Recovery, JOMO and brain boosters

Well-being has become such a priceless (or in many cases expensive) pursuit that we can't get enough of it.

In the past year, we've been focusing on magnesium, consuming creatine, the muscle-building supplement that's become popular, and turning to AI chatbots for help with everything from customized workout regimens to daily nutrition plans.

This comes as more than a million people pay privately for weight-loss drugs, which in some cases completely changes the way they think about food and exercise.

What will the multi-trillion dollar industry focus on in 2026? Several experts shared their thoughts on what's next on the well-being agenda.

If 2025 was all about hitting your gym goals, tracking your runs down to the second, and lifting heavier and heavier weights, this year is all about recovery.

Jack Phillips, director of global fitness brand Les Mills, says it's no longer about “no pain, no gain” but what “fitness has been built on for years.”

“Technology has made us a lot smarter now,” he says. “It’s no longer about habituating yourself to the land.”

He says smartwatches have revolutionized our understanding of what it means to be fit.

By tracking our movement and heart rate, they tell us when to take rest days, warn us if we've trained too hard, and highlight days when our fitness levels “peak”.

“Now we have more data and insight into our well-being, we can give ourselves a break.”

Consider rest days, rethink them as a way to stay in shape rather than as a way to “take a vacation,” he says.

And with it, a relatively new acronym will begin to creep into our consciousness, Mr. Phillips predicts. This year it's going to be about JOMO, not FOMO.

“Many of us are familiar with FOMO – the fear of missing out – but what if we stopped trying to miss out on everything?

“Why don’t we experience JOMO—the joy of being lost?”

FOMO was first recognized by the Oxford Dictionary back in 2004, where we compare our lives to others and force ourselves to keep up with the world that is often created by our shiny, shiny social media.

Now, more than 20 years later, there is growing pushback aimed at reducing the anxiety that often comes from worrying about what others are doing and trying not to spread ourselves too thin.

According to Mr Phillips, it's not as simple as saying no, it's about learning to be more comfortable and not need external validation for how we choose to live our lives – be it the frequency of our exercise or the frequency of our socializing.

“It's about understanding what's right for you, rather than feeling guilty or ashamed about prioritizing,” he says.

“Acceleration is the key word here,” explains Rachel Chatterton, product director at Holland Barrett.

“Our clients are very interested in anything that gives them a boost, and this year it’s all about boosting their mental performance.”

Nootropics, supplements that purport to improve cognitive function and are sometimes called “smart drugs”, have been around for decades, but only in the last few years have their appeal really grown.

They should not be confused with regulated pharmaceutical drugs that can help with conditions such as ADHD, narcolepsy and Alzheimer's disease, and should only be taken when the condition is diagnosed.

By 2030 similar lion's mane, ashwagandha And L-theanine May be taking a share of $11 billion (£8 billion) well-being market.

There may only be a few small studies that suggest these supplements can improve cognitive function, enhance memory and reduce stress, but Ms Chatterton says the market, especially among Gen Z, is booming.

“They're much more interested in health than any other generation, and I think that's driving quite a significant movement in terms of preventative health.

“They're really thinking about how to take care of their brain at every stage of life.”

And many of us can start “taking supplements throughout the day,” she suggests. “You don't have to switch things up, but mix magnesium with lion's mane, for example.”

But improving our brains doesn't stop there: millions of us are downloading brain training apps to improve processing speed, memory and to try to protect the 86 billion neurons we store in our heads – which we're told is a way to stay mentally resilient in the age of artificial intelligence.

Lifestyle GP Dr Alex Maxwell is not convinced of the supposed power of nootropics and brain training.

“You'll get much more bang for your buck if you increase the amount of sleep you get, it's great for protecting the brain, managing your cardiovascular system and metabolism through exercise are things that will help and it's proven.”

He says nootropics have limited evidence that they work in the general healthy population, and a piece of lion's mane, for example, won't help identify the root cause of why someone isn't getting enough sleep or help them feel less stressed in the long term.

So how can we cope with the stresses this year will inevitably throw at us? If there's one nerve you want to hit in 2026, it's the vagus nerve.

As we begin to understand the vital role that the nervous system plays in our ability to cope with stress, there is growing evidence that The vagus nerve may be the key to this.

TV GP Zoe Williams believes that by hacking the nerve known as the body's superhighway, we can calm down more quickly in stressful situations and increase our levels of resilience.

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

She recommends a few simple techniques that can help us activate it, jump-start our parasympathetic nervous system and put the brakes on the fight-or-flight situation that many of us may find ourselves in on a daily basis.

Methods that can help activate the vagus nerve:

• Being aware of your breathing, Dr. Williams recommends the “physiological breath,” which consists of two sharp inhalations followed by one long exhale.
• Cold water therapy: Splashing your face with cold water can help lower your heart rate and stimulate the vagus nerve.
• If you want to spend a few hundred pounds, you can buy a vagus nerve stimulator – small devices that are worn around the neck or attached to the ear and vibrate gently.

Dr. Maxwell says “getting back to basics” is his key health theme: eating well, sleeping well and moving are the three keys to health.

He cautions that simplicity can sometimes be better, as some people take monitoring their daily lives to the extreme of recording it in a journal. Now you can keep a log of your entire day with a new AI-powered wearable that constantly records audio. It lets you know who you met, what you talked about, summarizes the conversation, and essentially gives you a summary of a rich picture of your day.

What's not to love?

Dr. Maxwell shakes his head when I give him this example.

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

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

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