17 Health, Wellness, and Home Trends to Watch in 2025

Each year, new trends, technology advancements, revelations, and findings begin to shape and impact our lives. To stay in the know, we asked experts from across Life Time to share their predictions about what they see coming to the forefront — or continuing to be relevant — in the following areas in 2025.

Health and Wellness

Our expert: Courtney Helgoe, features editor for Experience Life magazine

1. Trend: Awareness of the health benefits of vagus nerve stimulation

The vagus is a long, branching nerve that connects the brain with the gut, bringing in other organ systems along the way. It plays a powerful role in our parasympathetic nervous system response and controls inflammation through local tissues.

Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) uses a variety of techniques to stimulate this nerve directly. They include slow diaphragmatic breathing, as well as humming, chanting, and gargling. Some people also use small handheld vagal nerve stimulators to place pressure on the branch of the vagal nerve near the carotid artery in the neck.

While its most noticeable effect is a feeling of greater calm, VNS techniques are being shown to support improved cognition overall. Various studies have also found VNS to be helpful in treating leaky gut, IBD, gastroparesis, major depression, migraine and cluster headaches, and TBI — possibly because VNS works directly on the nerve connecting the gut and the brain.

While the health effects of calming down might seem abstract, when the nervous system is in fight-or-flight, the body redirects resources away from healing to deal with more immediate threats. Tools that redirect the nervous system to rest and digest allow for our own healing mechanisms to kick back in. (Curious readers can learn more about how to use VNS in our Experience Life feature: “How to Reset Your Vagus Nerve — And Find Calm.”)

2. Trend: Curiosity around nitric oxide

If you’re like me a year ago, you might be asking, what is nitric oxide, anyway? Here’s what I learned at a recent integrative health conference: Nitric oxide is a “complexly simple” molecule, a gas much like oxygen or CO². Until 1987, no one thought much about it, and then researchers learned that low nitric oxide may be at play in a diverse array of conditions involving circulation, from hypertension and GI disorders to erectile dysfunction.

Because nitric oxide plays an important role in circulating blood to tissues, it’s now recognized as a key regulator of cardiometabolic, neurological, and immune health.

How do you improve your own nitric-oxide levels? Eating nitrate-rich foods — especially beets and other “deep roots,” and leafy greens, are the best sources.

Other ways to increase nitric oxide: Breathe through the nose, take saunas, support HCL production, and occasionally enjoy some conventional vegetables, which are grown in highly nitrogen-rich soil. Apparently conventional soil provides nitrate while organic does not. Sometimes good health involves paradox.

I expect we’ll hear a lot more about how to increase nitric oxide as a tool to help lower blood pressure, improve endothelial function, enhance exercise performance, and address metabolic syndrome. In the meantime, you can learn more about how to stimulate nitric oxide production in the Experience Life story “How to Boost Nitric Oxide,” and more about dietary nitrates and nitric oxide in this recent feature: “What You Need to Know About Nitrates.”

Fitness

Our expert: Maggie Fazeli Fard, RKC, MFT-1, a certified strength coach and senior fitness editor at Experience Life magazine.

3. Trend: Power training for healthy aging

Longevity is a huge concern for many people, and I think we’ll see more fitness programming in 2025 aimed specifically at extending health spans and improving quality of life for the long haul.

One often-overlooked aspect of healthy aging is the ability to generate power. Power is the product of force and velocity — the combination of strength and speed.

Many sports require power for optimal performance: Boxing, volleyball, baseball, basketball, golf, pickleball, and Olympic weightlifting are a few examples. But what many people don’t realize is how the ability to generate power affects simple, everyday endeavors such as getting up from a chair with ease or crossing multiple lanes of traffic at a crosswalk before the light changes.

Moreover, power is a use-it-or-lose-it fitness marker, meaning it should be trained deliberately at every age. Training that emphasizes power involves recruiting your muscle fibers to work quickly and explosively for short periods of time. A few power-centric exercises include squat jumps, box jumps, lateral bounds, medicine-ball throws and slams, kettlebell swings, dumbbell snatches, and short-duration sprints.

If this list is intimidating, start smaller: Instead of squat jumps, for instance, work on sitting on a chair or bench and standing as quickly as possible, with balance and control. If running sprints aren’t an option, walk or bike at an easy pace and work in 10- to 20-second speed increases. If jumping onto a 20-inch box is too challenging, try jumping up onto a 25-pound weight plate.

Power training is effective when you progressively challenge yourself, so find ways to meet yourself where you are — and move a little bit faster. (Learn more: “The Workout: Build Explosive Power” and “Test Your Fitness Power.”)

4. Trend: AI workouts

Personalized fitness features will continue to be a big trend in 2025, and I think we’ll see more health and fitness coaching powered by AI. While chatbots like ChatGPT might seem like the easiest entry point for getting an AI-generated workout or fitness program, there are more (often better) options on the market.

