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Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Perilous Spread of the Wellness Craze
For many Americans, health care is something to be dreaded and deferred—a source of pain, wasted time, or financial hardship. For luckier Americans, it could mean curling up on an exam table in a med spa and receiving a 'gravity' colonic. Amy Larocca's new book about the wellness industry, How to Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time, opens with the author undergoing exactly this procedure, against doctor's orders. The water forced into her colon will, she writes, discharge toxins, and the result will 'change my life, provide perspective and purpose and a near-ecstatic lightness of being.' Larocca, a reporter who spent two decades covering fashion for New York magazine, is being somewhat facetious. But only somewhat. She can't deny being a willing participant as well as a skeptic, and she's far from the only woman who has chased the idea of being not just healthy but well—a state she describes as the new 'feminine ideal.' Wellness is a $6.3 trillion industry, according to a 2024 report from the Global Wellness Institute, an industry trade group. That's bigger than the GDP of Germany, and nearly four times the size of the global pharmaceutical industry. The real growth has been within the past 10 years—the GWI's report calls it the 'wellness decade.' And women represent most of its consumers. In a nation known for its relatively poor health, nearly everybody seems to be thinking about how to be healthy: According to a 2024 report from McKinsey, 82 percent of U.S. consumers consider wellness to be a 'top or important priority in their everyday lives,' and 58 percent said they were prioritizing wellness more than they had the previous year. Another year on, even more has changed. With Donald Trump's appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the secretary of Health and Human Services, the ethos of wellness has been incorporated into the 'Make America healthy again' movement, a cause marked by extreme skepticism about conventional medicine (including vaccines) and extreme openness to purported alternative cures. MAHA reached a new apotheosis this month with Trump's nomination of the wellness influencer Casey Means for surgeon general. Means graduated from medical school but does not have an active medical license, having dropped out of her surgical residency because she 'saw how broken and exploitative the healthcare system is,' as she wrote on her website. Although she's expressed skepticism about the national vaccine schedule for children, some MAHA adherents are worried that she's not anti-vax enough. If confirmed, she will join Mehmet Oz within the broader ranks of HHS; before being tapped to lead the Medicare and Medicaid programs, he was a celebrity physician and daytime TV host with a history of espousing unreliable medical advice. Mainstream medicine may have good reason to frown on these government officials, but their rise to power is explicable: Americans are exhausted from navigating a health-care system so costly and inconvenient that it has sent many of them scrambling for alternatives. [Read: The wellness women are on the march] MAHA is such a young movement that Larocca's book couldn't be expected to account for it. But the author deftly transcribes the writing on the wall. Wellness culture spread 'like a rash,' she writes, showing up in the places you might expect—The White Lotus, the influencers selling detoxes to Los Angeles wildfire victims—and the places you wouldn't. The Financial Times, for example, recently published an article on the scientifically challenged practice of somatic 'tapping,' under a vertical titled 'Adventures in Woo-Woo.' Art in America's recent 'Spring Wellness Issue' features a story about Marina Abramović's rebirth as an alternative healer. (The 78-year-old artist hawks 'longevity drops' for roughly $130.) And good luck attending a wedding free of woo-woo this summer: An event planner told The New York Times last month that about 75 percent of the weddings she organizes contain a 'wellness element'—sound baths, beach yoga, or 'spiritual-growth sessions,' for example. The well women overtook the fashion world long ago: While researching this article, I received an invitation from the designer Maria Cornejo for a gathering at her downtown boutique. She was promoting not her latest collection but a new book on longevity. 'Ayurvedic mocktails' were promised. How to Be Well sets out to capture the depth and breadth of the wellness invasion—its fads, its legitimate practices, and its so-called cures. Larocca details the impressive variety of forms wellness can take: ingesting supposedly magical super-ingredients (ashwagandha, matcha, hyperlocal honey), chasing spiritual highs from fitness classes (SoulCycle, Peloton), or attending a $1,000 wellness-focused 'traveling road show' from Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's health company, valued several years ago at $250 million. There is something old and something new in this welter of products and practices. Even as the movement repackages traditional practices from China and India, it also promises better health through data collection, biohacking, and at its most extreme end, the Silicon Valley cult of longevity advanced by Peter Thiel and others. Larocca homes in on the often-caricatured type of the Lululemon-wearing, Pilates-toned girlie—'hopped up on her plant-based diet and elaborate adaptogen regimen'—whom she got to know well during her years writing about the fashion world. But she also devotes space to its advocates on the far right, including the conspiracist news site Infowars, which shills some supplements containing the same on-trend ingredient—ashwagandha root—that features in products sold by many mainstream wellness companies, including the Los Angeles hippie-chic brand Moon Juice. The nomination of Means represents a merger between these anti-establishment forces on the left and the right. MAHA is generally associated with its own