‘BUM sunbathing’, wellness vaping and animal yoga are the most baffling wellness fads of 2024, a study has found.
The poll of 2,000 active adults found the practice of ‘bum sunbathing’, which apparently increases energy, and puffing on devices which claim to deliver vitamins and supplements directly to your lungs for quicker absorption, have left exercise-goers the most baffled this year.
Other confusing crazes include yoga with animals, as well as ear candling, which is alleged to suck out toxins and earwax.
Gen Z are the quickest to try their hand at a wacky trend with 38 per cent admitting they’ve tried a new one this year, compared to only 16 per cent of Millennials and two per cent of Gen X.
The average person has tried at least three different wellness trends in their lifetime – with the main motivators being wanting to improve wellbeing (44 per cent), their current routine not giving them the desired outcome (30 per cent) or seeing celebs and influencers try them (30 per cent).
However, in a bid to get healthy, almost a third (31 per cent) had invested in fitness equipment which was trendy at the time, but no longer use it at all.
The research by Virgin Active found adults are bombarded with more than four fitness-related posts on social media a day – with the main culprits being Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The sheer number of social media posts about wellness trends left almost half (48 per cent) confused, and not sure where to turn to for real information which works.
And half said they had seen fitness and nutrition trends which contradict advice they’d seen previously.
Donna Collins, head of product at Virgin Active, said: “We know that people are confused about where to turn to for wellness advice that actually works.
“Our members often come to us and ask for our help in distinguishing between real advice and fleeting fads offering unrealistic and unsustainable health benefits.
“We want to make sure we offer wellness without the BS and it’s important for people to join a community where they can be themselves.”
It’s hard to know where to turn to online for real wellness advice, which is why 16 per cent of active individuals have unfollowed a fitness or wellness influencer on social media.
The top reasons being that the content wasn’t relatable (41 per cent), the content was annoying (39 per cent) and they post too much and clog up my feed (33 per cent).
For people looking to improve their wellbeing, 31 per cent said sticking to a healthy diet was the hardest part, while 19 per cent felt taking part in exercise was a struggle.
The main motivators behind exercise include health and wellbeing (66 per cent) and improving mental health (48 per cent) according to the OnePoll figures.
Other factors which get people going include socialising with friends (13 per cent) and being incentivised by rewards (eight per cent).
Chessie King, online personality and wellness guru, added: “The list of fitness fads I’ve witnessed since being on social media is endless and I can put my hand up saying I’ve been a part of those fleeting trends.
“Going to the extreme of competing in a bikini competition which was highly influenced by Instagram, I know firsthand how easy it is to be manipulated by all the noise online and offline.
“You can wish for a quick fix or cheat code to achieving your wellness goals but longevity is key.
“I work out now for future me, 80-year-old Chessie will be so grateful for the time I’ve spent looking after her.
“That’s why I think it’s so important for everyone to be able to distinguish between a fad or fleeting trend.”
