New trends in the wellness space are constantly emerging, which is certainly exciting. But it can also be a bit overwhelming and leave you unsure with what new offering may work best for you. It’s incredibly important to keep in mind that there’s no “one size fits all” approach to wellness. In fact, what works best for you may be drastically different than what works best for someone else.
Enter personalized wellness. Continue reading to learn more about personalized wellness and different ways to prioritize health trends and rituals based on your specific genes.
What is personalized wellness?
According to a research paper published in the journal Nutrition Today, “personalized wellness encompasses individualized diet treatment plans, exercise regimens, and antistress programs. In time, it will include health and nutrition recommendations and programs based almost solely on one’s genetic profile and predispositions.”
So, how does personalized wellness work, exactly? Essentially, there are at-home kits available now that allow you to submit a DNA sample and receive a tailored “treatment” plan to follow based on your genetics.
“Direct-to-consumer testing companies offer personalized health recommendations via saliva, blood, and/or fecal samples provided by the customer,” explain the authors of the Nutrition Today paper. “These companies cannot yet advertise diagnostic certainty, although they do use science to educate customers and healthcare providers about individual risks of developing certain conditions and advise adoption or avoidance of behaviors accordingly.” Many of these companies also offer meal plans, supplements, and athletic training advice based on your genetic results.
In addition to at-home DNA kits, there are also at-home kits for microbiome analysis. “Several companies offer microbiome sequencing and interpretation services to customers,” write the Nutrition Today paper authors. They add that there’s more and more data coming out about the relationship between the gut microbiome and your risk of various health conditions.
Pretty cool, right?
The benefits of personalized wellness
Here are three key areas where you may benefit from taking a more personalized approach to your wellness routine:
Movement
It’s no secret that movement is medicine, but understanding the types of movement that make you feel your best is important! For instance, some individuals may feel their best from high intensity exercise, i.e. running, HIIT-style classes, and indoor cycling. On the other hand, some people may feel utterly DEPLETED following such an activity.
Nutrition
Nutrition is a very individualized, oftentimes sensitive area to explore. Ensuring you’re prioritizing, truly nourishing, and honoring your body and needs is vital. It’s all too easy to fall into the “what I eat in a day” video viewing spirals, turning to others to mimic a dietary lifestyle approach that works best for them. However, we’re all very unique, with unique needs, sensitivities, and activity levels. One individual may thrive off of eating red meat, while another might be extremely sensitive to such foods, for example.
Supplements
Supplements are designed to be exactly what their name implies — supplementary to an already well-rounded lifestyle! Supplements aren’t intended to take the place of nutritious eating, movement, and an otherwise well-balanced routine. There’s no “miracle pill” that will simply do the work for you — however, supplements can be used as key tools to help boost your daily routine. Again, which supplements are right for you will vary from person to person. (Learn about custom probiotics and how they can improve your gut health.)
Does personalized wellness really work?
Proponents of personalized wellness say that you’re more likely to stick to a health plan (and see results) if it’s tailored to your specific needs. In fact, according to research done by myDNA, a company in the personalized wellness space, you’re 15% more likely to make lifelong behavioral changes when you follow a plan that’s molded around your specific genes and goals (versus being given generic advice to follow).
Of course, keep in mind that more research still needs to be done to prove the efficacy of using personalized wellness. As the authors of the Nutrition Today paper note: “Consumers who purchase available technologies need to understand that information gleaned from omics or microbiome testing currently tell a part of the story, but not the entire story. When coupled with other diagnostic tools, they can help to strengthen recommendations, giving a more complete picture of a person’s personal health profile. The science is evolving — albeit rapidly — and additional data points can help provide a more robust health/wellness picture for the consumer at this time.”
Personalized wellness kits to try
Curious about trying personalized wellness yourself? Here are a few kits currently on the market:
- myDNA: When you take a myDNA test, you can learn how your body may respond to everything from food to exercise to sleep to vitamins to caffeine and more. Based on your genetics, myDNA will give you personalized advice to overhaul your daily routine so you can start feeling your best.
- 23andMe: One of the most popular at-home DNA kits on the market, 23andMe has a health add-on to its ancestry kit that can give you more than 150+ personalized reports. You’ll learn whether people with similar genetic makeup get enough deep sleep, are lactose intolerant, and more. From there, you can use the information to change up your fitness and nutrition regimen if needed.
- Viome: Viome is an at-home kit to test your gut microbiome. You’ll find out if there are foods that could be harmful to your gut and get suggestions for gut health supplements, based on your unique microbiome. Viome sells supplements too, so you’re able to sign up for a subscription for your unique supplement formula after you get your results.
The bottom line on personalized wellness
All in all, the wellness space is ever-changing and new, with cool new products always emerging. While personalized wellness is still in its infancy, it can still give you some interesting insights into your genes and what might work best for you in terms of exercise and nutrition. We can’t wait to see where personalized wellness goes next.