version of health and wellness—downvoting vaccines, seed oils, and hormonal birth control while promoting ideas ranging from the basic or commonsense (wholesome school lunches and preventive medicine, good; pesticides and microplastics, bad) to the dubious or risky (raw-dairy consumption, skipping shots, eschewing fluoride). Under Trump, MAHA's big tent draws in snake-oil salespeople alongside skeptics, paranoiacs, and ideologues. Uniting them is a deep disdain for the health-care industry. After critics pointed out that Means never finished her medical residency, Kennedy replied on X, 'Casey is the perfect choice for Surgeon General precisely because she left the traditional medical system—not in spite of it.' Larocca asks: 'Is wellness just consumerism, or is it a new politics, a new religion?' Perhaps it is all three. If MAHA is a religion, it represents a kind of prosperity gospel in a country where access to health care is often determined by wealth. 'Good health in America has been elevated as a luxury commodity as opposed to a fundamental right,' Larocca writes. The average American, she notes, spends just 19 minutes a year talking with a primary-care physician. Meanwhile, the average member of Parsley Health—a 'direct primary care' health-and-wellness clinic whose standard membership costs $225 a month without insurance—spends at least 200 minutes a year being listened to. In short: To get that kind of attention from a doctor, you'll have to pay dearly for it. [Read: America can't break its wellness habit] Nearly a third of Americans don't have adequate access to primary-care services, including regular checkups, a 2023 PBS News report found. And 40 percent of adults reported that they were delaying or forgoing doctor visits because of high costs. More than a third of all U.S. counties are 'maternity care deserts,' lacking a single obstetrician or birthing facility. The country spends more than twice as much money on health care as other high-income nations, with worse outcomes: 40 percent of Americans are obese, and six in 10 adults have a chronic illness. For both the affluent and the aspirational customer, wellness seems to hold the promise of bridging a gap in medical care. The cost of wellness products and services has a very high ceiling, but the barrier to entry is low—almost anyone can purchase a $38 jar of adaptogenic 'dust' that claims to improve your mood, and that option is much easier than bushwhacking your way toward finding a therapist who takes insurance. But most alternative cures are no more affordable than conventional medicine. Neither are members-only urgent-care practices that come with wellness bells and whistles. Sollis Health, for example, promises an average wait time of three and a half minutes or less—if you can pay its annual fee of at least $4,000. The wellness industry and the MAHA movement may draw from different political cultures, but they both operate from a place of fear: We can't control skyrocketing infections or health costs, but we can try to manage—or at least tinker with—how we feel inside our bodies. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, 'taking care of yourself was going to be the only way to get through our terrifying new world,' Larocca writes. Particularly attracted to wellness's promises are women and people with chronic illnesses (also often women), Larocca writes, in part because the concerns of both groups have historically been played down by doctors. I find much truth in this argument, as many of my own forays into wellness have followed unsuccessful attempts to treat various ailments through the modern medical system. After years of visits with doctors to manage my migraines (none would prescribe one of the many available migraine medications; one suggested that I visit the ER if things 'got really bad'), I found the solution in acupuncture and an individualized prescription for herbs. This successfully treated both the headaches and the joint pain roundly waved off by my rheumatologist. But the cure was costly: The herbs set me back $200 a month, the acupuncture $175 an hour—and you can imagine how much of this was covered by insurance. Larocca does a good job of both explaining the wellness industry and ferreting out its scammier corners—the way that, for example, a variety of cleanses, clean-eating programs, and fasts are almost indecipherable from disordered eating. But she doesn't quite answer the bigger question: What are we owed in terms of our health? How much of it is our responsibility, as consumers, and how much can be laid at the feet of a government that has failed to create wide-scale solutions? [Read: How did healing ourselves get so exhausting?] That depends on whom you ask. The wellness industry views health as an individual pursuit, one that requires us to be model consumers and do the work necessary to recognize which goods and services to pay for. MAHA, meanwhile, seems to want to use the top-down power of legislation to mandate nutrition-labeling reform, limit the use of pesticides in our food system, create stricter rules for vaccine development, and call for the removal of toxins (however the government defines them) from the environment. (So far in his tenure, RFK Jr. has focused on redundancies at HHS, slashing thousands of jobs.) But other messaging suggests that MAHA prefers to shift the burden onto the individual, too. 'Once Americans are getting good science and allowed to make their own choices, they're going to get a lot healthier,' RFK Jr. said in a November interview with NBC. So maybe we're on our own, either way, when it comes to curing what ails us. Finally, you might be wondering: Does any of the stuff detailed in the book actually work? In her conclusion, Larocca, who has subjected herself to more wellness treatments than can be listed here, points to the solutions we already know: hydrate, sleep, exercise, eat plants instead of processed foods, seek out 'the best medical care you can manage.' (Hah.) She doesn't recommend a single product, practice, or service, although she does name one tip that helped her. Spoiler alert: It's a simple breathing exercise. And it's free. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
