It’s widely believed that people put on weight in middle age because their metabolisms slow down and that women have slower metabolisms than men, and menopause makes things worse (which is why women struggle with weight issues.) A large, new study (6,500 people) indicates that those assumptions are flat-out wrong. Rather than metabolism slowing in middle age, there are four distinct phases of metabolic change:…
“Beauty” and “wellness” are elusive concepts, and a new study from the University of Pennsylvania (454 participants) analyzed how people free associate with these terms, using semantic network analysis to provide new insight into how people really think about these two concepts. The study investigated: 1) What concepts surround beauty and wellness? 2) How are these concepts linked? 3) Does the way people think about beauty and wellness change across generations (from…
Breath practices are generating buzz because they’re free, accessible and increasingly science-based solutions that tackle what ails us most now: stress and anxiety. In response, the GWI just launched a BREATHE Initiative, bringing together a global group of breath practitioners, scientists/researchers, doctors and wellness leaders that will work to bring a broader awareness to breath modalities and the science behind breathwork. The Initiative co-chairs are…
A new study (of 2,000 adults) found that just one night of fewer than six hours of sleep significantly hurts mental and physical wellbeing, and as the number of consecutive days of sleep loss increased, the severity of negative emotions and physical issues (body aches, gastrointestinal issues and respiratory problems) became severe. Problems spiked on day three and plateaued until day six when mental and…
The GWI supports 30+ Wellness Industry Initiatives, which are global taskforces on dozens of different wellness sectors and issues. Today, the GWI released thirty brief and wide-ranging trends reports from these Initiatives–an expert view of what’s unfolding now in everything from wellness tourism to mental wellness to nutrition to sleep to wellness architecture and design to workplace wellness and digital wellness (and many more!). Access…
Travelers Checking in at Fitness Resorts to Drop Pandemic Pounds–CNN, August 2, 2021 After a year-plus of stress, boredom and depression (and too much self-comforting with food and takeout), studies show people have put on the pounds. So, from the UK to the US, more people are turning to wellness, fitness and weight-loss resorts—with many reporting that they’re now sold out. Americans Are Willing to…