Various health and fitness platforms — including wearable device makers like Whoop and Apple, as well as health clubs like Life Time (check out the free Life Time app) — are building robust frameworks that can create individualized plans based on a user’s goals, fitness level, available equipment, schedule, and other data points. Many also leverage technology to boost accountability and motivation, and correct form.

To get the most out of your experience with AI-generated workouts, I’d advise questioning the source of information. Many chatbots source information (and misinformation) from across the web that is not vetted for accuracy or safety. If you are able, use a platform that is transparent about the sourcing of their data. (Life Time’s AI companion L•AI•C, for instance, learns from information created by Life Time experts — including Experience Life, whose content is reported, edited, and fact-checked by real-life health and fitness journalists.)

In addition to vetting their sources, I’d also like to remind people that no existing technology replaces their own expertise when it comes their bodies. Yes, AI-generated workout plans can be a tool to support your fitness endeavors — but they are best used in tandem with your own intuition and self-knowledge.

5. Trend: Resting heart rate as a fitness measure

With the proliferation of wearable devices that track our activity day and night, from work and workouts to sleep and beyond, there is no shortage of complex biometric data to monitor and analyze. I predict that 2025 will be the year of one of the simplest — and most telling — measurements: resting heart rate (RHR).

Your RHR is how fast your heart beats while in a complete state of rest while lying horizontally. Historically, it was recommended to measure RHR first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed, but many smartwatches and tech bands monitor this data point overnight.

RHR is considered a valid indicator of cardiac fitness, specifically how strong your heart is. The stronger your heart, the less often it must beat to move your blood and adequately deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. Another way to think of it is that a lower RHR indicates efficient, effective heartbeats.

Additionally, your RHR can offer insights into your stress level, overall wellness, and your tolerance for higher-intensity training on a given day.

Adults typically have an RHR ranging from 60 to 100 beats per minute, though athletes and active people often have a lower RHR between 40 and 50 beats per minute.

In the long-term, an elevated RHR may be associated with an increased mortality risk. In the short-term, if you track your RHR and it is elevated by several beats for several days in a row, it could be a sign that you are ill, dehydrated, under-recovered, or over-training. Caffeine, alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and certain medications can also increase RHR.

The best way to improve RHR is through exercise, particularly sustained aerobic exercise. Sufficient sleep, hydration, stress management, and limiting stimulants and alcohol can also be helpful (Learn more: “How Do I Find My Resting Heart Rate?” and “How to Use Your Heart-Rate Monitor to Maximize Fitness.”)

Nutrition

Our expert: Samantha McKinney, RD, CPT, national program manager for nutrition, metabolism, and weight loss at Life Time

6. Trend: Electrolytes become essential

Hydration is about much more than water intake — it’s impacted by a lot of factors, and how your body retains water (or does not) relies on electrolyte balance.

There are a lot of scenarios that change your hydration and electrolyte needs, including ongoing stress, pregnancy, lactation, heat exposure, lower-carbohydrate diets, and more. Using a quality electrolyte blend that’s free of added sugar or artificial ingredients and is third-party tested is a great way to stay on top of hydration more effectively.

And since hydration is tied to appetite regulation, workout performance, digestion, detoxification, and more, using a well-rounded blend is great to do first thing in the morning and anytime you exercise or are going to be sweating. (Learn more: “Why Drinking Water Alone Isn’t Enough to Stay Hydrated.”)

7. Trend: Cross-functional colostrum

Colostrum supplementation, originally popularized in the bodybuilding community for muscle growth and performance, has accelerated in its traction due to its purported impacts on gut health, immunity, skin health, hair, and more.

It’s often referred to as a superfood because it contains bioactive ingredients such as growth factors and antibodies, as it comes from the first milk produced by a cow for her calf. (Most reputable colostrum providers are diligent in ensuring that first-milking colostrum is gathered only after newborn calves are fed.) The health benefits of bioactive compounds include the prevention or treatment of several diseases. (Learn more: “Why Colostrum?”)

Colostrum may not be ideal in those who don’t tolerate dairy, since it’s sourced from milk — though a lot of lactose-sensitive individuals claim they don’t experience ill effects from using it. However, it is not appropriate for anyone with a milk allergy.

Cooking and Food Culture

Our expert: Kaelyn Riley, senior editor at Experience Life magazine

8. Trend: So much seaweed

I’ve been seeing so much seaweed on grocery store shelves and in online stores lately, which is a really promising trend all around. One of the most environmentally friendly crops in the world, seaweed is also a nutritional superstar, packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. It’s been a buzzy ingredient for a few years now, and there are lots of beverages and gummies made with sea moss, kelp, or algae making a splash on social media.

I predict we’ll see more of that in the coming year, but I’d also love to see the tide turn toward using more whole-food versions of seaweed, whether that means we’re all sautéing our own wakame at home or just sprinkling furikake on everything.

