Recovery, JOMO and brain boosters

Well-being has become such an invaluable (or, in many cases, expensive) endeavor that we can’t get enough of it.

Last year, we were heavy on magnesium, consuming creatine, a muscle-boosting supplement that has gone mainstream, and turning to AI chatbots for help with everything from a personalized workout regimen to a daily meal plan.

And this is happening in a climate where more than a million people have paid privately for weight-loss pills, in some cases completely transforming their relationships with food and exercise.

What is the trillion-pound industry focusing on in 2026? Many experts give us their thoughts on what’s on the wellbeing agenda.

If 2025 was all about smashing goals at the gym, running to second, and lifting increasingly heavy weights, this year is all about recovery.

Jak Phillips, director of growth at global fitness brand Les Mills, says it’s no longer about pain or gain, but something “fitness has been built on for years”.

“Technology has made us much smarter,” he says. “It’s not about educating ourselves anymore.”

He says smartwatches are revolutionizing our understanding of what it means to be fit.

By tracking our movements and heart rate, they tell us when we need to take rest days, warn us if we’ve trained too hard, and highlight days when our fitness level is “peaking.”

“Now that we have more data and understanding about our well-being, we can give ourselves a break.”

Take rest days into account, reframing them as a way to stay fit rather than “taking time off,” she says.

Mr. Phillips predicts, however, that a relatively new acronym will begin to infiltrate our consciousness. This year it will be JOMO instead of FOMO.

“Most of us can understand FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), but what if we stopped trying to get through it all?

“Why don’t we experience JOMO, the Joy of Missing Opportunities?”

FOMO was first recognized by the Oxford Dictionary in 2004; here we compare our lives to others and put pressure on ourselves to keep up with a world often created by our glittery, shiny socialites.

Now, more than 20 years later, a counter-movement is growing to reduce the anxiety that comes from worrying about what others are doing and trying not to spread ourselves too thin.

Mr. Phillips says it’s not as simple as just saying no to things, it’s about learning to be more comfortable within ourselves and not need external validation for how we choose to live our lives (whether it’s the frequency of our exercise or how often we socialize).

“It’s about understanding what’s right for you and not feeling guilt or shame for putting yourself first,” she says.

“Empowerment, that’s the key word here,” explains Rachel Chatterton, product director at Holland Barrett.

“Our customers are extremely interested in anything that empowers them, and this year will be the year to boost their brain power.”

Sometimes called “smart drugs,” nootropics—supplements that claim to enhance cognition—have been around for decades, but their appeal has only really taken off in the last few years.

These should not be confused with regulated pharmaceutical drugs that can help conditions such as ADHD, narcolepsy, and Alzheimer’s disease, and should only be taken with a diagnosed medical condition.

By 2030, lion’s mane, ashwagandha And L-theanine it could be Commands a chunk worth $11bn (£8bn) welfare market

There may be only a few small studies to suggest these supplements can improve cognition, improve memory and reduce stress, but Ms Chatterton says the market is growing rapidly, especially among Generation Z.

“They’re much more interested in health than other generations, and I think that’s leading to a pretty important movement in terms of preventive health.

“They’re really thinking about how they can take care of their brains at every stage of their lives.”

And he suggests many of us could start “stacking supplements throughout the day.” “There’s no need to change anything inside or out, for example mixing magnesium with lion’s mane.”

But strengthening our brain doesn’t end there; Millions of us are downloading brain-training apps to improve our processing speed, our memory, and to try to preserve the 86 billion neurons we store in our heads and, we are told, as a way to stay mentally resilient in the age of artificial intelligence.

Lifestyle Practitioner Dr. Alex Maxwell isn’t convinced about the purported power of nootropics and brain training.

“You’re going to get a lot more bang for your buck by increasing your sleep time, it’s a great brain protector, it manages your cardiovascular and metabolic health through exercise – those are the kinds of things that will help and have been proven to help.”

He says there’s limited evidence that nootropics work in the general healthy population, and says taking a piece of lion’s mane, for example, won’t get to the root cause of why someone isn’t getting enough sleep or help them feel less stressed in the long run.

So how can we cope with the stresses this year will inevitably bring upon us? If there’s one nerve you want to touch in 2026, it’s the vagus nerve.

As we begin to understand the vital role our nervous system plays in our ability to cope with stress, The vagus nerve may hold the key.

TV doctor GP Zoe Williams believes we can calm down more quickly in stressful situations and build resilience to stress by hacking the nerve known as the body’s super highway.

“Whether it’s a work deadline, comparing yourself to someone on social media, arguing with your partner, or missing the bus, these are all small doses of stress that our bodies are not designed for,” she explains.

He suggests a few simple techniques to help us activate our parasympathetic nervous system and put the brakes on the “fight or flight” state many of us find ourselves in every day.

Techniques that can help stimulate the vagus nerve:

• Being aware of our breathing, Dr. Williams recommends the “physiological sigh,” which involves two sharp inhalations followed by one long exhalation.
• Cold water therapy: Splashing cold water on your face can help lower your heart rate and stimulate the vagus nerve.
• If you’re willing to spend a few hundred pounds, you can invest in a vagus nerve stimulator, which are small devices worn around your neck or in your ear that gently vibrate.

Dr Maxwell says the key health theme is “back to basics” – eating well, sleeping and moving – these three things are key to good health.

He warns that simplicity can sometimes be best, because some people take monitoring their daily lives to the extreme with life recordings. You can now record your entire day using the new wearable artificial intelligence device that continuously records audio. It lets you know who you met, what you chatted about, summarizes your conversation, and basically gives you a summary of the rich tapestry of your day.

What’s not to like?

Dr Maxwell nodded as I gave him this example.

“It sounds absolutely terrifying,” he says. “Technology should be your servant, not your master.

“Do your research and check what evidence is behind these new trends,” he recommends.

“Health should be a personal choice, and what works for one person may not necessarily work for you.”