Projecting future trends is kind of like forecasting the weather. Researchers look at movement patterns and momentum. And with Pinterest’s recent release of next year’s trends with Pinterest Predicts, it looks like we have some fast-moving slow movement trends. What the what does that mean? Larkin Brown, head of core research at Pinterest in San Francisco, California, helps us uncover what the social platform says we’ll be pinning next year, starting off with low-impact fitness, called #flexercise.
Fitness trend 2022: Flexercise & Escape Rooms
What is flexercise? It’s the combination of flexibility and exercise, of course, and it can be stretching routines to nature walks. The report declares: “Low impact is the new high intensity.” Top searches (and annual growth) include: “Lazy workout in bed” (+135%), “daily stretching routine” (+80%), “walking in nature” (+95%) and “simple dance moves” (+150%).
That’s led into a “decor” trend, too. More people are searching for ways to make rooms in their homes escape-friendly (crystal and home massage rooms). “If we were to combine [those trends with flexercise], we’re seeing a focus more on natural movements and daily stretching routines,” says Brown to me on a Google Meet call. “The last couple years, we’ve all gone through a lot of emotions – I think we can all agree on that.”
Brown also points to loss of routine and “keeping up” with our workouts (I was on the low-impact train and didn’t even know!), and a morning stretch or walk ritual is filling that need. But it also is resetting fitness goals: “Reaching for big goals can be intimidating,” she says. “So I see these [trends] as that super small thing that you can do at home, that you can do regularly to create part of a routine.” And these things turn into part of our identity. “This is who I am; this is something I do every day. It’s much easier to build on top of that, which is probably healthy for a lot [of people]. But this can help build a routine that gets you ‘unstuck’ to get you out of the inertia a lot of us have been feeling.”
What it’s like to use Peloton for at-home weights classes.
Wellness trend 2022: Higher frequency
Self-care is evolving. (Thank goodness, I needed my Sunday mornings back, as face masks just weren’t cutting it.) Pinterest predicts that protecting energy is a big trend for 2022 wellness, with search increases in “how to protect your energy” (+60%), “how to raise your vibration” (+145%), spiritual awakening stages (+400%), aura colors (+3,600%), and frequency healing (+35%). The report hints at being more conscious, and those being the tools that people are looking for. Gen Z is pushing this trend, says the report.
Brown says: “I think this is coming from the drain a lot of us are feeling, especially those who spend a lot of their time on screens. It can sometimes feel like it’s sucking energy from you.” And that had many asking about vibration.
Vibration therapy can be a head-scratcher, but the most straightforward definition comes from Healthline: “Thoughts and behaviors affect the rhythms in your body,” including our “heartbeats, breathing rates. and circadian rhythms.” So we use tools like thoughts and music to slow these things down and be more in the present.
Brown says people are asking, in terms of vibration, “How am I protected? How do I raise my vibration,” she says. “Part of it stems from not having close contact with other people. It’s something that you can do without a lot of contact, that can still feel really healing.”
“It is about really being in a moment, to turn inward and reflect and pause, which we know that science finds meditation to be very healing.”
Read about how to tap into your intuition – it’s easier than you think.
Health trend 2022: Mindful menstruation
Tracking a cycle is something I’ve felt I’ve needed to do (especially when this happens when I exercise), but more and more people are searching on Pinterest about menstrual health, from cycle phases and period care, namely millennials. Searches are growing for “follicular phase” (+70%), “luteal phase” (+40%), “period care” (+300%), “menstrual cycle chart” (+95%) and “period starter kit” (+85%).
It used to be embarrassing to talk about our periods, says Brown, but we’re becoming more and more curious about it. She points to two things: learning about our cycles and the moon phases and about the science behind the different cycle phases (listed above). “There are moments in our cycles when we are not going to be at our best and feeling sluggish. And [this trend is about] managing our work lives and our personal lives around those moments.” She loves this health trend for 2022, as it reveals that we are more willing to talk about menstruating and the products we use. “There’s an ownership and empowerment part to it.”
Want to track your cycle? This beats any app you can download.
Food & drink trend 2022: Cuppa time
Move over smoothie and kombucha, it’s time for pinkies up! Tea is a growing trend on Pinterest for 2022. As someone who says “I’ll have tea, please” when asked if I’d like a coffee, I’m excited to have more people on #teamtea. Pinterest reports that it’s the aesthetic that pinners are looking for: “High tea food ideas” (+400%), “Vintage tea party” (+70%), “tea party aesthetic” (+200%), “butterfly pea tea” (+70%) and “drinking tea pose” (+200%).
So why did I include this as a health trend? Because alcohol isn’t on this list, which means people are looking for non-alcoholic ways to be social (depending on what the social distancing numbers are at any given time, of course).
“This is a reaction to looking for a healthy lifestyle, and then trying to turn it into a moment to pause, break up the day,” says Brown about turning coffee breaks into tea time. “It’s not just about the tea itself in the wellness, but it’s also about how to host a tea party with little sandwiches.”
Check out the alcohol-free drinks pretty enough for your empty coupes.
