2020 was a challenging year, but on a positive note, it engendered a new awareness in many of us of our own health needs and a commitment to take control of our wellbeing. The health trends set to dominate the wellness stage this year will help us to achieve optimum vitality – locked down or not. Here’s to a brighter, healthier 2021.
The first quarter of 2021 heralds the game-changing potential of the CVP (Covid 19 Vaccination Programme). Forerunners in the programme are the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Both require two doses, with a gap of three weeks between doses. Millions of vaccines will be available imminently, with immunisation already under way in some areas for priority groups (healthcare workers and the over-80s).
Healthcare workers and others (including Sir Ian McKellen, pictured) have been quick to post selfies of themselves receiving shots of the vaccine on social media in order to promote confidence in the safety of the programme – and the public are sure to follow suit. With #covidvaccine now trending, expect bared biceps and triceps to flood your feed.
With spa trips unlikely for the foreseeable future, it might be time to invest in an infrared sauna blanket. The HigherDose Infrared Sauna Blanket V3 retails for just under £500 and claims to provide deep relaxation, increased blood flow, a serotonin boost and detoxification benefits for improved skin. What are you waiting for?
If virtual fitness isn’t your thing, take advantage of the new trend in business meetings al fresco. Many big tech companies are encouraging their employees to conduct business meetings on the phone whilst going for a brisk walk outside. This is a win/win situation for both employer and employee — business productivity coexists alongside outdoor physical activity, ensuring maximum efficiencies of time, with health benefits thrown in.
Innovative new concepts in mental health care are beginning to gain traction, among them Tele-therapy (online access to professional mental health therapy), which offers a discreet and less costly alternative to conventional face-to-face counselling and psychotherapy.
Mind Gym is another. The online company Coa is set to pioneer its ‘mental health gym’ in early 2021. Its ethos is to minimise the stigma attached to mental health issues and bring our mental wellbeing more in line with our physical wellbeing. It promotes the idea of ‘regular mental workouts’ for robust emotional health. Online ‘emotional fitness classes’ led by professional therapists are designed to strengthen various aspects of emotional wellbeing, from self-awareness, mindfulness and personal resilience issues to self-confidence building. One-on-one sessions are offered alongside group practices.
Spiritual and energy healing are set to enter the mainstream, too: ‘manifesting’ is a practice of meditation and positive rituals that claims to turn dreams and desires into reality.
2020 saw an explosion of online exercise classes, which made working out in your living room the versatile new norm. 2021 will see this trend continue with a stream of new products and devices that can help you keep a check on your own health. Among them is the recently launched Apple Fitness+, which promises ‘a new fitness experience’ for everyone. Powered by Apple Watch, it integrates your personal metrics with your favourite music and offers a great choice of quality workouts from the world’s best trainers. Packages are available for £9.99 per month.
Then there’s Fitbit’s Sense, an advanced health smartwatch which tracks skin temperature, monitors heart health and more; the Apple Watch Series 6, with its blood oxygen sensor; and NutriSense’s continuous glucose monitors. Wearable brand devices can even track your athletic recovery potential through a combination of heart-rate monitoring, sleep patterns and respiration.
The pandemic has focused our minds on how superfood-rich nutrition can boost our immunity and turbo-charge our gut. The gut is known as the second brain and is where up to 90% of the hormone serotonin (the happy hormone) is found. It therefore greatly influences how we feel.
For nutritional goldmines try adaptogenic mushrooms, which help relieve stress; pumpkin seeds for a superfix of protein, antioxidant, omega 6 and magnesium; or powdered extract from the African baobab – also known as the ‘tree of life’. With its strong vitamin C and potassium content, it is great for rehydration and muscle relaxation after workouts. Detox Trading stocks responsibly sourced organic products, ranging from Hibiscus powder to Raw Chocolate White Mulberries.
This year expect to see a continued explosion of health-formulated drinks. Superfoods, adaptogens, turmeric, extract of CBD and probiotics are just a few of the ingredients that may be infused into our water. In September 2020, US-based company Droplet launched a highly successful superfood-infused water and sales continue to soar. Look out for brands offering probiotic infusions to promote healthy gut microbiome: HUZZAH, wildwonder and Bio-K+ are good places to start.
Virtual parties and activities don’t have to dwindle just because the festive season is behind us. Thanks to what felt like never-ending lockdown in 2020, there is now a great choice of inventive and immersive experiences to enjoy without leaving the comfort of your own home. We love the sound of SouthSide Bars’ virtual cocktail masterclass, led by a professional mixologist from Ibiza on Zoom. Pre-order the ingredients, get together with a few friends online and master the art of cocktail making. Then, of course, you get to enjoy them afterwards – with no long, arduous journey home. Cheers!
2021 should also see major growth in companies offering sustainable and affordable nutrition. Canned fish stuffed with healthy omega oils could make a major comeback, with sardines, clams, mackerel and other smaller fish offering a good way to relieve pressure on the ocean ecosystem’s larger, more threatened, varieties of seafood.
There will also be more choice in upcycled foods, which transform waste ingredients (odd-shaped veg or left-over grains, for example) into new, highly nutritious products. Look to Rubbies in the Rubble for condiments, Remashed for cereal bars and Agua Bonita, a fast-growing company launched in the pandemic for cold-pressed juices made from ‘ugly produce’. Goodfish makes delicious chips from salmon skin, a superfood often discarded, while ODDBOX delivers odds and ends of vegetables that don’t quite make it to the perfect ranks of supermarket stock.
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