience to our customers, we understand the importance of self-care. Our infrared saunas are designed to recreate a spa-like environment in your home with many health benefits that will enhance your quality of life.
What new healthy habits will you be adopting this year? Let us know on social media! Click the links below:
Resources:
[1] Elisa Caberlotto, et al. (2017). “Effects of a skin-massaging device on the ex-vivo expression of human dermis proteins and in-vivo facial wrinkles.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, March 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5383004/.
[2] C. Behan. (2020). “The benefits of meditation and mindfulness practices during times of crisis such as COVID-19.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, May 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7287297/.
[3] Joy Hussain and Marc Cohen. (2018). “Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing: A Systematic Review.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, April 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5941775/.
[4] Sears, Margaret E, et al. (2012). “Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury in Sweat: A Systematic Review.” hindawi.com, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, February 2012, https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/184745/.
[5] Fredrikus G J Oosterveld, et al. (2009). “Infrared sauna in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. A pilot study showing good tolerance, short-term improvement of pain and stiffness, and a trend towards long-term beneficial effects.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, January 2009, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18685882/.
[6] Podstawski, Robert, et al. (2014). “Sauna-Induced Body Mass Loss in Young Sedentary Women and Men.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, December 2014, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4295591/.
[7] Brunt, V. E, et al. (2016). "Passive heat therapy improves endothelial function, arterial stiffness, and blood pressure in sedentary humans." ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, June 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27270841.
[8] Neelu Jain Gupta. (2019). ”Lifestyle and Circadian Health: Where the Challenges Lie?” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, August 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6686321/.
[9] Peter J. Wilde, Ph.D.. (2009). ” Eating for Life: Designing Foods for Appetite Control.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, March 2009, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2771510/.
[10] Fatma Vatansever and Michael R. Hamblin. (2012). “Far infrared radiation (FIR): its biological effects and medical applications.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, October 2012, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3699878/.
[11] Jakub Żółkiewicz, et al. (2020). “Postbiotics—A Step Beyond Pre- and Probiotics.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, July 2020, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468815/.
[12] Jo Barton and Mike Rogerson. (2017). “The importance of greenspace for mental health.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, National Center for Biotechnology Information, November 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5663018/.