A decade ago ‘wellness’ was only just entering our national lexicon. Now, we’ve traded stress for stretching, sitting for stand-up desks and boozing for barre. Here’s what to expect in the next decade of wellness.

Flexitarianism becomes the norm

Vegans and vegetarians are dining at cafés and restaurants in droves, and chefs are answering the call with gusto. Many menus have gone from one or two token veggie meals to myriad mouth-watering dishes. Even those of us who aren’t 100% plant-based are drooling over avocado-laden Buddha bowls and burgers with mac ‘n’ cheese hash brown patties. With options galore, a lot of us will rein in our meat consumption – good for our bodies, good for the planet.

Open mental health discussions

Mental health is moving out of the doctor’s office and into conversations with friends, family and colleagues. It’s on our phones, through apps like Headspace and Calm, and it’s in our ears, with $200-an-hour therapists podcasting what was previously a private conversation. The 2020s are set to be a decade of demystifying mental health issues, and an influx of welcome honest conversation.

Fitness goes online

Online fitness classes went mainstream when TVNZ broadcast Les Mills workouts twice a day during lockdown, and you know what? We liked it. Studios continue to run Zoom classes, and there’s something wonderful about rolling from a sweaty heap on the floor into your own shower.

Wellness sabbaticals

With the rat race ramping stress levels up, many people are forgoing a little income and taking a wellness sabbatical; grind-avoiding getaways in beautiful retreats with plinky-plonky soundscapes and morning meditations.

The ageing rebrand

The 65+ crowd are more often retiring to start passion projects or run marathons than to take up bridge, and with that, ageing is having a total rebrand. We’ve heard marketers call it the ‘greynnaissance’, and ‘the silver economy’, while big brands are jumping on board: CoverGirl is using Maye Musk, Elon Musk’s super beautiful 72-year-old mum as a spokesmodel, and 99-year-old Iris Apfel was signed by IMG Models last year. It might be profit motivated (the boomers have the big bucks), but it’s a breath of fresh air.

Golden 'Grammers

There’s endless amounts of beauty, fashion and joy in the over-50s influencer space. Here are our favourites:

Bon Pon
@bonpon511
828K followers
Bon and Pon, married 40 years, might be the most fashionable couple on the ‘Gram.

Nickelson Wooster
@nickwooster
817K followers
This silver fox ex-marine lookalike knows how to rock a man bag and a wool blend.

Lyn Slater
@iconaccidental
750K followers
Lyn Slater started her blog Accidental Icon in 2014, and rocks a chic, eclectic aesthetic.