Every year brings changes in trends and technology, as well as discoveries, that gradually influence our day-to-day lives. To stay in the know, we asked experts from across Life Time to share their predictions about what they see coming to the forefront — or continuing to stay relevant — in 2024.
Check out their top anticipated trends for the categories of health and wellness, fitness, nutrition and food culture, mental wellness, skincare, and decorating and home design.
Sections in this article:
1. Health and Wellness ⋅ 2. Fitness ⋅ 3. Cooking and Food Culture ⋅ 4. Mental Wellness ⋅ 5. Skincare ⋅ 6. Decorating and Home Design
Health and Wellness
Our expert: Courtney Helgoe, features editor at Experience Life magazine
1. Trend: Moving beyond CBD
CBD has firmly established itself as a useful supplement for a range of ailments, and the recent decriminalization of THC in many states means far more people now also have access to its potent medicinal benefits. Still, these two phytocannabinoids represent only a fraction of what the cannabis plant has to offer.
Several other phytocannabinoids, including CBG, CBN, and CBC, are now available in supplement form, as research has long shown that “full spectrum” cannabis products containing a diversity of phytocannabinoids have more potent healing effects than any one in isolation. I expect we’ll see a lot more of these combined phytocannabinoid products on shelves in 2024 as more people turn to plant medicines.
(Read more about the new phytocannabinoids in the upcoming May-June issue of Experience Life.)
2. Trend: Thermal stress practices
Using extreme heat and cold to promote health is another old practice that now has a slew of new research to support it, and I think we’ll see the use of cryotherapy and saunas gain even more popularity in 2024 — especially for people interested in longevity.
At the 2023 conference for the Institute for Functional Medicine, anti-aging researcher Rhonda Patrick, PhD, explained how our bodies are adapted to expect intermittent challenges and that manageable stress activates the gene pathways involved in regulation and repair. There’s a big body of research on saunas and health — notably how the “good stress” can measurably improve heart, vascular, and endothelial function; reduce the risk of dementia and stroke; and offer improvement in depressive disorders.
Saunas can also mimic exercise for people who are unable to exercise for various reasons (as can be the case for some with long COVID, chronic fatigue, paralysis, or depression, for example).
(Learn more: “How to Build Mental Resilience Through Thermaculture”)
Fitness
Our expert: Kenny Ferrer, Class Experience Lead, Life Time in New York, N.Y.
3. Trend: Peripheral heart action training
Peripheral heart action (PHA) training is a training style that combines cardio and resistance training in a fast-moving workout. Like circuit training, this approach involves alternating exercises with little to no rest in between sets. The differentiator in a PHA workout is that you alternate between upper-body, lower-body, core, and full-body exercises, with the goal of consistently keeping a moderately high heart rate.
This style of training is becoming more popular as it’s a sustainable and more efficient way to reap both cardio and resistance-training benefits while moving at your own pace. -body movement, followed by a lower-body movement, followed by a core movement, followed by a full-body movement, then repeat those exercises in continuous circuits.
4. Trend: Low-impact, high-intensity training
This training style incorporates low-impact movements that are feasible to do for a high number of reps. It’s a great approach for working gradually into deeper ranges of motion and increasing muscular endurance.
Combining these two styles — low impact and high intensity — enables a profoundly effective workout that is approachable for people on a wide spectrum of fitness levels, including athletes in need of cross-training, middle-aged adults experiencing changes in their strength and recovery levels, and older adults looking to maintain their endurance and balance.
Both low-impact, high-intensity training and PHA have been shown to lead to similar benefits as traditional high-intensity interval training — which has been popular for several years — yet they are easier on the joints and can be more accessible. At Life Time, you can find these types of training in several group fitness classes including Shred and other strength-based classes.
Cooking and Food Culture
Our expert: Kaelyn Riley, senior editor at Experience Life magazine
5. Trend: Trying global flavors
I’m hoping we continue seeing a desire for home cooks to experiment with more global flavors and ingredients from various international cuisines. On my social feeds, 2023 was the year of chili crisp. Maybe 2024 will be the year of ube or miso?!
6. Trend: Medicinal mushrooms
This is an existing trend that I think will gather more mainstream attention in 2024. It seems undeniable that mushroom coffee is here to stay, which is a fine way to get your fungus fix — but I also hope the hype inspires people to start cooking with more different types of mushrooms.
