The top wellness trends for 2024 resolutions, from sound baths to giving up caffeine

Our wellbeing is always at the forefront of our new year goals, in fact recent research from YouGov found that the most common New Year’s resolutions for Brits were all wellness-centred, with doing more exercise, improving diet and losing weight as the top three.

Yet, if you’ve tried your hand at forest bathing, taken on all the HIIT exercises you can muster, and spent most of 2023 trying to cut out sugar, you may be on the hunt for some new wellness trends to try in the new year.

Luckily, health practitioner Danielle Pates at Specscart has analysed Google Trend Data to find the top wellness trends for 2024, which include everything from sound baths to giving up caffeine.

Here are the trends we should consider adding to our list of resolutions this year:

1. Virtual workouts - 396% increase

While the pandemic lockdowns gave us a taste for what virtual workouts could involve (thanks, Joe Wicks), brands such as Peleton have boosted the popularity of virtual workouts you can do from your living room, so expect it to be a big trend in 2024.

"As the work from home movement continues, much of the UK is seeking ways to elevate their home with dedicated spaces where they can live, work and exercise," Pates says.

"Virtual workouts allow participants to integrate their wellness routine into their everyday lives, providing constant flexibility."

If buying a Peleton bike is a little out of your price range, consider the abundance of free at-home workouts available on YouTube, where you can find everything from dancing to pilates.

2. CBD health - 380% increase

Think CBD is code for getting high? Think again. "Cannabidiol is extracted from the cannabis plant and diluted with oils such as hemp seed or coconut oil," Pates explains. "CBD doesn’t contain THC, the cannabinoid found in cannabis that creates the sensation of ‘getting high. Therefore, it’s in no way psycho active."

Studies have shown that CBD can reduce stress and chronic pain and also has several soothing properties that can help people with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, so CBD oil could be a good product to incorporate into your 2024 wellness routine.

3. Strength training - 315% increase

Strength training has been steadily gaining popularity over the last decade thanks to the swathes of benefits it brings, but it’s set to skyrocket in 2024.

"Much of the UK is partaking in fitness routines to take advantage of its health benefits, not just the physical changes they may bring," Pates says. "Strength training works to increase bone density as well as cardiovascular health. It can improve sleep, support mental wellbeing and of course, enhance muscle."

4. Alcohol free - 260% increase

Recent statistics found that 20% of British adults do not consume alcohol at all, and that number is set to get higher over the next year as more people become ‘sober curious’.

"A third of Gen Z claim to never drink alcohol. This figure is set to rise as many swap afterwork drinks for gym sessions," Pates adds.

5. Caffeine free - 236% increase

Along with alcohol, there will be a rise in people ditching their daily coffees as more people are set to go caffeine free in 2024.

"Caffeine is a diuretic, robbing the body of moisture," Pates explains. "Copious amounts of caffeine can even lead to blurred vision or twitching of the eye. Eliminating caffeine from your diet can help the body better absorb micronutrients such as calcium, iron, and B vitamins. Consuming caffeine up to six hours before bed can heavily impact your sleep cycle."

6. Sustainable gyms - 195% increase

Why go to a regular gym when you can go to a sustainable gym? "A sustainable gym works to use energy efficient equipment, renewable energy, non toxic cleaning products, whilst reducing its water usage," Pates explains.

"A 195.22% uplift in the search term sustainable gym proves that the UK is seeking ways to adopt eco friendly practices in every aspect of their lives, including the gym."

7. Sound baths - 153% increase

Like meditation before it, sound baths are a trend set to become increasingly popular in the next year as people put mental wellness at the forefront.

"Sound baths see that participants are surrounded by sound that is produced by instruments that are tuned in to specific frequencies," Pates explains. "This stimulates the alpha brainwaves that lead to creativity and the theta brainwave that works with our learning and memory."

Wellness: Read more

• Tiktok users praise health benefits of anti-inflammatory foods, but what are they? (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)

• Flexible working is less likely to trigger a heart attack than the regular 9-5 (Yahoo Life UK, 2-min read)

• Crohn’s disease can be detected in blood eight years before symptoms show, finds study (The Guardian, 3-min read)

Watch: I tried 'forest bathing' in Italy: Everything you need to know about the wellness trend