From super-smart innovations that will enhance brain health and predict a hot flush to the trends that will impact the way we approach mental health and nutrition for the better, here’s what the wellness world has in store over the next year.
#1. AI-driven personalised fitness will supercharge your progress
You know that personal trainer you’ve always wanted but couldn’t justify the cost? This year you’re a step closer as AI takes personalised fitness to a whole new level. While the tech isn’t perfect yet, there’s already a US-based app called JRNY that can correct your form during a workout similar to how a PT would in person (it’s still to make its way to Oz). While for those wanting to build up strength, FitnessAI ($29.90/month) generates personalised programs and adjusts them over time based on the data you record.
But one of the major leaders in this space is Whoop Coach powered by OpenAI and available on Whoop ($379/year, plus free device). It’s the first wearable to take your biometric data (that’s your heart rate variability, resting heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep performance and more) and combine it with the latest performance science to recommend bespoke training plans and answer any questions you might have based on your data.
Jaime Waydo, Chief Technology Officer at Whoop, says this is just the start. “My team is already working on the next iteration of Whoop Coach, training it on more data and more models, integrating it with other Whoop features, such as Strength Trainer, and a lot more performance science to give you deeper scientific insights,” says Waydo.
She says that while Whoop was the first to do this, she expects that generalised AI coaching will “become a commodity” with many more apps to come that “try to build workouts, create recipes, and give suggestions on how to de-stress or sleep better”. Love to see it.
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#2. We’re going old school for our mental health
In an attempt to look after their mental health in our increasingly connected world, last year Gen Z made the switch from smartphones to “dumb phones”. These devices – like the old Nokias and Motorolas from the early noughties – only do the basics, like call, text and take photos. No apps. No web browsers. No social media.
There are currently 11.1 million views of #dumbphone videos on TikTok (let’s not even get into the existential crisis of how Gen Z are viewing or filming this content) and the trend has become so big that US rapper Kendrick Lamar recently released a limited-edition Light phone, which only has call, text and music features. It sold out in minutes.
Expect the rest of us to catch on over the next 12 months. Brenden Folitarik, from Nokia phone maker HMD Global, says, “Gen Z value living in the present and are increasingly embracing the use of feature phones, or ‘dumbphones’, and I believe this trend will not only continue but gain momentum in 2024.”
Switching to an old-school phone – even if it’s only for short periods, like on the weekends – can also help break you out of a social media addiction. “Just like with the pokie machines, social media has been developed specifically to release dopamine and encourage you to continue coming back for more,” says psychologist Tara Hurster, Founder of The TARA Clinic. Having a dumbphone “removes the instant-ness of technology while also helping your brain to challenge itself and think a bit”. Going “dumb” never looked so smart.
#3. The sauna movement hits the mainstream
The popularity of saunas has been simmering (sorry, had to) for years. But in 2024, a regular sweat session will become a wellness norm as the predicted value of the global sauna and spa market hits USD 4937.6 million over the next three years.
The boost is fuelled in part by the rise of affordable at-home options (check out the portable Vital+ SaunaPod, from $436, and Nurecover Tropic Sauna, from $699), reasonably priced recovery centre memberships, plus local gyms that have added infrared saunas to the mix to entice members through their doors.
Mitchell Diamond, director of recovery and wellness centre Cryospa Clinics, says he’s noticed the growth since Covid. “The pandemic played a huge role in the rise of sauna use. I know when Cryospa Clinics re-opened after the first Sydney lockdown we had a huge spike in bookings. Covid made people take a look at how they were taking care of their health and the benefits of consistent sauna use are remarkable.”
Other than the relaxation benefits, according to Finnish researchers, emerging evidence suggests regular sauna use may be linked to a reduction in the risk of vascular diseases and an improvement of conditions such as arthritis, headache, and flu. Keen to give it a go? Research shows benefits for those who sauna at least two to three times a week.
#4. We’re tracking ageing and brain health for longevity
Long gone are the days when all anyone cared to track was their daily step count. This year, ageing and brain health take centre stage as more of us prioritise living healthier for longer. One of the best apps to help identify which of your daily habits are slowing down, speeding up, or even reversing the ageing process is Humanity ($6.67/month).
The app looks at your daily movement, nutrition and mind habits, plus biomarkers such as heart rate and walking speed to calculate your biological age and your rate of ageing. The just released 2024 update of the app is even more impressive. It now includes Blood Age, a feature that uses AI to analyse the results of any recent blood test to calculate a more accurate biological age. UK-based founders Pete Ward and Michael Geer say it’s a step towards “democratising longevity breakthroughs normally only available to a privileged few.”
Another great innovation in tracking brain health is a homegrown one. The award-winning BrainTrack app (free), developed by Dementia Australia and Deakin University’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute, monitors changes in cognition over time through travel-themed games.
