We’ve had a whirlwind of a year and have already seen the health and wellness world transform in huge ways. We anticipate more accelerated changes in 2022 and truly believe that health & wellness coaches will remain pivotal to these changes, taking center stage as our healthcare system transitions to a wellcare system.
We’re excited to share our predictions for the top three health & wellness trends for 2022 and welcome feedback from our community as we prepare, together, for a healthier year ahead.
Wellbeing Will Take the Mainstage
Our healthcare system is changing—so it only makes sense that our vernacular should change too! We’re already seeing a shift in health and wellness conversations from focusing on the physical indicators of health (blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, etc.) to broadening every health conversation so that it encompasses mental, emotional, psychosocial, and even spiritual indicators. Publications from Forbes to Human Resources Executive are all infusing wellbeing into their conversations on 2022 trends and we only anticipate this to continue.
Wellbeing acknowledges exactly what we’ve already known for years as health coaches: human beings are so much more than the numbers that we discuss at our doctor’s visits. We can’t truly make an impact on our health unless we consider every ecosystem and facet of our lives, essentially, all the elements that ultimately affect those numbers at the doctor’s office, and also how we show up for our friends and family, how satisfied we are with ourselves and our lives, our productivity and so much more. Since health coaches have been major pioneers in giving wellbeing the platform it deserves, we’re excited to keep trailblazing this trend and use it to propel the Health Coaching Revolution.
We’ll See More Integrated Health Teams, where Health Coaches are Keystone
You wouldn’t go to a tailor to regrout your tiles or an aesthetician to landscape your home. Similarly, the world is just catching on that a primary care physician (or even a primary care physician + specialists) isn’t nearly enough to support an individual’s wellbeing. While it’s important to have these physicians help shape your health journeys, it’s also important to receive support from dieticians, nutritionists, physical therapists, health coaches, and others, depending on your unique needs.
Well + Good’s Wellness Trends of 2022 supports this idea, mentioning that the U.S. healthcare system is in “critical condition” and must steer towards a more integrated, human-centered approach in order to truly address mounting public health concerns. At YourCoach, we truly believe in the efficacy of a health team, where health coaches serve as the glue between representatives, helping to implement suggested changes across all aspects of an individual’s life (and isn’t the implementation piece the most important?!). Once again, we see the role of a health coach as truly pivotal for the future of health—now is truly the time for health coaches to shine!
Digital Therapies Will Become More Mainstream
As our world is continuously reshaped by COVID, we’re seeing more industries make accommodations for our increasingly remote environments. Of course, the health tech industry has made major strides to improve the way we track and transform our health journey. From startups like Happify Health to One Drop, we’re seeing more and more companies innovate so that we can track our health progress from physical, mental, emotional, psychosocial angles and then some.
The multiplicity of these tools and novel health services means that in coordination with our health teams, we have more opportunities than ever to address wellbeing when it truly counts—beyond the doctor’s office. At YourCoach, we’re staying ahead of the game and are making moves to offer these digital therapeutic tools right within the platform, so that our health coaches can truly craft an interactive experience for clients that address all of their health needs.
While these are just a snapshot of the trends we expect in 2022, one thing’s for sure: health coaches will remain a mainstay in health & wellness and hold the key to critical changes in the way our world approaches holistic health. We welcome ideas from our community on other up-and-coming trends to watch and hope this sparks conversation as we plan for a healthy year ahead.