The pandemic didn't just set the world back economically but sent us to the gym, straight from house arrest as health suddenly seemed a priority. The $2 trillion global wellness industry quietly started taking centrestage. It was more just a moment, it quietly slipped into our routine, all in the name of longevity planning.
Now, we're at the stage where healthmaxxing videos on Instagram look like we're getting ready for a war - LED masks, running to save our lives, meal strategy planning and especially, propaganda against all kinds of food, only to slow ageing. In the name of longevity planning, it feels like a repackaged hangover of the 2000 skinny craze. But, in this war to optimise every part of our routine, we often forget to ask - what are we fighting for? A better life or a life that we can control every minute of.
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This article explores the rise of healthmaxxing as a post-pandemic wellness culture shaped by optimisation, longevity planning and the need to control in uncertain times.
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It examines how dopamine-fuelled impatience and uncertainty have transformed health into a form of self-surveillance through tracking, routines and extreme wellness practices.
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The piece argues that healthmaxxing reflects a deeper cultural fear of aging, vulnerability and losing control in an unstable world.
