The Life-Changing Wellness Trends You Need To Try

1. Digital Mental Wellness

This year, virtual therapy is going to boom. We’ll also be introduced to less-conventional methods of online therapy like hypnotherapy and virtual reiki. Experts also predict that we’re going to see digital communities offering guidance on social media, as the need for connection runs deeper than ever. Mental health and therapy apps like BetterHelp, Talkspace, and Ginger, which offer different forms of support – from therapy sessions with a licensed professional to chatbots that can help offer regular support – will also become increasingly popular.

2. Touchless Spa Therapy

If after a year of social distancing the idea of letting a stranger touch your body makes you feel unsettled, you’re not alone. Gone are the days when you could have a relaxing massage without worrying about social distancing. As a result, touchless spa services like cryotherapy, compression therapy, salt caves, infrared saunas, IV drips, hyperbaric chambers, and float tanks will boom. In fact, according to Mindybody’s 2021 Wellness Index, 31% of Americans are interested in trying a new form of no-touch spa treatment, because let’s be real, we need that time for self-care more than ever.

3. Sleep Care as Self Care

The world is finally waking up to the importance of sleep. Not only is it vital for your mental health but your physical health too. First and foremost, it helps improve your cardiovascular health and lowers the risk of heart disease, but it can even strengthen your immune system and reduce stress levels. Sleep accessories or tools that’ll help you sleep will become popular (check out our faves here), and sleep tech that anaylizes your deep sleep levels will also get a lot of love.

4. Gut Health and FODMAP

Gut health has been “trending” for a while, however, now with our new focus and awareness, we’re going to see gut-focused nutrition plans take over, like FODMAP, which stands for:

F – Fermentable
O – oligosaccharides (galacto-oligosaccharides [GOS] and fructans)
D – Disaccharides (lactose)
M – Monosaccharides (fructose)
A – and
P – Polyols (sorbitol and mannitol)

Natasha Rudatsenko, Nutritherapist and Founder of The Health Nag, gives us the DL, “FODMAPS are carbohydrates that are not fully digested in our bodies. They pass through our small intestine to the large bowel where they are fermented by naturally occurring bacteria. This results in the production of gas, and additional fluid being drawn into the bowel which bloats you. It’s this gas and fluid which causes pain in IBS sufferers.”

If you’re currently suffering from constant bloating and irritable bowels, you could consider FODMAP, as Natasha says, “Many people will see a huge improvement in IBS symptoms from this diet.” With that said, she would still “Highly recommend looking into digestive health further and rule out the bacterial or parasitic infection which is often the true cause of IBS. Following a low Fodmap diet will only minimize IBS symptoms but will not necessarily fix your IBS nor heal your gut.”

5. TikTok Fitness and Snacking

In 2020, fitness moved online, and in 2021 it’s going to infiltrate TikTok too. Expect to see your favorite fitness influencers move to the platform (if they’re not already) and share quick, achievable 10-minute workouts. In fact, short bursts of exercise is another fitness trend set to take over this year, which has been aptly coined ‘snacking’. Snacking, just like a traditional bite-sized snack in between more substantial meals, means doing many short bursts (think 5 mins) of exercise throughout the day. It can include anything from climbing the stairs to squats and burpees – as long as it elevates your heart rate.

6. Veto

“The veto diet is simply vegetarian keto, which is a great food plan to burn fat, have more energy and even heal health conditions,” says Natasha. If you’re unfamiliar with the keto diet, Natasha says it’s, “Based on the idea of eating food that’s high in fat and low in carbohydrates.”

“Veto diet is high in fat (75%), low in carbohydrates (25%), and mostly plant-based proteins (5%). Traditionally keto diets are high in animal protein. In Veto, protein comes from dairy, eggs and plants. Foods like avocado, coconut oil, macadamia oil, flaxseed oil and avocado oil, seeds such as chia seeds, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds, nuts such as macadamia nuts, beans, soy.” Natsaha’s verdict? “With this type of diet, I would say that eating too much of certain foods like dairy isn’t always good.”

7. Teledermatology

via Giphy

In order to minimize in-person doctor’s visits, telemedicine is becoming increasingly popular, especially in the field of dermatology. Skin conditions like acne, rosacea, rashes, psoriasis, and hyperpigmentation are some of the best addressed in teledermatology. We’ll also see a new emergence on platforms like Dermatica.

8. Sirtfood Diet

Last year, the internet lost its mind over Adele’s weight loss journey, and she credited the Sirtfood diet for her results. According to Natasha, “Sirt diet encourages eating sirt foods, which are a newly discovered group of foods that claim to ‘activate’ the body’s skinny genes (also known as sirtuins), in a similar way fasting does. The sirt foods include things like kale, red wine (yes wine, isn’t it a dream?), strawberries, onions, soy, parsley, extra virgin olive oil, dark chocolate (85% cocoa).”

While this sounds utterly dreamy, Natasha says to be careful, “While some of these foods are healthy, others listed as part of this diet aren’t. Like soy for example, which is often GMO [genetically modified organisms], dark chocolate can often be still too high in sugars, and obviously drinking wine as part of a diet is also questionable because of the yeast and sugars it contains.”

9. Self-Pleasure as Self Care

Another (very exciting) form of self-care, which is going to continue to grow is self-pleasure. During the pandemic, people were isolated for long periods of time, and self-pleasure was explored and discussed louder than ever. As a result, solo sex toy sales shot up dramatically. In fact, according to the Wow Tech Group, online sales for both brands were over 200 percent higher in April 2020 compared to the previous year.

Interestingly, the conversation around self-pleasure will become more focused on mindfulness. Expect to see self-pleasure being used as a tool for healing, experimentation, and used to help soothe depression, anxiety, and stress – we’re SO here for it!

10. Unprocessed Foods

According to Natasha, the Pegan plan is the next big thing, which is a way of eating that Natasha personally follows. She explains, “The Pegan diet is a mix of paleo and plant-based foods. 1000% unprocessed foods. A starch, gluten, dairy and sugar-free diet that is really rich in healthy plants, high-quality animal protein, nuts, seeds, berries and legumes, and low sugar fruits. I believe this is the future and the diet most people will see the best results from.”

Balance is something everyone is craving right now, and Natasha confirms this food plan is all about balance and avoiding common food allergens while focusing on what’s really good for you. She believes that eating a variety of vegetables rather than limiting yourself to a certain food group purely for weight loss purposes should be avoided. Natasha says, “Diet should not be done for weight loss purposes but for health and immunity.” Now that’s a food plan we can get behind, especially in the new world we live in!

For more self-care vibes, check out our go-to tips for feeling like a badass.