The wellness industry is a $3.4 trillion global market, according to the non-profit, The Global Wellness Institute. They report that the wellness industry is comprised of 10 markets:

1. Spa Industry: $94 billion global market

2. Wellness Lifestyle Real Estate: $100 billion

3. Wellness Tourism: $494 billion worldwide market

4. Thermal/Mineral Springs Market: $50 billion global market

5. Preventative/Personalized Health: $433 billion market

6. Complementary/Alternative Medicine: $187 billion industry

7. Beauty & Anti-Aging: $1.03 trillion global segment

8. Workplace Wellness: $41 billion market

9. Fitness & Mind-Body: $446 billion market

10. Healthy Eating/Nutrition/Weight Loss: $574.2 billion

The organization defined wellness as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. It goes beyond mere freedom from disease or infirmity and emphasizes the proactive maintenance and improvement of health and well-being. Expressed on a continuum that extends from reactive to proactive approaches to health, wellness falls firmly on the proactive side, incorporating attitudes and activities that prevent disease, improve health, enhance quality of life, and bring a person to increasingly optimum levels of well-being.”

Considering this definition of an industry that continues to grow even through a recession, there is an influx of attention and research defining wellness. I couldn’t wait to learn how 19-year vegan veteran, celebrity fitness trainer, and wellness coach, Ella Magers, is impacting this definition. She is the owner and founder of Sexy Fit Vegan®, the educational brand of all things vegan. Here are the highlights from our conversation.

AMM: What is your mission for Sexy Fit Vegan?

Ella: “I want to educate, motivate, and inspire people to adopt a plant-based diet. My goal is to bring veganism to the mainstream by showing that vegans can have a “normal” lifestyle – eating out, being sexy, and having healthy muscle.”

 AMM: So what does being vegan have to do with being sexy?

Ella: “Veganism comes along with many stereotypes, such as vegans are all hippies, extreme activists, and/or yogis. I want everyone to learn that going vegan means detoxing from the inside out, and that having compassion for animals is “sexy.”

 AMM: Why do you think veganism has been gaining popularity over past 3-4 years, even though it has existed since the 1940’s?

Ella: “I think we will be reaching a tipping point really soon. As celebrities begin to endorse the vegan lifestyle, the media draws more attention to it, which is creating a snowball effect where more and more people become educated. Everyone can think of someone they know who has or had cancer or heart disease, and there is so much scientific dietary evidence of how veganism reduces these diseases. This data is finally becoming more readily available for everyone to see and be able to make educated decisions about what we put into our bodies. Also, what goes on behind the closed doors of factory farms is finally being exposed. People love animals, and seeing them suffer can be the strongest motivation of all. It is for me. And, as people start to understand the detrimental effects of animal agriculture on our environment, it is often the icing on the cake for going vegan.”

AMM: How does overall vegan wellness impact the overall wellness of our planet?

Ella: “On an environmental level, animal agriculture has a greater effect on greenhouse gas emissions than transportation, which is so commonly thought to be the largest source. The amount of deforestation, pollution to our waters, and release of methane gas from animal agriculture has grown at such an alarming rate. A person that eats a fully plant-based diet produces 50% less CO2, and uses 1/11th oil and 1/13th water and 1/8th land than a typical meat-eater. Becoming vegan is the true way to being an environmentalist and doing our part to preserve the planet for future generations… I highly recommend watching the documentary Cowspiracy.” (data is from cowspiracy.com/facts)

AMM: With releasing your new book and your speaking engagement at the upcoming SEED Food and Wine Festival, what message are you focusing on?

Ella: “Anyone can do it. I provide easy ways to get started. My new book, Six Weeks to Sexy Abs Meal Plan, provides an easy-to-follow formula with recipes that will help you achieve a strong, lean body. The plan and the recipes were both created to be practical, simple, and do-able for even the busiest of people and for people who are new to plant-based eating. All I ask is for you give it a try for 6 weeks… then you can see for yourself the results and how turning the diet into a lifestyle will help you keep the weight off, have energy, prevent disease, and feel clean and light!

 I also just started a workout challenge leading up to the release of the book to jump start everyone with motivation for being fit and healthy. The book also includes a supplemental workout plan. Pre-ordering the book is the way to go so you can have it on your doorstep December 15th. The book is available now on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.”.

You can find Ella’s burpie challenge on her Facebook page. Additionally, she has two ebooks, How to Go Vegan: A Beginner’s Guide and Create Your Own Superfood Protein Shakes, that will help anyone begin the transition toward a healthy vegan diet.

Clearly, Ella contributes to the nutrition and fitness markets of the Global Wellness Institute’s definition of the wellness industry. However, it seems she is adding to their definition of wellness by expanding it to include the wellness of our planet; that our choices can be preventative for the wellness of our environment, and all those in it, too.

What does wellness mean to you?