29-05-2025
- Health
- Atlantic
How Health Became a Luxury Commodity
For many Americans, health care is something to be dreaded and deferred—a source of pain, wasted time, or financial hardship. For luckier Americans, it could mean curling up on an exam table in a med spa and receiving a 'gravity' colonic. Amy Larocca's new book about the wellness industry, How to Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time, opens with the author undergoing exactly this procedure, against doctor's orders. The water forced into her colon will, she writes, discharge toxins, and the result will 'change my life, provide perspective and purpose and a near-ecstatic lightness of being.' Larocca, a reporter who spent two decades covering fashion for New York magazine, is being somewhat facetious. But only somewhat. She can't deny being a willing participant as well as a skeptic, and she's far from the only woman who has chased the idea of being not just healthy but well —a state she describes as the new 'feminine ideal.' Wellness is a $6.3 trillion industry, according to a 2024 report from the Global Wellness Institute, an industry trade group. That's bigger than the GDP of Germany, and nearly four times the size of the global pharmaceutical industry. The real growth has been within the past 10 years—the GWI's report calls it the 'wellness decade.' And women represent most of its consumers. In a nation known for its relatively poor health, nearly everybody seems to be thinking about how to be healthy: According to a 2024 report from McKinsey, 82 percent of U.S. consumers consider wellness to be a 'top or important priority in their everyday lives,' and 58 percent said they were prioritizing wellness more than they had the previous year. Another year on, even more has changed. With Donald Trump's appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the secretary of Health and Human Services, the ethos of wellness has been incorporated into the 'Make America healthy again' movement, a cause marked by extreme skepticism about conventional medicine (including vaccines) and extreme openness to purported alternative cures. MAHA reached a new apotheosis this month with Trump's nomination of the wellness influencer Casey Means for surgeon general. Means graduated from medical school but does not have an active medical license, having dropped out of her surgical residency because she 'saw how broken and exploitative the healthcare system is,' as she wrote on her website. Although she's expressed skepticism about the national vaccine schedule for children, some MAHA adherents are worried that she's not anti-vax enough. If confirmed, she will join Mehmet Oz within the broader ranks of HHS; before being tapped to lead the Medicare and Medicaid programs, he was a celebrity physician and daytime TV host with a history of espousing unreliable medical advice. Mainstream medicine may have good reason to frown on these government officials, but their rise to power is explicable: Americans are exhausted from navigating a health-care system so costly and inconvenient that it has sent many of them scrambling for alternatives. MAHA is such a young movement that Larocca's book couldn't be expected to account for it. But the author deftly transcribes the writing on the wall. Wellness culture spread 'like a rash,' she writes, showing up in the places you might expect— The White Lotus, the influencers selling detoxes to Los Angeles wildfire victims —and the places you wouldn't. The Financial Times, for example, recently published an article on the scientifically challenged practice of somatic 'tapping,' under a vertical titled ' Adventures in Woo-Woo.' Art in America 's recent ' Spring Wellness Issue ' features a story about Marina Abramović's rebirth as an alternative healer. (The 78-year-old artist hawks 'longevity drops' for roughly $130.) And good luck attending a wedding free of woo-woo this summer: An event planner told The New York Times last month that about 75 percent of the weddings she organizes contain a 'wellness element'—sound baths, beach yoga, or 'spiritual-growth sessions,' for example. The well women overtook the fashion world long ago: While researching this article, I received an invitation from the designer Maria Cornejo for a gathering at her downtown boutique. She was promoting not her latest collection but a new book on longevity. 'Ayurvedic mocktails' were promised. How to Be Well sets out to capture the depth and breadth of the wellness invasion—its fads, its legitimate practices, and its so-called cures. Larocca details the impressive variety of forms wellness can take: ingesting supposedly magical super-ingredients (ashwagandha, matcha, hyperlocal honey), chasing spiritual highs from fitness classes (SoulCycle, Peloton), or attending a $1,000 wellness-focused 'traveling road show' from Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's health company, valued several years ago at $250 million. There is something old and something new in this welter of products and practices. Even as the movement repackages traditional practices from China and India, it also promises better health through data collection, biohacking, and at its most extreme end, the Silicon Valley cult of longevity advanced by Peter Thiel and others. Larocca homes in on the often-caricatured type of the Lululemon-wearing, Pilates-toned girlie—'hopped up on her plant-based diet and elaborate adaptogen regimen'—whom she got to know well during her years writing about the fashion world. But she also devotes space to its advocates on the far right, including the conspiracist news site Infowars, which shills some supplements containing the same on-trend ingredient—ashwagandha root—that features in products sold by many mainstream wellness companies, including the Los Angeles hippie-chic brand Moon Juice. The nomination of Means represents a merger between these anti-establishment forces on the left and the right. MAHA is generally associated with its own