“Health is Wealth.” This proverb has been repeated again and again for millions of years. The reason this has attained eternal status is because it emphasizes the importance of health in human life. Our elders, physicians and wise men did not stress only physical health. They also specified three important parts of health. They are – mental health, spiritual health & emotional health. If any one of these four gets imbalanced, then the other three also get disturbed. The result – illness, depression and other ailments. In recent times, health institutes (yoga institutes, gyms, dance classes, martial arts) have introduced personalised wellness programs. These programs contribute to the overall health of the participants. In the last two years, even corporate companies have asked their HR departments to design personalised wellness programs for employees. In this article, we will discuss the reason behind the boom of personalised wellness programs and their impact on our society.
The Wellness Program Industry
Humans, since the good old times have always gone out of their way to find the best health programs/beauty products/high-quality food. The reason was to improve the physical appearance and to stay in the best of their health. Have you ever come across articles about the health and wellness industry? There are numerous health institutes that offer diverse fitness programs. Also, there are companies which produce wellness electronic gadgets. However, a health institute which designs wellness programs can stand the test of time only when it can introduce new services tailored to meet the expectations of customers. The same applies to a company which designs wellness health gadgets/products.
The wellness industry includes wearable technology, health program apps & fitness classes. Reports indicate that the spendings on wellness services (martial arts, dance classes, fitness gyms) as well as wellness products (protein bars, fitness meal apps and gadgets) has crossed more than 450 billion in 2022.
Consumers, health institutes, wellness gadget designing companies select/design personalised wellness programs based on six dimensions. They are fitness, appearance, mindfulness, sleep, nutrition and health.
Let us discuss them in detail:
A. Fitness: Gyms/clubs, fitness equipment (including at-home devices), and fitness wearables
B. Appearance: Salon services (styling of facial hair, beard), skin care, dermo-cosmetics
C. Mindfulness: Personalised therapy (yoga sessions, Reiki healing, chanting), meditation programs, and music apps for reducing moving stress
D. Sleep: Supplements that induce sleep (pills, capsules)/treat or cure sleeplessness (insomnia); sleep tracker apps, and other sleep-enhancing products
E. Nutrition: Subscription meal/food services (for breakfast, lunch, dinner), nutrition diet programs/apps, and juice cleanses
F. Health: Personalised supplements (fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, amino acids in the form of pills, capsules), over-the-counter medicine (health juice), and personal hygiene.
The wellness industry has seen many start-ups entering the market. In fact, the market has become overcrowded in the last five years. Most of the recent startups have introduced beauty products and personalised nutrition supplements. However, there is still dissatisfaction in the minds of consumers regarding many products. When it comes to satisfying consumers, companies need to take care of the millennial population. This category has the potential to spend on personalised wellness programs & health gadgets.
Free Images from pixabay; credits: stevepb-282134
Although it is true that there are six dimensions, the boundaries between them have blurred in recent times. Consumers now seek wellness products/services that can fulfill their needs across two to three dimensions. The best example could be a yoga class, that advertises for an improvement in not only fitness, but also appearance, stress-relief and better sleep. Then, if you check the social media campaigns of some health products, the content specifies nutrients that not only improves health but also elevates moods and appearance.
Boom of Personalised Wellness Programs in Companies/Corporations
Many companies have incorporated personalised wellness programs into their HR policy. Between the backdrop of Covid-19, the working atmosphere has changed in many parts of the globe. Many companies have shifted to hybrid work schedules, remote work distribution and work-from-home options. So, there has been an increase in stress, burnout & reduction in mental health. Employees who have participated in these wellness programs have shown more productivity, greater job satisfaction & initiative to take greater responsibilities.
Benefits of Personalised Wellness Programs
As an individual, you will have different needs. You may have mental, spiritual, physical or emotional issues. By offering personalised wellness programs, and health institutes, company HRs can make a positive impact on the lives of their employees.
Let us look at some examples:
A yoga institute may offer different wellness programs. But before joining the session it is better to have a one-to-one interaction with the counsellor or yoga instructor. Are you interested in being part of a weight-loss program? Then, they can listen to your needs, and help you join a specific session where weight loss is the main objective.
In the case of martial arts programs, there are many who attend only to stay fit. Then there are others who want to make martial arts as their career.
For example – a martial art or any type of fitness program contributes to the entire development of an individual but it is wiser to join a class where your needs are looked into, and your desires fulfilled.
An employee may have to work remotely and he/she has to report to multiple team leads. If he/she works for long hours, they may face burnouts, which may result in a reduction in performance. Regular counselling sessions may help the employee realise the value of their work. This will help improve productivity, physical and mental health.
The examples can continue to prove that personalised wellness programs help create a happy/healthy workforce.
Conclusion
Technological innovations have contributed to the improvement of health in various ways. When it comes to personalised wellness programs, participants need not attend the sessions physically. They can also participate from the comfort of their homes or offices. The sessions can be attended via webinars, Google Whatsapp calls, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, YouTube Live, Udemy (recorded courses), UScreen, Crowdcast, Marvelous, Teachable, Zoom, Thinkific, and other platforms.
With regular counselling and fitness exercises, it has been possible to prevent health-related behaviours that can give rise to diseases (for example, opting for a diet with low sugar, fat and calories content can prevent the onset of diseases such as diabetes mellitus). Another example can be given of asthma patients, where counselling is given to avoid places that can trigger the disease symptoms (places where there are plants such as parthenium). In conclusion, personalised wellness programs can help an individual stay in the best of health. By implementing these wellness programs in HR department, a company can help their workforce stay happy, focused and, as a result, improve its business outcomes.
Interested to learn more about health? Then please go through these links:
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