No doubt, the past two years have been crazy for health coaches and their clients. Navigating a global pandemic prompted many people to reevaluate their health routines, lifestyle choices, and how they prioritize wellbeing. Not to mention, health coaches had to either pause their offerings, or pivot to virtual sessions and socially-distanced meetups almost overnight. 

The good news? With 2022 around the corner, the New Year is bringing a breath of fresh air to the health industry. Hot holistic health trends are only becoming more innovative, and by using these simple methods below, health coaches can usher their clients forward into a whole new level of wellness. Here are HCI’s favorite up-and-coming holistic health trends for 2022 so you can leverage them to help your clients and stay relevant with your coaching business, no matter what the future brings. 

1. Visiting Touchless Spas

Regular spa visits have been a part of people’s health routines since ancient times when the Greeks and Romans went to bathhouses for soaks and massages. But considering pandemic restrictions, and with today’s digital capabilities, more spas and wellness centers are moving toward a touchless experience. Non-touch spa experiences deliver relaxing, therapeutic results without the health risks of spreading COVID-19 via touch. Some treatments at touchless spas include: 

  • Vibrational and sound therapy beds that send gentle pulsating waves throughout the body to relieve stress, improve concentration, and balance the mood 
  • Chromotherapy beds that infuse the skin, muscles, deep tissues, and joints with the full spectrum of light to speed healing and recovery
  • Halotherapy that involves inhaling tiny salt particles in the air to support respiratory health

2. Breaking a Sweat with Virtual Fitness

Virtual training platforms have taken off in lieu of actual gyms, and we only expect to see them get better, and more robust in their offerings. You may already be recommending the peloton bike and the mirror home gym to your clients for virtual fitness classes. But, you should also look to MindBodyOnline and Peerfit too, for classes ranging from yoga to strength training to HIIT sessions. Most likely, more and more people will continue to workout in the comfort of their homes where they can stay safe and take classes on demand as it works for their busy schedules. 

3. Keeping a Sleep Journal 

The practice of journaling to track habits, thoughts, and feelings is making a comeback—this time, with a focus on tracking sleep quality. If your clients struggle to sleep well, encourage them to chart their sleep habits, dreams, and pre- and-post bedtime intentions. You can offer mindful exercises like recording how stress, poor nutrition, overworking, or drinking alcohol impact their sleep to help them to recognize trends and make changes. 

4. Opting For Clean Beauty Products

As all health coaches know, it’s as important to pay attention to what you put into your body as well as what you put onto your body. This means adding clean, natural, organic beauty products to your routine (and tossing all else). 

The cool thing? Consumers are catching on, too. New research from the Natural Marketing Institute, shows that 24% of U.S. adults are considered “clean” customers, meaning they choose beauty and cosmetic products with no harmful chemicals, phthalates, parabens, or animal testing. Encourage your clients to avoid products that contain plastic, alcohol, animal products, or unsustainable ingredients. To do this, compile a list of clean cosmetic brands to get your clients started down the right track. 

5. Resuming Wellness Travel, Pandemic-Style

COVID-19 stalled travel to wellness retreats in 2020 and 2021. But, with vaccine numbers increasing, expect to see a rebound in healthy getaways closer to home. While many people ache to get away, staycations have become the new vacations. You don’t need to leave the country to get the same relaxing effect of PTO. Instead, give your clients ways to unwind close to home, like seeking out new trails or experiences in nature, treating themselves to a remote Airbnb stay, or opting for a Covid-conscious wellness retreat where masks are mandatory and risk is minimal.

6. Consuming Gut-Healthy Foods

Western science is finally catching up with what Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurveda has known for centuries: what happens in the gut affects the whole body. According to one survey from Nutrition Insight, 42 percent of consumers said they are eating more gut-healthy foods than ever before. 

Known as the “gut-brain axis”, the communication system between the gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system affects much of the body’s overall health status. Consuming probiotic-rich foods (like kombucha or yogurt) ensures healthy bacteria can survive and thrive to help with issues from digestive distress to mood management and beyond. 

7. Committing to a Digital Detox

With the rise of obsessive social-media scrolling and the work-from-home balancing act, digital media can feel overstimulating (and often stressful) to many people. To support your clients’ mental wellbeing, suggest the occasional digital detox—a complete break from all-things social media, email, and even streaming services. Dedicating even one weekend per month to a complete device shutdown can help reset compulsive habits around checking (and rechecking) digital platforms. In lieu of scrolling, encourage your clients to pick up healthier habits like starting a new hobby, reading a book, or journaling with a real pen and paper.

8. Supplementing with Nootropics and Adaptogens 

Nootropics and adaptogens—plant-based compounds like herbs and roots that help support the body’s natural ways of mitigating stress, maintaining focus, and increasing productivity—are gaining more popularity in the health and wellness arena. The words nootropics and adaptogens are used interchangeably, but in general, adaptogens have a powerful effect on lowering stress, and nootropics help to increase focus. 

Popular adaptogens include:

  • Ashwagandha
  • Ginseng
  • Holy Basil
  • Licorice
  • Chaga

Common nootropics include:

  • Caffeine
  • Rhodiola
  • Cacao
  • Turmeric
  • Rosemary

9. Tracking Stress with Apps

It’s no secret that the pandemic prompted higher stress levels and a greater sense of instability.  The good news? There are apps that can track your clients’ stress levels and help them manage stress with mindfulness techniques like meditation and breathwork. Here are a few of our favorites stress management and tracking apps:

  • Calm helps people reduce stress and improve sleep with audio meditations, sleep stories, and nature sounds
  • Breathe2Relax teaches people how to use breathworth to cope with stress and the body’s fight-or-flight response
  • Pigment encourages people to destress by tapping into their creative side and mindfully coloring in beautiful pictures
  • Welltory tracks stress levels at the physiological level by keeping a pulse on heart rate and blood pressure levels

10. Seeking Out Online Therapy 

As more healthcare services go digital in 2022,  how people access mental health is changing. Caring for the mind is a major part of a holistic approach to health, and though your clients’ may not yet have access to a licensed therapist, finding one is becoming easier. With apps like TalkSpace, Better Help, and 7 Cups, which have therapist directories and affordable treatment options, you can point your clients in the direction of professional therapy to support and supplement their health coaching program.

Yes, the world is changing, and changing fast. But so too is the healthcare industry, proving we humans are more resilient on our wellness journeys than ever before. Employing these simple, but effective techniques, you can help your clients reach new wellness heights in 2022. 

Join HCI for Your Health Coach Education

Health Coach Institute provides a 6 month health coach training program. If you are already accredited and are looking for continuing education, you might be a great candidate for our Coach Mastery program. Schedule your consultation with a Health Coach Institute team member today to find out how you can enroll in one of our coaching programs.

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Health Coach Institute provides aspiring Health and Life Coaches with the tools, training, and support to make a great living transforming lives.