version of health and wellness—downvoting vaccines, seed oils, and hormonal birth control while promoting ideas ranging from the basic or commonsense (wholesome school lunches and preventive medicine, good; pesticides and microplastics, bad) to the dubious or risky (raw-dairy consumption, skipping shots, eschewing fluoride). Under Trump, MAHA's big tent draws in snake-oil salespeople alongside skeptics, paranoiacs, and ideologues. Uniting them is a deep disdain for the health-care industry. After critics pointed out that Means never finished her medical residency, Kennedy replied on X, 'Casey is the perfect choice for Surgeon General precisely because she left the traditional medical system—not in spite of it.' Larocca asks: 'Is wellness just consumerism, or is it a new politics, a new religion?' Perhaps it is all three. If MAHA is a religion, it represents a kind of prosperity gospel in a country where access to health care is often determined by wealth. 'Good health in America has been elevated as a luxury commodity as opposed to a fundamental right,' Larocca writes. The average American, she notes, spends just 19 minutes a year talking with a primary-care physician. Meanwhile, the average member of Parsley Health—a 'direct primary care' health-and-wellness clinic whose standard membership costs $225 a month without insurance—spends at least 200 minutes a year being listened to. In short: To get that kind of attention from a doctor, you'll have to pay dearly for it. Nearly a third of Americans don't have adequate access to primary-care services, including regular checkups, a 2023 PBS News report found. And 40 percent of adults reported that they were delaying or forgoing doctor visits because of high costs. More than a third of all U.S. counties are ' maternity care deserts,' lacking a single obstetrician or birthing facility. The country spends more than twice as much money on health care as other high-income nations, with worse outcomes: 40 percent of Americans are obese, and six in 10 adults have a chronic illness. For both the affluent and the aspirational customer, wellness seems to hold the promise of bridging a gap in medical care. The cost of wellness products and services has a very high ceiling, but the barrier to entry is low—almost anyone can purchase a $38 jar of adaptogenic 'dust' that claims to improve your mood, and that option is much easier than bushwhacking your way toward finding a therapist who takes insurance. But most alternative cures are no more affordable than conventional medicine. Neither are members-only urgent-care practices that come with wellness bells and whistles. Sollis Health, for example, promises an average wait time of three and a half minutes or less—if you can pay its annual fee of at least $4,000. The wellness industry and the MAHA movement may draw from different political cultures, but they both operate from a place of fear: We can't control skyrocketing infections or health costs, but we can try to manage—or at least tinker with—how we feel inside our bodies. At the height of the coronavirus pandemic, 'taking care of yourself was going to be the only way to get through our terrifying new world,' Larocca writes. Particularly attracted to wellness's promises are women and people with chronic illnesses (also often women), Larocca writes, in part because the concerns of both groups have historically been played down by doctors. I find much truth in this argument, as many of my own forays into wellness have followed unsuccessful attempts to treat various ailments through the modern medical system. After years of visits with doctors to manage my migraines (none would prescribe one of the many available migraine medications; one suggested that I visit the ER if things 'got really bad'), I found the solution in acupuncture and an individualized prescription for herbs. This successfully treated both the headaches and the joint pain roundly waved off by my rheumatologist. But the cure was costly: The herbs set me back $200 a month, the acupuncture $175 an hour—and you can imagine how much of this was covered by insurance. Larocca does a good job of both explaining the wellness industry and ferreting out its scammier corners—the way that, for example, a variety of cleanses, clean-eating programs, and fasts are almost indecipherable from disordered eating. But she doesn't quite answer the bigger question: What are we owed in terms of our health? How much of it is our responsibility, as consumers, and how much can be laid at the feet of a government that has failed to create wide-scale solutions? Read: How did healing ourselves get so exhausting? That depends on whom you ask. The wellness industry views health as an individual pursuit, one that requires us to be model consumers and do the work necessary to recognize which goods and services to pay for. MAHA, meanwhile, seems to want to use the top-down power of legislation to mandate nutrition-labeling reform, limit the use of pesticides in our food system, create stricter rules for vaccine development, and call for the removal of toxins (however the government defines them) from the environment. (So far in his tenure, RFK Jr. has focused on redundancies at HHS, slashing thousands of jobs.) But other messaging suggests that MAHA prefers to shift the burden onto the individual, too. 'Once Americans are getting good science and allowed to make their own choices, they're going to get a lot healthier,' RFK Jr. said in a November interview with NBC. So maybe we're on our own, either way, when it comes to curing what ails us. Finally, you might be wondering: Does any of the stuff detailed in the book actually work? In her conclusion, Larocca, who has subjected herself to more wellness treatments than can be listed here, points to the solutions we already know: hydrate, sleep, exercise, eat plants instead of processed foods, seek out 'the best medical care you can manage.' (Hah.) She doesn't recommend a single product, practice, or service, although she does name one tip that helped her. Spoiler alert: It's a simple breathing exercise. And it's free.
