Happy New Year! Hello, 2021… Nice to meet you. Please be better than your predecessor! We hope you all enjoyed your bubbled family Christmas, big or small, and are suitably mince-pied and chocolafied! To kick off this oh-so-fresh and much welcomed New Year, we wanted to talk about what’s going to be hot in wellness in 2021. 2020 was the year virtual fitness went BIG, you can see we predicted this here, but we couldn’t have anticipated quite the scale of this already booming industry *cough cough* thanks coronavirus. Let’s see what wellness trends 2021 might have in store for us…

Refillable offerings on the rise…
Plastic is still a problem that isn’t going away and according to wrap.org.uk 8 million tonnes of it is dumped into our oceans every year. How can brands help their loyal customers fight the war against plastic? Refillables. We’re talking beauty, food, household items to name just a few. Leaders in sustainability Faith in Nature say refillable products are the way forward and in the past year alone, the beauty brand has seen a 140% rise in refills. Buying a refill saves 70% CO2, 65% energy and 45% water than if you were to buy a new or recycled product. It also means you’ll be well on your way to zero waste living by refilling the same bottles time and time again. Another beauty brand paving the way for one of life’s most essential products is Wild. Their genius refillable deodorant is truly game-changing! For refillable cleaning solutions, we love Splosh and Bower Collective. For zero-waste groceries check out our article – The Best Zero Waste Shops In The UK

Move over gratitude, time to exercise your empathy…
Gratitude has got all the attention over the last few years but we think 2021 will be all about embracing your empathetic side. Replacing gratefulness as the number one key to happiness and an antidote for anxiety, empathy is all about turning your attention to others and being able to put yourself in their shoes. It’s the ability to sense someone’s emotions or how they might be feeling. We all have different paths in life and unique struggles to overcome and by being able to emotionally connect and empathize with what someone else is going through will not only make you look at your life differently but also give you the ability offer support. Author and empathy coach, Mimi Nicklin says, “Making the decision to be more empathetic, listen more and connect more deeply is as simple as committing to doing so. Our minds are ingenious that way. A more empathetic year is absolutely within your grasp – a conscious decision is all you need!”

Infrared therapy set to be big…
In a nutshell, infrared therapy is a holistic treatment method that utilises light to help reduce inflammation and chronic pain within the body. It’s also used to promote relaxation, improve circulation and even boost immunity, something we all might need in these dark cold months. While you may have come across infrared therapy in passing, we can already see it being added to more and more treatment menus in some of our favourite spas from massages to facials. One of our favourite wellness hotspots, Cloud Twelve in Notting Hill offer Infrared sauna therapy, offering one-off sessions or a course of 10 so you can really reap all the benefits. While tradition saunas mainly eliminate water from your body, infrared saunas can actually draw out heavy metals, sulphuric acid, sodium, ammonia, uric acid and fat-soluble toxins too making this an amazing detoxifying treatment.

Qigong: the yoga/meditation/breathwork hybrid… 
If you’ve never heard of qigong (translation: “energy work”), it’s an ancient martial art practice of postures, breathing and visualization aiming to improve willpower, focus and harness positive energy. Research studies have shown that Qigong reduces cortisol, stress hormones and blood pressure and can improve immunity, cognitive function and relieve chronic pain. Working slowly and dynamically on the organs from the inside, Qigong calms the body influencing your muscles, fascia, bones and any energy imbalance. Katie Brindle, Founder of Hayo’uFit says, ‘If you think you’ve tried everything, I promise you haven’t. Because if you’re tired, lacking in energy, out of shape or simply not feeling great, trust me Qigong is for you. Since lockdown, we’ve had hundreds join our revolution and the results have been staggering. It’s worked for me; it’s worked for them – and it will work for you.’’ You can check out her qigong courses here.

It’s all about the gut…
2020 really thrust gut health into the spotlight, proving just how vital a role our digestive system plays in all sorts of bodily functions. From skin health to banishing uncomfortable digestive issues like bloating and gas, we really understand how life-changing good gut health can be. Now in 2021, with coronavirus still a part of our lives, immunity has never been more important… and it’s not just about topping up on vitamin C. Taking care of your gut is probably one of the most important things you can do for your immunity, after all, it houses roughly 70% of the cells that form the immune system. So, if you only do one thing this January, start taking probiotics. A simple addition to your morning routine, this is the best way to start your journey towards improving your gut health and filling your digestive system with lots of good bacteria. We’re big fans of The Nue Co’s natural, clinically-proven supplements and their Prebiotic + Probiotic is a permanent fixture in our storecupboard.

Read more: Doing Veganuary? Here’s Everything You Need To Know To Make It A Success