Beyond your basic buttons and bellas, varieties like chanterelle, shiitake, and enoki are pretty easy to find in most major grocery stores these days. Most medicinal mushrooms are adaptogenic, which means they support the body during stress, which is something I think many of us could benefit from.
Mental Wellness
Our expert: Barbara Powell, NBC, HWC, Life Time Mind Coach
7. Trend: A focus on mental recovery
In these years following the pandemic, many have been more aware of the draining impacts of a mind and body in constant motion. Finding ways to take a mental pause during meetings, workdays, weekends, and other moments has taken greater shape alongside physical recovery needs.
Meditation, journaling, boundary-setting, time in nature, and check-ins with a mental health provider are all examples of how you can add more of these recovery moments to your life.
(Learn more: “How Do I Rest — Really? Understanding the 7 Types of Rest”)
8. Trend: Further diminishing the “stigma” of mental wellness
More information, resources, leadership involvement, and ongoing discussion continues to allow mental well-being to become more integrated into our lives. Individuals are more willing and open to support themselves (and their communities) in mental wellness. It is now — and I think will continue to be even more so — more commonplace to open up and share insights on our inner experience.
9. Trend: Growing awareness of the relationship between community and mental health
We are seeing a growing recognition of how our mental well-being is impacted by the groups we are part of and how we participate in those communities. Mental health is not always personal; mental health is communal. There is a greater need to positively impact our local (and global) communities to better our individual mentalities.
Some questions to consider: Where do I work? With whom do I work? What is our shared purpose and impact? What organizations am I part of, and how are they impacting the world in a healthy or unhealthy way? How are we supporting each other?
Skincare
Our expert: Joee Nelson, master esthetician at LifeSpa in Eden Prairie, Minn.
10. Trend: A focus on ingredients for skin and body care
Even though the trending skin concerns are the same — anti-wrinkle and anti-aging — many people are looking for natural skincare products with organic ingredients. There’s a growing awareness of the harmful effects of certain ingredients and consumers are placing a greater priority on nontoxic options. The skin is, after all, one of our largest and most vulnerable organs. LifeSpa partners with Eminence Organics, a skincare line that emphasizes the importance of natural, effective skincare products.
11. Trend: Facial massage
Regular facial massages can help with circulation and give your skin a more youthful, healthy glow. Using your favorite skin serum or skin oil and a gua sha stone is an easy way to do this at home. You can also see an esthetician for lymphatic draining at the LifeSpa as an add-on or standalone facial treatment to help improve circulation and depuff, detoxify, tone, and firm your facial skin.
(Learn more: “What Is Lymphatic-Drainage Massage?”)
12. Trend: Using retinol or retin-A for anti-aging
Retinol or retin-A ingredients in skincare helps unclog pores, exfoliate the skin, and increase collagen production, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and give your skin a fresh, plump appearance.
I highly recommend starting with a product that is only 0.25 percent retinol as it can be harsh on the skin and cause irritation when you’re just starting out. Apply the product just one night a week and very slowly work your way up to two to three times per week. I personally use the Revision DEJ Night Face Cream three nights per week, but it took me almost a year to work up to that routine.
Decorating and Home Design
Our expert: Caitlin Wertwijn, interior designer for Life Time
13. Trend: Layered color schemes
This year’s color trend is leaning toward mixing and matching tones and hues as monochrome rooms are becoming outdated. You can achieve this look by using warm palates with accents of cooler colors. With layered color schemes, designs will have more variations of color from light to dark. Last year the trend was bold colors, and I think we will continue to see that but in more restrained ways.
14. Trend: Soft, luxurious vibes
Designs are moving away from concrete floors, exposed brick, and pipes. Industrial style can feel cold, and we are seeing designs trend toward softer and cozier, bringing a little bit of luxury into the home for 2024. People are continuing to spend more time at home and want to invest in making it their happy place, whether that means getting the snuggly mohair throw blanket or a multi-jet shower head to make it feel like a five-star hotel.
15. Trend: Stacked tile
The classic subway tile is taking on a new look. In 2024, we will see tile in bathrooms or in kitchen backsplashes stacked in unique ways both vertically and horizontally instead of the traditional brick lay tile.
