Is the wellness business damaging us? What can we do?

I have been formulating this blog in my mind for a period of weeks - I did contemplate yet another Instagram live, but feared that the video would go on for a LONNNNNNG time.

The wellness business is a lucrative affair, as many of us strive to navigate our stressful and busy lives, we seek external ways to counteract the yang aspect of our existence.

As we seek to a find a solution that may work for us, we can spend a great deal of our hard earned pennies, and can find nothing changes!

I am up for trying out new things just as much as the next person, but some of the products and services out there are misleading at best - often using the latest buzzwords as a marketing ploy to lure folks desperate for a solution to their life problems or worse still, they are vulnerable and could unwittingly be exploited.

Let me give a couple of examples. On my usual social media scroll last week I noticed someone had listed one of their skills as a ‘menopause facilitator’. I am not quite sure what actually means, let alone what qualification this comment has! Often at the stage of peri menopause we may feel particularly desperate to reduce upsetting and annoying symptoms and fall into the trap of parting with our hard earned money in order to feel better and this is exactly what such individuals are exploiting.

Another example was a recent Facebook advert - promoting somatic workouts for weight loss. I did actually have a conversation with a yoga and somatics expert about this and they felt the same as me, using the somatic buzzword which is a hot topic at the moment to sell, what, to all intents and purposes looked like an exercise class with a wee bit of stretching, and the actress pretending to cry ( I assume this was a nod to somatics - which for the record is a well explored and documented subject area in its own right!)

Some of this subject matter undermines many of the amazingly beneficial modalities within the wellness sphere which is regrettable, as there is a lot of good stuff out there which is being seriously diluted by deliberate mis-selling.

It is well documented that movement is good for us, and as someone who has never been a stranger to this I love a combination of yoga, HIIT, PT, meditation KCR and massage (and i love getting my nails done - all part of the wellness package!). That works for me - but it wont necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s OK!

Women often feel that they need to measure up to the expectation’s of society, particularly in our younger years. I had a chat about the benefits of collagen supplements with my PT pal just today! Let me ask the question though, how many men do you notice taking supplements to keep their skin, hair and nails en pointe? This is another HUGE area of growth in the wellness industry, and having run several menopause yoga workshops I see many women who are overwhelmed by the information and choices out there.

My role is to signpost people to those that are appropriately qualified to offer the advice. We all need to do our due diligence. If something seems to good to be true, it probably is!

Elaborate marketing campaign’s often employ celebrities to promote their products, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they will work for everyone, nor will they be cheap - after all they have to pay their celeb an appearance fee. Stephen Bartlett and Davina McCall (mentioned in an earlier blog) both rave about the Zoe - an expensive weight and dietary management tool, which again may work for some, but could actually cause problems for others. Its a veritable minefield. When did we feel so influenced to buy a product or use something advertised by a celebrity - have we lost our capacity to make decisions and think for ourselves?

The scales have well and truly fallen from my eyes. As someone who has taken time and energy educating myself, in order to serve others within the community, I am really disappointed at the misinformation, exploitation and money making scams out there.

If you see something advertised that is polished and seamless, it could be that it is an amazing product - but it may be there is nothing that backs up the advertising story and clever strapline!

I often think about the children’s story, ‘The Emperor and his New Clothes’ - we are often so caught up in a particular trend, or fad, we cannot see it for what it really is.

My advice is this - ask questions, research, information gather before you part with your pennies. Remain curious - always. The best advice I was ever given, from my Mum, was about finding balance. Balance busy with calm, exercise with rest, what you consume as in what you eat, what you see and listen to.

Managing our own wellness scales, taking the time to sort out the wheat from the chaff - that is the aim!