Mint
11-05-2025
- Mint
Travel: In a world of noise, silence becomes the ultimate luxury trip
Noise. It was the first thing that hit me when I stepped out for a morning walk after I returned home to India from a two-month break in a small British town. Screeching brakes, loud horns, vendor calls, ringing phones, barking dogs, intermittent chatter…a loud litany of sounds threatened to drown my thoughts. It led me to think that in a world moving at a frenetic pace, there's been a silent casualty: quiet. A relentless soundtrack to our always-on lives means that opportunities to find silence are rare. Perhaps that's why, in a year marked by unprecedented temperatures and rising consciousness about the environmental damage, the desire for silent travel is growing. Also read: Sri Lanka travel: Skip touristy Galle and Bentota, head to Kalutara US-based non-profit Global Wellness Institute had way back in 2017, in a report, identified 'sharp new desires: for actual silence, quiet contemplation, to leave the shrieking world behind", and to be near and hear the silence of nature. Last year, Pinterest's travel report cited 'quiet life travel" as one of its most popular trends. 'The quest for a quieter, more serene lifestyle is rising, with searches for 'quiet life' soaring by 530%. This longing for simplicity has extended to travel—since last year, searches for 'quiet places' and 'calm places' have increased by 50% and 42% respectively," the report observed. 'Quiet travel is about choosing destinations and experiences that promote calm. Rather than following crowds to typical tourist hubs, people are now turning to quieter, lesser-known locations for more peaceful retreats," says Himani Arora, who runs an Ahmedabad-based bespoke travel agency Shirin Travel. With people seeking options and destinations that offer a respite from the constant buzz of connectivity and digital distractions, silent stays, quiet meditation retreats and the silent walking trend, which has made a huge impact on TikTok, are growing worldwide. Expedia's Unpack 25 travel trend report reveals that 63% travellers were keen to visit an off-the-beaten-track destination on their next trip, indicating a 'growing desire for quieter, more meaningful vacations". Also read: Climbing into Peek-a-boo, crawling out of Spooky Gulch: A Utah canyoning tale Hari Ganapathy, Chennai-based co-founder of online travel company Pickyourtrail, says the rise in demand for quiet travel is a direct response to the growing need for introspection and escape from the constant bustle of modern life. 'Destinations are increasingly being chosen by travellers seeking serenity, relaxation, nature and culture," he says. Pickyourtrail's study underscores that that 'quiet travel is resonating strongly with those seeking quality time with loved ones, without the distractions of typical tourist spots". Hotels, resorts and tour operators have launched quiet retreats and silent experiences as the demand for genuine silence rises. Hotels that offer unfettered quiet have become popular, be it Sitara Himalaya, near Mount Meru and in Kullu Valley, which invites visitors to pause, reflect and reconnect with the natural world; Taj Madikeri Resort and Spa, which is located in the Western Ghats at the crossroads of Coorg's wildlife sanctuaries; Ahilya by the Sea, a serene escape set across three villas in Goa; House of Rohet, which runs boutique hotels in Rajasthan; or the Kumaon, perched on a ridge in the shadow of the Nanda Devi Range. The international options are many. Dark Retreats in Oregon offers a five-day stays in Tidewater, Oregon, as 'a great space for self-care" through living in the darkness, digital detox and a healthy diet. BookRetreats has silent meditation retreats in Bali, Portugal, Mexico, the Netherlands, North Carolina, Quebec and California. In Finland, Utula Nature offers a silent stay amidst the pines on Lake Saimaa, while Peace & Quiet Hotel in Jokkmok, Sweden, located amid spruce forests and surrounded by the wilderness of the Lule River, isn't easy to get to. But that doesn't mean that people seeking quietude aren't lining up. Vikram Chauhan, co-founder and president, Quiet Parks International (QPI), a non-profit committed to saving quiet for the benefit of all life by designating 'quiet areas" across the world, believes that quiet is a fast-depleting resource and the growing desire for quiet travel is 'directly related to the noise around us". QPI has designated four national parks, in the US, Ecuador and Namibia, as 'quiet" destinations. More than 10 urban parks have the silent designation, including Hampstead Heath in London and Hansta Nature Reserve, Stockholm. Also read: Travel: Celebrating an evil giant's failed love story in Cornwall 'When you listen to silence (and sounds of a place), particularly in nature—truly listen with all your attention—your mind becomes quiet. In that quiet mind, you realise who you truly are. It's such a revelation, such a freedom," he says. Apart from affecting our world and environment, the rising noise levels worldwide are impacting our quality of life. According to the World Health Organization, excessive noise can 'disturb sleep; cause adverse cardiovascular, metabolic, psychophysiological and birth outcomes; lead to cognitive and hearing impairment; reduce performance; and provoke annoyance responses and changes in social behaviour". Gurugram-based Samir Parikh, director, mental health and behavioural sciences, Fortis Healthcare, says the effects of noise pollution can be physical and psychological, including 'stress, anxiety, sleep disturbance, cardiovascular problems and reduced cognitive function". Research also shows that spending time in quiet nature reduces stress, anxiety, depression, repetitive thoughts, and restores attention. 