This year is almost over, and while unforeseen things happen, we can continue looking forward to bettering ourselves in the future.
Being a founder of the giant health and well-being men’s community of practice and IAM Clinic, my insights are multi-sourced, direct, and without a middle person.
For the past two years, our views have changed quite a bit. Because of that, folks are getting a better understanding of how vital our health is. I am not saying that we did not know this already, but many did not prioritize it. Before all this happened, we viewed self-care as convenient, and now it is necessary.
Nowadays, a definition of health seems personal rather than based on data, which I can understand because population-based numbers should not determine our health. We’re all different.
2022 Predictions:
Personalized Wellness
Control and personalization in wellness services and products are now trending more than ever, and they will rise even more in the years to come. As a result, we are seeing an increase in hiring personal trainers, nutritionists, and functional medicine providers. Custom-made makes more sense and the way it should be anyway. Time is of the essence, and cookie-cutter plans are no longer an option.
Activity is Medicine
Hippocrates was the first recorded physician to provide a written exercise prescription for a patient suffering from consumption. But, unfortunately, while physicians cover the basics, exercise is not within the realm. So, other than a follow-up question, do you exercise? Not much happens outside of that.
If that makes sense, exercise is what we see and don’t see. Of course, most want to reduce weight or build muscle, but cognitive fitness, well-being, and good feeling are part of the exercise. And I am happy to report that more of us realize the importance.
Family Reinforcement
While this should be a default, we are now paying more attention to keeping not only ourselves but our loved ones healthy. Healthier food choices for the entire family are as important as providing the food on the table.
Husbands exercise with their partners more often than usual, and many involve their teenage kids. As a result, home gyms are on the rise, but commercial gyms are still an all-time favorite because that consists in getting out of the house and having more equipment.
We Demand Options
Gym access restrictions are no longer impossible. Then, of course, we had total closure and partial ones too. But, as humans, we tend to adapt relatively quickly. When this happened, we started combining the way we exercise with more options not to miss our sessions or adjust to our current situation or lifestyle.
When gym offers, hybrid gym memberships are what some people choose to do. Hybrid means that they can train at the gym or have this done virtually from anywhere they are.
Inclusive exercise is also on the rise, including private personal sessions, smaller groups, home or outdoor workouts, or even an app that we can use at any place of our choosing.
All Things Remotely
So many people got accustomed to working from home. I am a veteran and started over 13 years ago, and much before this was cool. Since I already mentioned exercise, training, nutrition, and virtual coaching, let’s talk about other trending wellness options.
Health care is now available via virtual care and for just about anything. Many people find it convenient. For example, Teladoc allows you to talk to a physician 24/7 if you cannot do this in person or avoid going to ER.
Other telemedicine services now offer mental health support, a significant change. My clinic has provided primary care for years and a flat monthly fee instead of most per-visit costs.
Primary care will become virtual care, reducing hospitals and physicians’ load. Maybe not in 2022, but soon. E-commerce has made a big boom for the past two years, and PCP or VCP is following that path, but it’s not a simple turnaround.
Local services are now nationwide, and they have been even before all this. What’s great about virtual care is that we can do it from the comfort of our homes. Time and schedules are already things of the past. In addition, clinicians can be from just about anywhere in the country.
