If I see one more “miracle” supplement advertised by an influencer whose only credential is a ring light and a high-speed internet connection, I’m going to put my head through a wall.
We are living in the loudest era of wellness history. We have smart rings tracking our REM cycles, infrared saunas in our living rooms, and enough “biohacking” podcasts to fill a literal lifetime of commuting. Yet, as a collective, we are more exhausted, more inflamed, and, frankly, sicker than ever.
It feels like we’re screaming into a void filled with ice baths and $80 collagen peptides. So, why the disconnect? As someone who has spent years in the trenches of health and wellness, I have a few theories on why the trend-o-meter is breaking while our health is cracking.
The problem? Wellness influencers aren’t trying to make you healthy, they’re just trying to make the algorithm happy.
The Algorithm Doesn’t Do “Basic”
Here is the uncomfortable truth: The TikTok algorithm hates real health. Real health is boring. It’s eating protein, lifting heavy things, and getting sunlight. But “boring” doesn’t get 10 million views.
You know what does? Telling people that milk is trying to kill them or that you need to buy a $150 “grounding mat” for your bed so you can “connect to the earth’s frequency” while you sleep on the second floor of an apartment building. Content creators are incentivized to find the weirdest, most niche “hack” possible because novelty drives engagement. We keep getting sicker because we’re abandoning the 90% of stuff that actually works in favor of the 1% of stuff that looks cool in a 15-second vertical video.
Wellness as an Affiliate Link
The industry has successfully turned health into a collection of gadgets. If a creator can’t put an affiliate link on it, they’re probably not going to talk about it.
That’s why your feed is full of $100 “electrolyte” powders that are basically salt and stevia (which fyi are probably stressing your kidneys, but i digress), and $300 red-light face masks that make you look like a low-budget slasher villain. We’re being told that health is something we purchase rather than something we practice. Newsflash: A home cold plunge tub isn’t a solution if your diet consists of “stress and caffeine,” it’s just an expensive way to get hypothermia in your garage.
The Micromanagement Stress-Spiral
Because creators need to keep “adding value” to stay relevant, they keep adding more “rules” to keep you scrolling. One week you’re told to wear blue-light blocking glasses at noon; the next, you’re told to tape your mouth shut at night to “optimize oxygenation.”
We’re trying to manage our bodies like a complex Excel spreadsheet. But the human body isn’t a machine you can “overclock.” When you try to micromanage every single biomarker based on a “hack” you heard from a guy who’s never seen a patient in his life, you create a massive spike in Cortisol. We’re so stressed about “winning” at wellness that we’re literally making ourselves sick.
The Elect Wellness Bottom Line
Look, the truth isn’t “disruptive” or “innovative.” It’s actually pretty boring. If you want to stop feeling like a high-performance engine running on low-grade fuel, you have to stop listening to the people who are famous for being famous and start listening to the basics.
The algorithm wants your attention; your body just wants you to go for a walk and eat a vegetable.
Move with intent. If it doesn’t make you sweat or breathe hard, it’s a hobby, not a workout.
Eat real food. If it has a “marketing claim” on the box, it’s probably not a health food.
Ignore the noise. If a health “tip” sounds like it was designed to go viral, it probably was.
Quit buying the hype from the uneducated. Start doing the work.
Thomas C. Jensen is an exercise physiologist, nutritionist, and a nationally certified personal trainer through both the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Harding University and a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. As a wellness speaker and franchisor, he has shared his expertise in health and fitness with diverse audiences. He has been professionally training and consulting clients of all ages and backgrounds, for both health and human performance, for over 20 years. In March of 2004, he launched Elect Wellness, a thriving home-delivered personal training and nutrition coaching company, which has since expanded into an effective franchise system.