'Our brains and bodies respond to silence much as they do meditation: with a drop in stress hormones and breathing rates, and a rise in concentration levels and a sense of calmness," Dr Parikh says. This makes it vital for everybody to find daily doses of calm and quiet, as and when possible, he adds. Also read: Travel: Finding a sense of belonging in Haa Valley According to research firm Allied Market Research, the global wellness retreat market (which includes mindfulness retreats) is set to double by 2032, reaching $364 billion, with demand driven by increased stress, a growing consciousness surrounding wellness and a 'desire for digital detoxification". The quest for quiet is also likely to drive demand. Dehradun-based author Shefali Nautiyal focuses on finding quiet, to 'escape the noise of everyday life, be it work, other people, the information overload, even my own thoughts", to be able to find the space to write. Nautiyal says she routinely goes on quiet walks and treks in the mountains to pause and savour natural beauty in peace. 'Silent travel works as an antidote… A quietcation is the best way to unwind and recalibrate in a chaotic world," Arora says. In A Book of Silence, British author Sara Maitland writes that 'in our noise-obsessed culture it is very easy to forget just how many of the major physical forces on which we depend are silent—gravity, electricity, light, tides, the unseen and unheard spinning of the whole cosmos". The quest for quiet could perhaps serve as a silent reminder. Teja Lele writes on travel and lifestyle. Also read: Travel: Unwinding with a cascade of hot stones in Bhutan
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Five people break down their wellness budgets: ‘incredibly expensive and time-consuming'
W hat does it take to be well? The answer varies from person to person. For some, it may require prescription medication and yoga classes; for others, it could be a vegetarian diet and regular doctor visits. One thing is certain: it costs money. Americans spend more than $6,000 (£4,500) per person a year on wellness, according to the Global Wellness Institute. This makes the US 'the largest wellness economy by far'. In the UK, per capita average wellness spending is $3,342 (£2,505). Where is all that money going? We asked five readers to break down what they spend on health and wellness per month. Julia (pseudonym), 26, Pennsylvania Occupation: environmental consultant Income: $80,000 (£60,000) I feel a little embarrassed because sometimes it seems 'wellness' is something we should be able to achieve without a lot of spending. But what I'm doing now is working for me mentally and physically. Food: about $300-$350 (£225-£260) on groceries, generally produce and dry/canned staples but some prepared foods when I'm in a pinch. Although I try to cook vegan, I consider myself vegetarian because I'm not 100% there. Medical/healthcare: $370 (£277) $280 for employer-sponsored healthcare $80 on psychotherapy $10 on a prescription medication Fitness: about $500 (£375) total $360 on personal training $20 on my gym membership (discounted with the personal training), and $45 on a protein-powder subscription I'm also part of a run club and rec sports league, which have an upfront cost for multiple months, but combined are about $75 per month. It's funny, I don't consider myself very athletic, but it sure doesn't look that way from my spending. Cosmetic care: about $55 total (£40) $35 on a prescription skincare subscription for a two-month supply (but I'm planning to cancel) $15 average on moisturizer/cleanser that will last multiple months Miscellaneous: If I had to put a number, I'd say $90 (£120) per month. I've had some sporadic wellness-related purchases, like equipment for biking and kayaking. I'd also consider art/crafting classes part of this. Monthly total: about $1,340 (£1,000) Ellen (pseudonym), 33, London Occupation: office worker Annual income: £80,000 ($107,000) It is incredibly expensive and time-consuming to maintain good health and wellbeing if you have chronic health conditions. I have high blood pressure and a couple of autoimmune conditions, and while medical care is provided on the NHS and covered by employer private insurance, I have some health needs that must be paid out of pocket. The conditions I have are not covered by private insurance, and NHS waiting lists for some tests or appointments can be long, so occasionally I pay for them privately. My health issues aren't disabling, but they do require me to keep a healthy lifestyle, watch my weight and cholesterol, and stay active. Stress makes my symptoms worse, so I try to keep my stress levels low, too. Having chronic conditions young means you really need to take care of yourself if you want to live a long life. Food: £940 ($1,250) £500 for groceries £400 for a ready-meal delivery subscription £40 for protein shakes My partner and I are trying to eat healthy and optimize our protein and fibre intake. The meal-delivery subscription sends ready-made meals