It’s safe to say that we all want to leave 2020 behind for good. As much as we want to forget the bad stuff, though, it’s also important to look back and see what changes came out of the last 12 months. The past year has caused a major shift in the wellness community, and there were a lot of positive wellness trends that came out this year that are worth holding onto in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced people to get creative when it came to food and exercise, caused a mental health crisis, and left many without the comfort of places like gyms and spas. Virtual training and at-home workouts changed the way many people got their exercise in on a daily basis, and we saw a home-cooking trend (banana bread, anyone?) as dining out became less of an option. On top of that, faced with the unknown of the coronavirus, people focused on immune health more than ever. Here’s a look at the best wellness trends that are actually worth remembering from 2020…



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At-Home Workouts

As COVID-19 began to spread across the country, gyms and health facilities were some of the first places to close to slow the spread of the virus. As a result, many people turned their homes into makeshift gyms, and workout apps and virtual programs saw a jump in popularity. It became the norm to get a workout in on a yoga mat in your living room, following Instagram Live videos of trainers offering free guidance or subscribing to an app like BeachBody or Obé Fitness. In the beginning of the pandemic, most of these apps even offered months of free workouts to encourage people to exercise as a form of self-care.



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Walking or Being Active Outdoors

The lockdowns and restrictions that came from the pandemic meant that most people across the country found themselves stuck at home, bored and lonely. Many started taking daily walks just to get out of the house and find something to do to keep their minds busy, and it stuck.

Not only did taking a walk become the new norm, but being active in any way outdoors became a welcome change to sitting in front of a computer at home.



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Inutitive Eating

2020 saw a big change in diet culture – restrictive eating started to go out the window, and intuitive eating became more popular. The idea of intuitive eating means forgetting all of the old food “rules” and diet tips, and instead focusing on what your body really wants. Intuitive eating has become a way to separate physical hunger and emotional hunger, and encourages people to reject the diet mentality with the goal of making food a more enjoyable experience. It probably won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.



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Cooking At Home

With COVID-19 came the closure of many restaurants and heavy restrictions on indoor and outdoor dining. As a result, people had no choice but to start cooking more at home. Many began experimenting with new recipes, trying different techniques, and even participating in food trends, like baking their own breads.



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Workout Bikes

At-home workout bikes started to see a spike in popularity in 2019, but they really took off this year. As people started to build up their home gyms after their usual places had to shut down, they began ordering big pieces of exercise equipment, especially high-tech, fancy bikes. Brands like Peloton and NordicTrack even had waiting lists for bikes that stretched longer than 12 weeks.



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Mental Health Awareness

Between the global pandemic, the stress of the drawn-out presidential election, and the racial tension amid police brutality, people felt more anxious, depressed, and lonely than ever before. The American Psychological Association even wrote, “We are facing a national mental health crisis that could yield serious health and social consequences for years to come.”

As a result, many people started focusing more on their mental health and it became more normal to discuss issues like depression and anxiety. Virtual therapy became more popular, and meditation remained a trending topic.



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Plant-Based Eating

Even the pandemic couldn’t stop the ongoing popularity of plant-based eating. As 2020 went on, it became more popular to switch to a more flexitarian diet, where people did more plant-based eating than ever before. Plant-based meat alternatives like the Beyond Burger and the Impossible burger became more widely available, and other meat alternatives began popping up as well. Even seafood alternatives have started gaining traction.



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Immune Support

Faced with a public health crisis and an unknown and terrifying virus, many people tried their hardest to focus on improving and boosting their immune systems. Whether that meant working out more often, increasing their vitamin intake, eating healthier, spending more time outside, or focusing on immunity-boosting foods, any and every tip was welcome.



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Sustainability

The shift towards sustainability stayed strong in 2020 and many people tried to begin being more conscious about being environmentally friendly in every aspect of their lives. Many switched to tote bags and reusable bag in an attempt to stop using unnecessary plastic. They also tried to reduce their own food waste. With the very real threat of climate change, we’ll likely continue seeing these types of changes.



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Mindfulness

It’s not surprising that mindfulness became a popular practice during 2020. Being mindful means being fully present and working on emotional responses, something that many people needed during this tough year. Many started practicing mindfulness through meditation at home, or through mindful eating (which is similar to intuitive eating).



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Healthier Homes

People didn’t just focus on exercising more and eating better: they also focused on making their homes a healthier environment as well. Products like air purifiers and sterilizers became more popular as people tried to cleanse the air in their homes and keep all of their items as safe and germ-free as possible. And, of course, there was plenty of hand sanitizer.



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Water With A Kick

In 2020, it wasn’t enough to just drink filtered water. Adding more nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, and electrolytes to water became much more common and popular. Think brands like Tandem, which makes flavored water, and Liquid I.V., which is supposed to be extra hydrating and full of nutrients.



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Virtual Healthcare

2020 was the year pretty much everyone wanted to avoid the doctor, hospital, or urgent care facility no matter what – and healthcare workers didn’t really want you there either if you didn’t need to be. This led to a big boost in virtual healthcare: doing a Zoom call with your doctor instead of sitting in a waiting room before an appointment became the norm. It’s something that seems to work for anything that’s not serious or doesn’t require immediate medical assistance and will probably become part of the new normal.



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Mushrooms

One of the biggest food wellness trends to come out of the last year has been mushrooms, which have started turning up in everything, specifically reishi mushrooms. You can now find them in powder form (even in coffee!), in vitamin capsule form, and in beauty products.



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Breathwork

Meditating was huge in 2019, but breathwork also started to take over in 2020. Breathwork, which refers to different breathing techniques and exercises, became a popular way to relax, calm down, and get rid of anxiety and stress. But breathing exercises are also an important way to strengthen your lungs, and so many people started doing them in an attempt to ward off the serious side effects of COVID-19.



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Foot Masks

The pandemic also gave rise to at-home spa activities: think people doing their own nails or giving themselves pedicures. Stuck at home with nothing to do, many people started using these at-home foot masks, like Babyfoot, which is a serious exfoliating mask that leads to days of dead skin peeling off. Babyfoot quickly sold out and so did similar masks since everyone had plenty of time to do them.



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