Bored of routine fitness? Try these exciting trends that are power-packed and easier to sustain for a whole new way of taking care of yourself this new year.

Wellness has evolved from a need for treatment to the importance of prevention and maintenance. There is a growing consciousness about health, fitness, nutrition, mindfulness, sleep and appearance.

With the dawn of 2025, the health and wellness landscape is undergoing unprecedented changes, to incorporate hyper-personalisation like never before. Custom-designed treatments and gadgets with cutting-edge technology that present your diagnosis and cure within moments are reshaping the way we understand and practise fitness.

From a chilled dunking experience to getting smart about your gut health and, finally, laying off those intense serums and letting your skin breathe – here are the top trends in wellness to look forward to in 2025.

ICE BATHS

You may know about the Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral in 2014. As its successor, cold plunges became the next big thing, popularised by athletes like Paula Radcliffe and Michael Phelps. Cold-water immersion has been known for centuries, first practised by ancient Greeks. Hippocrates, in the fourth century BC, documented the benefits of cold therapy for medicinal purposes and pain relief. A derivation of cryotherapy, ice baths are booming now, offered by gyms, spas, professional clinics and even beach clubs.

Not for the faint-hearted, an ice bath involves submerging yourself in a tub of ice or icy water for five to 15 minutes. It is claimed to be beneficial for muscle soreness, reducing inflammation and aiding exercise recovery. However, ice baths should be taken under expert supervision and guidance as they present a risk of hypothermia and shock.

Once the go-to of endurance athletes, ice baths have trickled down to neighbourhood fitness centres. From pop-up barrels that enable you to plunge yourself in an upright position and inflatable tubs when you want portability for a dip with a view, to premium smart tubs that control temperature at the touch of a button and activate audio and breathwork guides – there’s a wide range to choose from.

Where to go for ice baths in Bahrain: °CRYO Stay Young Bahrain at The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, Pause Recovery and Massage Centre, House of Athletes, The MJ Center, Malmö Massage & Recovery.

FUNCTIONAL FITNESS TRAINING

Picture lifting a heavy Amazon delivery without pulling a back muscle, heaving your luggage to place in the overhead compartment on a plane without straining your wrist and pivoting without twisting your ankle. Sounds ideal, like it should be? Make it so.

Despite the regimented gym sessions in our sedentary lives, workouts may not be as effective as we’d like them to be. So, if you’re bored of Pilates and tired of forcing HIIT on yourself, there’s good news for you. The fitness trend for 2025 is more practical, customisable and, most importantly, sustainable.

Make your fitness routine more natural by adopting Functional Fitness – a workout format that incorporates movements that facilitate you to function at your optimal best daily. “Functional training is performing exercises that replicate everyday life,” says Paul Hamblin, veteran Personal Trainer in Bahrain. “For example, lifting something and pressing above your head; sitting down and standing up – all these movements can be replicated with gym equipment, to improve strength, coordination and balance.”

Designed to make the human body behave as it should, functional fitness involves movements like squats, reverse lunges, single deadlifts and push-ups. It’s a holistic set of exercises that ensures all your muscle groups and joints are engaged daily to free you from pain, soreness and incorrect movement. It helps improve your balance, stability and flexibility and reduces the risk of injury. It boosts your overall strength and energy while keeping your weight in check.

Where to find Functional Fitness Training in Bahrain: Pure Fit, Spartan Fitness, House of Athletes, F45 Training, UFC Gym.

LOW IMPACT WORKOUTS

Is your exercise regimen taking a toll on your joints? Switch to low-impact workouts, that are less straining yet yield effective results. “Low impact workouts offer a reduced risk of injury while improving strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health without putting undue risk on the body,” says Johan Esterhuizen, Biokineticist, from Pure Fit Fitness Studio.

Activities include walking, cycling, Pilates, swimming and yoga. Bear in mind that low impact does not mean low intensity or easy; these activities will make you huff and puff but without causing aches and pains the next day. They have been known to improve heart and joint health, strengthen bones and lower the risk of diabetes.

Still too easy? Make it more challenging by lengthening the workouts, speeding up the pace and adding resistance. According to Johan, mobility and core stability exercises will be in vogue this year.

Where to find Low Impact Workouts in Bahrain: Pure Fit Fitness Studio, FIT Gym & Spa, Iron Park Gym, Olympia Health & Fitness Center, Madan Fitness.