with balanced macros, but I love to cook homemade meals when I can. Medical/healthcare: usually about £390 ($520), but this varies a lot from one month to another. Regular expenses include: £60 for dental care £100 for psychotherapy, which is only partially covered by insurance £100-£200 for occasional physio or massages for any flare-ups £80 for prescriptions £20 for contact lenses £30 for supplements Fitness: about £382 ($510) £320 per month for my gym and to train with a personal trainer once a week. Occasionally I'll join a yoga or pilates class, which averages out to about £50 per month. I also subscribe to a couple health-tracking apps that make managing my conditions and activity easier, at £12. Cosmetic care: about £225 ($300) Roughly £100 on toiletries, including skincare and makeup for very dry and sensitive skin £50 for a haircut £75 for a manicure/pedicure Miscellaneous: We love sauna, steam and cold-plunge sessions in a local Russian bathhouse, and try to go once a month, for about £90. Monthly total: about £2,027 ($2,704) skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Well Actually Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion For some, wellness may require prescription medication and yoga classes; for others, it could be a vegetarian diet and regular doctor visits. Photograph: AleksandarGeorgiev/Getty Images Joshua, 35, and Nicolle, 35, Nevada Occupation: healthcare data analyst and nurse Combined income: $175,000 (£131,000) We spend quite a bit on health and wellness every month, but the peace of mind and inner calm is worth every cent. We both work very stress-filled jobs and have found ways to decompress via health and fitness. We enjoy cooking. It has become a bonding experience throughout the years, and we like following it up with a movie or TV show at the end of the day to relax. Both of these, like the gym, take a certain level of investment. Insurance is one of the only things we pay for that we hope we never need to use. We pay for the best health and dental insurance we can afford because we both see the worst of the US healthcare system every day. The speed at which a single accident or diagnosis can wreck a marriage, create generational financial strain or push someone to despair is astounding. Food: $1,526 (£1,144) $1,439 for groceries $87 for fast food Medical/healthcare: $1,670 (£1,250) $1,250 per month for medical insurance $120 for dental insurance $230 for an FSA $65 per month for a specialty compounded medication We probably spend $5 a month replacing expired health supplies (Band-Aids, Neosporin, etc). Fitness: about $378 (£283) $278 for two Hiit gym memberships $100 per month for occasional health-related supplies like shoes, vitamins and supplements Cosmetic care: We save for haircuts and cosmetics throughout the year by setting aside $150 (£112) per month. Monthly total: about $3,802 (£2,850) Cooking can be a bonding experience for your family as well as a way to eat healthy food. Photograph: LeoPatrizi/Getty Images Anna, 48, New York Occupation: food stylist Annual household income: freelance, but usually more than $100,000 (£75,000). I'm Swedish, so I grew up with free healthcare. When I first moved to the States about 10 years ago, it was difficult to get my head around paying money out of my own pocket for healthcare. I'm still very confused about the system here (who isn't?) and it can be scary to not know how much it would actually cost me and/or if I could afford it should I need urgent and complicated care. I believe we are particularly exposed as freelancers. It's a lot harder to find an affordable plan. Graphic with three lines of text that say, in bold, 'Well Actually', then 'Read more on living a good life in a complex world,' then a pinkish-lavender pill-shaped button with white letters that say 'More from this section' Investing in wellness feels different. I'm interested in health and wellness and I enjoy my workouts – plus, it's part of my social life. I also see it as an investment for the future. I'm also lucky to live in an area where I can easily walk and run for free. Food: $800-$1,000 (£600-£750). We are quite obsessed with food and quality, and try to shop organic when we can. We buy most groceries from our local WholeFoods. We don't follow any diet as such, but almost everything we eat at home is cooked from scratch and mostly seasonal. We avoid processed foods and rarely eat out or buy takeaways. Medical/healthcare: $2,134 (£1,600) $2,067 for health insurance. We have a high deductible so any doctor's appointment outside of the standard annual exams needs to be paid for. $37 for dental insurance and cleanings $30 for medicines Fitness: $219 (£163). I have a gym in my house that, apart from the initial cost – about $4,000 including a Peloton Bike+ – saves me money and time. $44 for Peloton membership. I use the subscription for cycling classes, strength training and barre, plus stretching. $175 for Bikram yoga studio membership Cosmetic care: I get Botox three to four times a year, and each visit is $1,200-$1,400. That averages out to about $379 (£284) per month. Miscellaneous: $198.75 (£149) About $6.50 a month for my Welltory app, which measures my heart rate variability. $29.99 a year, or $2.50, a month for the SleepWatch app $76 for metabolism powder $75 for other supplements – it depends on the season but usually vitamin D, B12, omega 3's, berberine and magnesium $38.75 for protein powder Monthly total: about $3,830 (£2,871)
