How Health and Wellness Industry is Booming in India Post COVID-19?
How Health and Wellness Industry is Booming in India Post COVID-19?

Since the Coronavirus outbreak, people across the globe have become more aware of the importance of living a healthy life. Pandemic has brought socio-economic and psychological implications to the fore, hence teaching an important lesson on health.

While this has shaken the world, perhaps there is a silver lining too where people have become more responsible with their own health. More than ever, there is a yearning among people to change their lifestyle for the better, which may have been marred with bad habits or carelessness before the pandemic.

They have become more particular about what they eat, at what time, what kind of workout routines they follow, products they buy while focusing on a balanced diet, etc. With such drastic changes in demand in the health and wellness sector, the post-COVID era is looking at a booming industry.

Here is how the pandemic has changed the health and wellness industry:

Growing Demand for Nutritional Supplements - Ever since the outbreak of coronavirus, many consumers have moved towards dietary or nutritional supplements. While doctors and scientists have been engaged in learning more about the virus, there has been a shift among people moving towards basics such as curcumin, amla, spirulina, etc. We have seen one of the ways to build immunity against the virus is by integrating vitamins or nutritional supplements such as Vitamin D, calcium, to name a few, into our daily diet.  As a result, brands catering to the demands of nutritional supplements have been experiencing a surge.  

Rise in Awareness for Building Strong Immune System - It is true that the demand for having supplements has stemmed from the goal to build strong immune systems. Up until the announcement of a vaccine against the coronavirus, and in the absence of any particular treatment for the virus, the only other way to remain protected from COVID-19 under lockdown has been to have strong immunity. We also witnessed people moving towards home remedies such as Haldi milk, tulsi, and honey, etc. for boosting immunity levels. But that’s not all. There has been also a universal surge in demand for immunity boosters. 

Healthy Becomes Healthier Alternative - During the stringent lockdown phase, with people working from home, there was fear that an at-home lifestyle may result in heightened health problems. It was the same fear which triggered people to move towards home-based fitness culture. Since gyms and fitness centers were shut, many brands came up with app-based fitness regimes which gained popularity among people and gave positive results as well.

Another healthier trend which people started opting for has been healthy food options. In metropolitan cities, where people were working from home and ordering junk food because they were unable to take out time to cook no longer seemed like a healthier option. A large number of nutrition and health-tech companies came to the rescue with their healthy meals being delivered to the doorstep. 

Heightened Emphasis on Mental Health - Under the lockdown, there has been a rise in people suffering from anxiety and depression across the globe. Locked inside their homes, in isolation, the concerns for mental health became more vocal, and increased suicide rates began surfacing. It, therefore, became important to address mental health issues on the part of companies and the government as well.

Job losses, fear of contracting the virus, losing a loved one to the virus, uncertain economy, lack of human interaction, are a few of the many reasons that triggered mental health issues. Hence, online health and wellness platforms are conducting frequent sessions talking about mental health.

A Sustainable Future

In simple words, sustainability means the ability to be maintained at a certain rate. And, sustainability got an impetus during the pandemic lockdown. According to the Food Marketing Institute’s analysis, a shift is taking place from ‘health’ towards a more holistic concept of ‘quality of life'. For instance, daily workouts or low-impact workouts such as walking or stretching gained popularity as sustainable and attainable fitness solutions for many.  In this regard, a number of key players in the fitness space have been introducing unique low-impact workouts, providing playlists, meditations, or podcasts to listen to while working out or relaxing. 

Pandemic has Changed the World Forever

It is ascertained that pandemic has changed us forever and the way we were living our lives. With this, the demand for food and products we earlier consumed has been changing too. Health and wellness brands are already taking a lead in leveraging the changed attitudes. In the coming time, as technology becomes more advanced and the threat from the ongoing pandemic persists, the trend for a healthy lifestyle is not going to die down. 
 

 
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