Maree McCabe AM, CEO of Dementia Australia, says, “While BrainTrack is not a brain training tool and not intended to replace a formal cognitive assessment, it supports the early identification of cognitive changes over time that may warrant further testing and that may also lead to an earlier diagnosis of dementia.” The sooner a diagnosis, the sooner treatment, health management and future planning can begin. Life changing.
#5. Plant-based diets are here for the long run (minus the fake meats)
Thought plant-based diets were big last year? They’re only set to keep growing in popularity. According to a recent YouGov poll, around one-fifth of Aussies currently eat a primarily plant-based diet while occasionally consuming meat and fish, another 6 per cent are vegan or vegetarian and 5 per cent are pescatarians (ie, mostly vegetarian but with fish and seafood on occasion). Experts expect those numbers to increase over the next 12 months.
“Some key factors contributing to the mainstream adoption of plant-based diets include growing awareness of the health benefits, such as reduced risk of chronic diseases, weight management, anti-inflammatory, and improved overall wellbeing,” says accredited practising dietitian Robbie Clark, director of digital health and telemedicine company HealthBank. “There’s also the animal welfare consideration and the increased availability that makes finding plant-based options easier to incorporate into diets.”
The one big difference we’ll see this year is the move away from fake meats in favour of fresh produce. There are two reasons for this shift: inflation, which has caused the price of packaged fake meats to rise; and education. As Clark says, “Once people understand what ingredients go into processed fake meats, they might be motivated to consciously make healthier food choices around plant-based wholefoods.” To make plant-based work for you, focus on incorporating fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds into your diet, while excluding or minimising animal products. How much you do of the latter is up to you. It’s why many people consider plant-based diets to be the flexy option.
#6. Happiness becomes our top health goal
As more research shows a link between positive, meaningful experiences and good health, happiness has emerged as our number one health goal. A recent The Growth Distillery x Verve Research Australia survey showed that for 67 per cent of us, our biggest health and wellbeing aim is “happiness”, while “weight loss” doesn’t even make the top four goals.
Indeed, the happiness-health science is so strong that researchers who led a meta-analysis of six studies, published in The American Journal of Medicine, found that optimism was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and of cardiovascular disease. The US researchers recommended that in future, clinicians could consider incorporating psychological health interventions when treating disease.
While we watch for developments in this space, experts suggest that the key to accessing the health benefits of happiness today isn’t by making it a goal. “The problem with using ‘happiness’ as a goal is it isn’t a tangible thing you can ‘get’,” says psychologist Tara Hurster, Founder of The TARA Clinic. “Happiness isn’t something you can possess, it is something you are or perceive, so it’s more helpful to set goals that lead to a sense of happiness.”
For Hurster, it’s meant doing hot yoga, writing and meditating daily, resting, taking micro-holidays and expressing her feelings. For the participants in the world’s longest scientific study into happiness over 85 years, by Harvard University, deep relationships were key. Hurster suggests, “Basically, give yourself permission to be still for long enough to find out what your soul likes to do, and then do that more.”
#7. Perimenopause and menopause tech makes life a little easier
When big-time celebs like Naomi Watts launch entire companies around it, you know a hot trend (pardon the pun) is afoot. Her latest empire, Stripes, a beauty and wellness line dedicated to women going through peri-menopause and menopause that offers everything from high-end lube to hot flush relief– is creating serious buzz.
Menopause holidays in all manner of luxurious locations – case in point, the recent Don’t Sweat it Retreat on Hamilton Island – the brainchild of Dr Ginni Mansberg and media commentator Shelly Horton (dontsweatit.com.au) – are also becoming increasingly popular.
As conversations around this once taboo topic go mainstream, becoming one of the hottest trends in global health, the options for support are evolving at a rapid rate. On a community level, the founder of telehealth menopause clinic WellFemme, Dr Kelly Teagle, hopes that this year’s Senate inquiry into menopause “will result in more government initiatives directed at public health campaigns, research and funding for innovative service models.” Hopefully a win for Aussie women everywhere.
While we wait for the report to be released in September, a new breed of digital resources are also helping to change the game. Going through perimenopause or menopause, and not getting the right support? WellFemme (wellfemme.com.au) offers access to specialised GPs to help treat and manage your symptoms. In other news, Teagle has created an online education program called Next Phase ($459, nextphasewellness.com), which covers everything from energy and brain health to sexual wellness.
There are even more mind-blowing things happening in the tech space. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Embr Labs in the US are working on an algorithm that can predict when a hot flush will take place. The plan is to integrate it into a wearable called Embr Wave, so that the device can automatically cool the body down before you feel a hot flush by predicting when it will take place. Yep, pretty impressive. While they work on it, you can still get cool relief for hot flushes with the touch of a button using the current version of the device, Embr Wave 2, $446. It’s discreet too as the device could easily pass for a smartwatch. What will they think of next?
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Originally published as 7 health trends that will shape your world this year