Time Business News
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time Business News
Mexico's Coastal Golf Resorts See 60% Spike in Bookings as Digital Nomads Blend Work with Wellness
As remote work changes lifestyles worldwide, Mexico's coastal golf resorts are unexpected winners. This year's 60% jump in bookings shows digital nomads are finding destinations that balance productivity, wellness and leisure. With its pristine beaches, championship golf courses and wellness offerings, Mexico is redefining what a 'workspace' is. The Future of Wellness: Driven Remote Work. The global trend toward remote work started out as necessity but has become a preference for millions. Environments that support mental and physical fitness and work-life balance are priorities for workers today. Golf resorts on Mexican coastlines from Cancun to Los Cabos are responding by turning into wellness destinations. Many have full-service spas, organic dining, guided meditation and fitness centers so guests can stay fit while working remotely. A survey by the Global Wellness Institute found that 68% of remote workers consider wellness amenities important in selecting a place to work. Golf resorts are the new remote offices. Many professionals are finding traditional office settings less appealing. They are replacing them with luxury resorts that combine Wi-Fi access, business centers and flexible areas. Private workstations, conference facilities and quiet lounges are being added at Mexico golf resorts. Digital nomads can spend the afternoon on tropical fairways after virtual meetings wind down. And some resorts combine extended stays with 'workation' packages that include unlimited golf, spa credits, and wellness workshops. With this blend, Mexico's golf resorts have become the base for those who will not compromise career for lifestyle. Why Mexico is Leading the Trend. For several reasons Mexico is unique worldwide. Access from North America, affordability, and a large choice of golf courses make it a top pick. The iconic destinations like Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, and Baja California offer much more than just greens. They create experiences of culture, gastronomy and adventure. Mexico has over 200 golf courses – many designed by Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio and Robert Trent Jones Jr. Unlike most tropical spots Mexico also has stable connectivity, top-end amenities and plenty of activities – from cenote diving to Mayan ruins. Interest in 'Mexico golf holidays' is growing, and more travelers are finding that a professional life can coexist with leisure and exploration. New Trends in Extended Stays and Healthier Travel. The longer duration of stays is one major trend reshaping the industry. Digital nomads prefer stays of one to three months instead of short vacations. And golf resorts have adapted with weekly rental discounts, long-term wellness programs and residential-style lodging with private kitchens and living areas. Also on the list for travelers is health and wellness. By 2027, wellness tourism is expected to reach USD 1.4 trillion worldwide – and Mexico's resorts are tapping into that with holistic wellness retreats including golf, spa treatments, meditation classes and nutritional counseling. No longer are travelers content with relaxation only. They want to come home feeling renewed mentally and physically. Expert Travel Providers Make It Simple. The search for the right golf resort can be overwhelming. This is where experienced travel providers step in. Some luxury golf holiday companies like Chaka Travel curate packages to Mexico's top golf resorts. With their expertise, travelers can find resorts that fit their personal and professional needs – a quiet haven for working or a social hub with plenty of entertainment and wellness activities. These thoughtfully tailored experiences ensure that guests not only unwind along Mexico's stunning golf coastlines but also enjoy the happiest vacation of their lives. The Allure of Mexico's Signature Golf Courses. The quality of the courses is what really attracts Mexico's golf resorts. It's an incredible variety – from oceanfront fairways in Los Cabos to jungle-lined greens in Riviera Maya. Courses like El CamaleonMayakoba, home of the PGA Tour, have natural settings and are challenging. Others offer world-class design and amenities like Vidanta New Vallarta. Such destinations attract golfers of all levels so that guests can enjoy the greens as much as they challenge them. Some remote workers are finding the opportunity to tee off at sunrise and take conference calls by sunset irresistible. Looking to the Future: Sustainable Luxury and Growth And as demand has increased, sustainability has become an important issue for many of Mexico's top golf resorts. Water conservation, renewable energy use, and wildlife protection are becoming commonplace. Many of the best golf courses in Mexico are now leading this eco-conscious shift. At the same time, resorts are upgrading technologies to better serve a mobile workforce. Looking ahead, Mexico is poised to merge remote work, wellness travel, and luxury golf experiences. For digital nomads searching for balance, health, and inspiration — the fairways of Mexico are calling more than ever. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