STRENGTH TRAINING

Weight loss is perhaps the biggest issue most people grapple with in their fitness journeys and there’s no end to trying out various tips and tricks in the hope of achieving it. While fads come and go, it’s the most classic and age-old methods that often get overlooked. Like Strength Training. Endless cardio and diets may fall short without assimilating strength training into your fitness plan.

Trainer Andrey Gordeev from Spartan Fitness says: “Strength Training facilitates the development of muscle mass, enhances bone density, improves metabolism and increases overall strength and endurance. Moreover, Strength Training enhances posture, balance and coordination, reducing the risk of injuries and falls.” Strength Training or Resistance Training includes exercises that work out your muscles against an external resistance. These exercises involve the use of equipment like dumbbells, medicine balls, resistance bands and weight machines. You can also practise bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, squats and lunges to perform without gear.

These exercises help to reduce body fat, increase lean muscle and burn calories more effectively. “Gradually increasing weights, repetitions or sets over time challenges your muscles and supports ongoing progress. Allowing adequate rest is vital for muscle repair and growth. Ensure you get sufficient sleep and incorporate rest days into your training regimen,” adds Andrey.

Where to find Strength Training in Bahrain: Fitness First, Dynamic Fitness Bahrain, Pure Fit, Spartan Fitness, House of Athletes.

GUT HEALTH

The bedrock for the maintenance of the body and mind, gut health is the key to your overall well-being. Having a healthy gut microbiome and digestive system ensures the favourable functioning of your vitals and is paramount to avoiding issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and leaky gut.

Factors that affect the microbiome include a poor diet, high stress, excessive intake of antibiotics and insufficient sleep.

“Your gut is also your second brain, so it is very important to improve your gut health through managing your stress levels,” says Hanoof Alrayis, Clinical Dietician at Royal Bahrain Hospital. “Start by cutting down processed, high-sugar food items that harm your gut health and replace them with unprocessed, fibre-rich food.”

Keep your gut flourishing with a diet rich in fibre, fermented foods and ample hydration. “Introducing probiotics into your diet helps in increasing good bacteria in your gut, which improves overall digestion. You may take them in the form of supplements or naturally from yoghurt, kefir and kimchi,” advises Hanoof.

INTERMITTENT FASTING

Sure, you’ve tried several diets. But have you thought about when to eat instead of what to eat? Intermittent fasting is about giving importance to your eating schedule, which is very specific, such as 16/8. It involves eating during a window of eight hours and then fasting for 16. Other formats include the 5:2 approach, where you eat regularly for five days and then limit yourself to 500-600 calories – one-meal-a-day – twice a week.

“Intermittent fasting is great for breaking a plateau, especially for people struggling to lose weight in the long-term, as it puts the person at a calorie deficit and improves fat metabolism,” says Hanoof. “However, intermittent fasting must be done right to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Try having two meals and a snack every three to four hours during an eight to 10-hour eating window to cover your essential micro and macronutrient requirements, while still being at a safe calorie deficit,” she cautions.

HOLISTIC WELLNESS

With the increase in and uncontrolled use of pharmaceutical drugs like antibiotics, antidepressants, painkillers and sedatives, and the side effects that follow, natural care is growing in popularity with alternative therapies like ayurveda, yoga, meditation and massages. And while you may make time to hit the gym religiously, sleep most often tends to be compromised. Sleep therapy assists you in recognising and altering your sleeping habits to ensure better quality and quantity of sleep. From sleep syncing to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), there are several ways to fix your nightly bedtime routine.

While deep breathing is not a recent groundbreaking discovery, breathwork is being understood and practised widely now. You don’t need a morning routine or yoga class to practise breathwork. Taking out a few minutes any time of the day, anywhere, goes a long way in preserving your mental peace. Breathwork can be done in many ways – from deep abdominal breathing and alternate nostril breathing, to sequence counts like 4-7-8 where you inhale for four counts, hold for seven counts and exhale for eight counts. Slowing down the breath has several benefits, including reducing blood pressure, increasing oxygen supply to the organs and improving mood.

BOLSTER YOUR WELLNESS JOURNEY WITH THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY

In the era of hyper-personalisation, wellness tech is poised to become a game-changer in 2025. AI-driven apps and wearable devices like Fitbod and Oura Ring provide real-time insights and adapt to your daily energy and nutrition levels. They can create advanced and intelligent training schedules and diagnose impending medical conditions by monitoring various metrics.

