Yearender 2021: From home gyms to hemp, these wellness trends gained muscle

To say that the pandemic years have been eyeopening for all of us ndash especially in terms of health wellness and lifestyle ndash is an understatement The global crisis made most of us realise how wersquove been neglecting our health in the past and the way that could impact our quality of life and longevityThe pandemic has also had a huge impact on mental and emotional wellbeing The fear of losing loved ones isolation joblessness staying locked indoors struggling to maintain a work life balance the consumption of media ndash all of this triggered a lot of anxiety in the beginning of the year which has contributed towards an increase in mental health awarenessPeople have a renewed outlook which has led them to migrate towards conscious eating and relaxation strategies such as mediation exercising and maintaining the right nutritive balance by taking supplements that boost their health and wellness A shift towards natural and organic medicines alongside a rediscovering of indigenous wellness practices such as yoga has been seen MidDaycom spoke to experts across disciplines to capture the most prominent wellness trends that dominated 2021Revenge workoutA sentiment of revenge has been observed across leisure activities from travel to shopping Little wonder then that workouts have not been left behind ldquoDue to staying indoors for such a prolonged period people were frustrated and wanted to go out to lift those weights in vengeance after a year of being caged People got used to consuming unhealthy food and due to the lack of physical activities their cardiovascular and muscular endurance went down weight gain became common and muscle loss was seen in the case of those bulking uprdquo shares Sarang Sawant Fitness training officer Golds Gym India ldquoAs soon as gyms reopened with necessary precautionsmdashsuch as placing frames between cardio sections sanitising after every two hours and ensuring all the staff and members wore masksmdashfitness enthusiasts were back on the floor lifting and banging weights Even though they were finding it difficult due to the gap they were ready to achieve their fitness goals People who didnt like working out were also seen in the gyms as they understood the importance of a healthy lifestylerdquo he addsHome and online trainingThe main thing that changed when it came to fitness during the pandemic is home training In order to keep up with their daily workout many set up gyms at home ldquoThe benefits of having your own gym range from flexibility in timings to preferred equipment Being in a judgementfree zone also enables people to wear whatever they want and work out without any apprehensionsrdquo Sawant addsHeavily underutilised in developing nations online training picked up in a big way during the pandemic creating a new platform in the fitness industry ldquoResearch suggests that online learning has been shown to increase retention of information and take less time meaning the changes coronavirus have caused might be here to stayrdquo reckons the trainerHemp in wellness and skincare ldquoHemp is revolutionising clean beauty and lifestyle like never before with brands tapping into the benefits of this versatile ingredient worldwide and featuring hemp as the protagonist in their topical and edible productsrdquo says Dr Ipsita Chatterjee Ayurveda expert and technical head at SoulTree The consumer in the meanwhile is also increasingly warming to the idea of using hemp and disassociating the plant from its psychotropic properties ldquoThe awareness of hemp as a powerful Ayurvedic ingredient suitable for every skin and hair type is gradually seeping into the marketrdquo she addsldquoWith clean green and ethical beauty gaining momentum hemp emerged as a conqueror with its popularity being attributed to increased awareness being an ecofriendly alternative to many toxic ingredients and increased consumption due to health benefitsrdquoHolistic beautyBeauty backed by clean quality and conscious nutrition has been one of the biggest trends of 2021 according to Janki Mehta biotechnologist and cofounder of Chicnutrix So people are looking internally to solve their beauty and wellness requirements ldquoThey want to look and feel good more than before having realised that healthy skin and good health go hand in hand The perks of eating cleaner healthy and organic are so evident that they cannot be neglected especially due to the increasing knowledge of its importance Being in healthcare we realised that longterm healthy and cleaner solutions to address all these issues lie with nutrition which is one of the major components lacking in our fastpaced lifestyles rdquo notes the expert Immunity and supplementsSince the COVID19 outbreak there has been an unprecedented focus on understanding the immune system ldquoPeoplersquos mindset has moved from treating a particular health condition to preventing an occurrence of one by strengthening the immune system in the first place In response to this awareness of herbs condiments and spices like turmeric ashwagandha cinnamon giloy ginger etc increased drastically Also nutrients like Vitamin D Vitamin C Zinc probiotics etc have been at the forefront of consumersrsquo minds and the food industryrdquo notes Aayushi Lakhapati certified nutritionist and cofounder at UpNourishldquoThroughout 2020 and 2021 immunity has been a top priority for everyone and we have started to recognise that our immunity is far more complex than just fighting infectious diseases Now people have begun to look out for ways to protect themselves from physical and mental stress which also affects the immune system The care for health or wellness to prevent sickness is what we need to popularise in India since the masses have to understand that it is extremely important to take care of health problems before they turn into sickness Once they see the benefits of taking wellnessrelated supplements they gradually turn towards a healthier lifestyle A consumer today wants to have the best and most convenient experience and thatrsquos why we are trying to incorporate the taste of the food industry and the benefit of the healthcare industry together to change the norm that healthy is not always bad in taste The fusion of taste and efficacy are moving together now to boost the immune systemrdquo shares Varun Khanna biotechnologist and cofounder of FastampUpFlexitarian DietThe plantbased diet has been trending globally for years now and there is ample research outlining its health and environmental benefits ldquoA flexitarian diet is one which mainly focuses on plantbased eating with a little leisure of animal food Meat eaters who want to eat healthier might find it difficult to make a complete switch to plantbased foods Hence nonvegetarians who find it challenging to switch to being a vegetarian or a vegan happily adopted some aspects from them and took the flexitarian diet routerdquo explains LakhapatiHealthy Premade MealsSince most of us were indoors during the lockdown with no help working from home managing kids and families and cooking from scratch wasnrsquot always possible ldquoConsumption of easy accessible ready to eat healthy foods like meal replacements energy bars quick soups etc skyrocketed during the lockdown Keeping in mind the health and immunity factor reaching for these healthier alternatives instead of unhealthy junk food brought people comfortrdquo says LakhapatiHomebased careldquoAs our ageing population increases itrsquos likely that wersquoll see a rising need for homebased physiotherapy and occupational therapy care People who are living with a chronic disease such as diabetes heart disease or arthritis to name a few will be seeking multidisciplinary healthcare services to help them manage their disease This will include physiotherapy and occupational therapyrdquo explains Dr Sameera Gupta physiooccupational therapist and founder and medical director at Dr Sameerarsquos Physio Slim ClinicTelehealthldquoWhen the COVID19 pandemic forced the closure of many businesses medical clinics were also affected But thanks to technology telehealth services were made available to patients who couldnrsquot physically visit a clinic While for many visiting a physical clinic and speaking with a medical professional in person is preferable telehealth has opened up many new opportunities While there are challenges associated with diagnosing patients without being in the same room there are also benefitsrdquo says GuptaWith the pandemic still raging across the world our experts predict these trends rooted in holistic wellness to mature in 2022 as the focus on physical and mental health remainsAlso ReadOf kulkuls cake and guava cheese Why lsquoKuswarrsquo is good old comfort on a plate