Let's Chat About What "Healthy" means?
A few days ago, I shared two photos of myself in my underwear on instagram with a caption talking about learning to accept my body in whatever form it’s in, because frankly just like life, it ebbs and flows.
“@stay__stoked: Here I am. Stripped down. The best part about this photo? When I got these photos back I didn’t start to pick myself apart.
There have been times throughout this year where I was in worse shape than I am in this photo and there were times where I was way more toned than I am now, but I’m content where I am now. I appreciate my body for more than what it looks like, but I’ve also learned to appreciate what it looks like in it’s different phases of ebb and flow. I’ve learned that setting goals of becoming a stronger paddler in the surf serves me way more than setting the goal to have visible abs. As with everything in life I’m always learning. I’m still learning how to balance a healthy lifestyle (or what a healthy lifestyle looks like for me, because it is so different for everyone) with a busy schedule. I’m still learning how to really listen to my body and know when to force my self out of bed for my own mental sanity and when to let myself rest.
I’m learning. I’m growing. And I’m loving myself through it all.
📷 @amandavickcreative thank you for letting me be apart of this project of yours, can’t wait to see the final product.”
After writing that caption, I got to thinking more about what “healthy” really means.
I am a firm believer that health is personal. I am a believer that each person requires different things to be “healthy.”
With this being said I know a few things that do not define health:
-Health is not visible 6 pack abs.
-Health is not the ability to run a marathon or half marathon or even a mile.
-Health is not following a fitness and meal plan to a T all day, everyday.
-Health is not green juice and protein shakes.
Can these things all contribute to a healthy life? Sure, but they aren’t mutually exclusive with one. The thing is, a healthy lifestyle has to do with more than just the foods you eat and the ways you move your body.
Personally, I’ve come to learn that my version of health and when I feel the most healthy is when:
I am working out for the mental benefits not the aesthetic ones.
When I take the possible aesthetic changes out of the workout equation it becomes much more enjoyable. I found that the times when I was only judging my progress or how hard I have worked on the way my body does or does not look got me discouraged and discouraged quickly. When I focus on the metal benefits, though, the opposite is true. Instead of feeling discouraged, I become more motivated and want to keep the momentum going. When I remember the way hopping on a bike can help me pedal away a funk or the way that yoga helps not just my body flow, but the ideas too, who wouldn’t want to keep going? Frankly, some of my best ideas and my favorite post here on the blog have come when I am being active in some way. For me, that is healthy motivation.
I allow myself to eat what I want.
Sometimes that’s roasted Brussel sprouts, a beyond burger, and sweet potatoes. Sometimes it’s a big bowl of ice cream or a few of my mom’s cookies. I don’t limit myself to a “cheat meal” or only reward myself with the “bad foods” when I have been exceptionally clean with the rest of my diet. That doesn’t work for me, it led to unhealthy habits. I try to keep it balanced and not go crazy with the portions, but even if I do go crazy it’s okay. Relationships with food can be tricky, so I try to keep mine as simple and guilt free as possible.
I don’t take on more than I can handle.
I am a people pleaser and I love to be of assistance in anyway I can (hey there fellow enneagram type 2’s!) I have a hard time saying “no” because I never want to miss out on something or let someone else down. I’m learning, though, that when I don’t commit to everything and I leave myself with a little room to breathe in my schedule it helps me keep a healthy grasp on other areas of my life as well.
I ask for help.
Okay, still not totally great at this, but I’m working on it. It’s not healthy to keep things bottled up and I’m working to be better at asking for help when I have a problem I can’t quite work through on my own. We as humans are social beings, we aren’t meant to figure everything out on our own.
For me health is sustainable. It is something that can feasibly be carried through your days long term, even when life gets a bit crazy.
For me health is the absence of guilt. It’s not penalizing myself for choosing a few glasses of wine instead of finishing my water for the day. It’s not feeling the need to “run off” the ice cream I decided to have in place of dinner. It’s not beating myself up when I hit snooze instead of going to the cycle class I booked.
For me health is not perfection. Perfection does not exist. So, when we strive to live the picture perfect “healthy lifestyle” we are bound to fail. You know the one I’m talking about. Workout every day. Eat only fresh, raw, unprocessed foods. Get 8 hours of quality sleep. Have a multistep skin care routine. Etc. Etc. Etc. It’s not realistic. Sure maybe some days you can check all these things off the list, but some nights you will not get 8 hours of sleep. Some days your body will need a break from the intense workouts. Sometimes your friends have reasons to celebrate so it’s out for dinner and drinks. None of that makes you unhealthy. That means that you are actually living your life, which to me is way more healthy.
Healthy is being able to be imperfect and still move forward. It’s deciding to sleep in instead of going to the gym because that is what your body needs more and it’s about not beating yourself up about that.
Healthy isn’t always glamorous. Some days it is pulling yourself out of bed when your not so nice friend Abby is filling your head with thoughts that are telling you that you can’t function, but instead of listening to her you force yourself to get out of bed, brush your hair, drink some water, and eat something decent.
Healthy is being able to accept change. It’s being able to realize that sometimes you feel amazing and the most toned you ever have and sometimes life happens and you are a little softer around the edges. Healthy is accepting yourself in whatever state you are in. It is appreciating your body for the amazing things it does for you rather than the way it looks. It is being able to handle a last minute change in your schedule without panicking. It’s being able to adapt when the process you’ve always followed to complete a task at work gets modified.
Health is discovering under what conditions your mental and physical self function the best and applying those things to your daily life.
I guess this is all my long way of saying- we are shown so many versions of “healthy” and given so much information, constantly, on what our healthy lifestyles should or should not look like. Suddenly there are new things that are healthy and the things that we always thought were healthy no longer are. It can be overwhelming.
It’s okay to ignore it all. Health and being healthy is a personal journey that you have to explore. It’s okay to do your own research. It’s okay to do the things that you know will make you feel like the best version of yourself physically and mentally even if that’s different than someone else's. It’s okay to make changes. It’s okay to try something new. It’s okay.