Adding meal-planning apps, like Paprika, Eat This Much and PlateJoy, and calorie-counters like MyFitnessPal, LifeSum and Nutritionix Track, into your armoury can help fortify your defence against weight gain and help maintain a customised diet to suit your body’s needs. Shelling out some bucks on kitchen gadgets like a smart refrigerator that alerts you to depleting reserves or expiring foods can shield you against last-minute frittering on junk and take-away.

With the focus on mental wellness like never before, apps and programmes like Calm, Mindshift CBT and Headspace could be your handy go-to to stay calm and focussed to beat the daily grind. One area that is seeing a rising boom is Sleep Technology. If you’re plagued by the lack of quality sleep, investing in a Smart Mattress or Smart Bed may be the solution to all your problems. These hi-tech mattresses or beds use sensors and smart technology to collect and examine data about your sleep patterns. They offer adjustable settings for firmness, support, inclination and temperature to ensure you sleep faster and more restfully. The best part? They offer customisation on both sides of the bed, so no more quarrelling with your partner. And if you’re the one who needs a monotonous hum to lull you to sleep, get yourself a white noise machine like LectroFan, Yogasleep or Homedics, so you can blank out that restless mind or block out noises for undistracted slumber.

Want to take your wellness up even further? Imagine altering your genetic make-up to lead a stress and disease-free life. Sounds utopic? Say hello to ‘biohacking’. A form of preventative healthcare, biohacking employs AI diagnostics to stay healthy and sustain it long-term by making accumulative changes to your body, diet and lifestyle. It also helps to anticipate risk disposition to genetic diseases and prescribes deterrent measures for the same.

Busy lifestyles need smart solutions and the advancement in beauty treatments has helped women and men all over the world to enhance their skin and hair.

Hi-tech treatments and beauty gadgets
Microcurrent facial toning sculpts the face and reduces wrinkles. Facial hair removal procedures like dermaplaning are painless and convenient. Popularised by celebs, intravenous therapy containing antioxidants like vitamin C and glutathione has made a mark in providing instant results in skin brightening and increasing collagen formation.
LED masks are a staple at skin clinics now for their ability to increase collagen production, toning and reduction of acne. Those resistant to physical scrubs, brushes and chemical peels can rely on ultrasonic scrubbers for gentle exfoliation. Smart mirrors like Himirror track the formation of wrinkles and moles on your face and monitor the effectiveness of products.

AI Diagnostics
With AI pervading all domains, beauty and skincare couldn’t be left behind. AI skin analysis helps detect skin issues and provides recommendations on the most suitable treatment and products within seconds. AR virtual make-up try-ons have been a boon for remote shopping, where you can identify the most apt shades and experiment with colours.

Edible Skincare
Since external care is never enough, now you can also eat your way to flawless skin. Superfood supplements and collagen powders are becoming a favoured ammunition for beauty peeps. But as always, be sure to take a doctor’s advice before popping any pills. Meanwhile, Golden Milk and morning ginger shots are safe bets.

Skin cycling
Skincare has undergone a renaissance with active ingredients pervading every skincare product. But at the end of 2024, our complexions have become saturated with these super ingredients so much so that a break is in demand in the form of skin cycling.
Using multiple active ingredients simultaneously risks overburdening and damaging the skin instead of gaining the desired results. Skin cycling helps to give a muchneeded breather, by following a four-night singleingredient routine. Beginning with exfoliation on the first night, using retinol on the second and intense hydrants on the third and fourth, the emphasis is on minimalism. This basic routine helps skin repair its barrier and restore itself from the effects of strong actives.

Lymphatic Drainage
Nothing beats a good ol’ massage that aids the lymphatic system’s natural detoxification process. It helps eliminate excess fluid build-up from the lymph nodes, decrease puffiness, boost circulation and promote a clearer complexion. Lymphatic massage should be done by trained professionals like physiotherapists and massage therapists. Thereafter, you can learn to do simple massages yourself at home. Lymphatic massage is performed on the armpits, neck and the groin area.
With these exciting innovations to look forward to and technology helping us incorporate and implement them in easier ways, taking care of our health shouldn’t feel like a chore. From organic exercises and eating mindfully to smarter skincare, here’s to making health and wellness a lifestyle choice this new year.