9. Trend: Focus on ferments

This is another existing trend that I think might garner even more attention in 2025. Fermented foods are high in probiotics that nourish and support a diverse microbiome, making them an important component of any gut-friendly diet.

Beyond their wealth of nutritional value, many fermented foods are inexpensive and relatively easy to make at home — a trend many of us can get behind.

Mental Wellness

Our expert: Barbara Powell, MA, NBC-HWC, Life Time Mind coach

10. Trend: Integrative approaches to mental health

More and more, we’re finding that our bodies keep the score. There is mounting evidence and acceptance that our physical bodies hold significant importance to our mental well-being.

Addressing mental health purely through the mind cannot be the whole wellness story. More than ever, our culture is opening up to the possibilities of addressing what we feel in our bodies, how emotions are stored, and adopting a more integrative mind-body approach. (Learn more: “A Somatic Workout to Support Your Well-Being.”)

11. Trend: Balancing of energies and embracing a “yes, and . . . ” mentality

Work and rest. Discipline and play. Yes and no. Logic and emotion. Data and intuition. Just because one exists, doesn’t mean the other cannot. Two sides of a spectrum sometime need to be present to create balance. A collective embracing of “yes, and . . . ” means that, more than ever, we can operate as our authentic, full human selves.

Skincare

Our expert: Joee Nelson, master esthetician at LifeSpa in Eden Prairie, Minn.

12. Trend: Exosomes as an ingredient in skincare products

Exosomes are tiny, naturally occurring vesicles that cells use to communicate. In recent years, they’ve gained attention in skincare products — most commonly in serums — for their potential to rejuvenate and heal the skin.

Here’s why they’re considered beneficial: Rich in growth factors, proteins, and genetic material, exosomes can signal skin cells to produce more collagen and elastin, which are essential for skin elasticity and firmness. This can lead to smoother, more youthful skin. They also carry anti-inflammatory molecules that help calm irritated or inflamed skin.

Additionally, exosomes support faster skin healing by aiding in cell repair and turnover. This makes them useful in treating scars, sun damage, or post-procedural recovery.

Lastly, exosomes contain antioxidants that protect skin cells from oxidative stress caused by UV exposure and pollution. This protection helps prevent premature aging and supports skin health.

13. Trend: Rose hip oil as a natural skincare ingredient

Rose hip oil is one of my favorite natural skincare ingredients — it offers numerous benefits. It is rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants, such as vitamin C, which help to hydrate and nourish the skin.

Rose hip oil is known for its ability to improve skin texture and reduce the appearance of scars and fine lines, making it a popular choice for those looking to rejuvenate their complexion. It’s also gentle and suitable for most skin types, including sensitive skin.

14. Trend: Probiotics for skin health

Recently, the benefits of eating and drinking probiotics for skin health have been gaining attention. Yogurt with live cultures, kefir, kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut are all rich in probiotics. These foods help promote a healthy gut, which in turn can lead to clearer, more radiant skin.

Using skincare with probiotics as an ingredient can also help create a balance of bacteria on the skin’s surface, which is crucial for a clear and vibrant complexion. Probiotics can strengthen the skin’s barrier, which can protect against environmental damage and reduce inflammation.

Decorating and Home Design

Our expert: Lily Osterberg, interior design architecture intern for Life Time

15. Trend: Bold and saturated color schemes

Color trends in 2025 will embrace the use of bold colors balanced with warm neutrals — this allows for dramatic, fresh combinations without overwhelming a room.

Deep burgundy, navy blue, saturated green, chocolate brown, purples, and other warm earth tones will be popular colors for this upcoming year. Consider adding these bold color pops to your home through accent walls, bedding, decor, and cabinetry.

16. Trend: Mixed metals

The use of mixed metals has started to become a huge hit and will become more widely used in the upcoming year. Combining different metals of light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, and hardware will become increasingly popular, allowing for unique pairings across various spaces in the home.

This trend is likely to extend beyond 2025, as it is a wonderful way to add visual interest to a home. When incorporating this in your home, try not to use more than three metal finishes in one room. Consider choosing timeless finishes (chrome, polished nickel, and brass) for more permanent fixtures and more trendy finishes on items like mirrors and hardware.

17. Trend: Biophilic design

In 2025, biophilic design will continue to take precedence in interior design, focusing on bringing the outdoors in, to create spaces that foster a deeper connection with nature.

This trend embraces natural materials like stone, wood, and woven fibers, along with organic shapes and curving lines, which will be featured in everything from architecture to furniture to decor. Large windows will maximize natural light, while indoor plants, living green walls, and subtle touches of greenery throughout the home will further enhance this connection to the natural world.

This trend not only promotes a serene, refreshing environment but also aligns with growing concerns about sustainability, with a focus on materials that are both beautiful and eco-friendly.

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