What the Heck is ‘Healthy?’
Hi guys! Happy Monday! Hope your week is off to an amazing start.
I started mine off with a sweaty iron-pumping sesh, a trip to the post office (package is on the way, my Pilot lurve), and a glorious breakfast.
It’s been too long….
They were just as amazing as I remember 🙂
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So as I’m sure you guys know, there’s been a lot of brouhaha in the blog world this past week. A lot of *bad* happened, but some very thoughtful and much-needed conversations occurred as well. I especially loved *this post* by my friend Heather regarding blogger responsibilities.
Throughout last week, quite a lot of talk went down classifying bloggers’ actions/training plans/eating styles as “healthy” or “unhealthy”.
It got me thinking: What the heck is healthy, anyway??
Disclaimer: If you are currently struggling with ED or in recovery and think that reading about this topic may result in a trigger effect or is a sensitive issue, please skip the rest of this post. I don’t ever want to offend or influence others, just share my experiences and what has worked for me and what hasn’t. Everyone is different and knows how certain things affect their bodies and minds—it’s up to us to use our best judgment.
“Healthy” is such a subjective term and what is considered healthy and normal for one person, may be not-so-healthy to someone else. In the beginning of my weight loss journey and even into maintenance mode, I thought *healthy* was about perfection. While I never had an official eating disorder, I definitely participated in disordered eating, which I’m sure many women unintentionally do when they’re flooded with so much information and trying to find a balance.
There was a [very short] time in college when I ate a few Quaker granola bars for each of my meals and snacks. It wasn’t for weight loss or anything like that, but they tasted good, were inexpensive and I thought they were *healthy*. Going for an entire day without a fruit or vegetable is anything but. When I was trying to lose weight, I tried a variety of crazy diets (all of which I’ve written about on the blog) and there was a time when my life was very sugar-free, fat-free, low carb and chemical-laden. I tried so hard to be what I thought was *perfect*, almost all of the time, which I now know isn’t a fun or healthy way to live.
I eventually realized that “healthy” is IMperfection. Not being afraid to skip a day at the gym, eat indulgent desserts without regard to calories or fat, and cutting yourself some slack… not just with fitness and eating, but with life. Taking time for a nap, a pedicure, a snuggle sesh, or a glass of vino and great chat with a friend.
On the other hand, I think it’s so important to make fitness and nutrition a priority, without taking it overboard, for long and happy lives.
So what’s the difference between healthy and unhealthy?
Is it the intention behind actions? The comfort in not always being *perfect*?
What does healthy mean to you??
I’m OFF work today, so it’s time to run amuck in Orlando. And by that, I mean do laundry and get groceries before dance tonight 😉
See ya later today!
xoxo,
Gina
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To me, being healthy means keeping active, eating a well-balanced diet, and staying focused on positive thoughts. It’s all about doing the things to keep your mind and body happy 🙂
Being healthy to me means a few things:
– being able to work toward something greater than yourself
– feeling truly beautiful and as if you are making the most of every day
It’s not about the scale, the celeb look, etc., but about using clean eating and proper exercise to live your best life. 🙂
Healthy to me means having the strength and endurance to do the things I want to do
Healthy to me means being balanced in all aspects of your life – emotionally, mentally, and physically. And being just as gentle and kind to yourself as you would be to others. Work hard, play hard, relax hard =)
Healthy means feeling good and feeling strong. Eating the foods that make you feel good and moving your body.
Healthy is all about balance! Make sure you get your healthy fats (fats are so good for you!), your carbs (carbs are so good for you!), and your protein (ohhhh protein is so good!). Find the right balance for you – fuel your body. Get joy out of strength. Eat what makes you feel good – physically and mentally. Smoothies and oatmeal and fresh food are what makes me feel amazing, and to balance that, sometimes I need to share a brownie and ice cream with my sweetie. Don’t hate your body, don’t fall prey to the bully in your head with all that negative nelly stuff. That’s health, to me.
Healthy is being able to enjoy my family and engage in playing with my daughter. Having a healthy body and mind will allow me to be there for my baby as she grows.
Feeling strong, eating a balanced diet and exercising.
Healthy = being able to move, lift, run and dance freely without struggling to make it fun. Enjoy Friday! and do a little twirl 😉
Healthy to me is about balance. It’s about making good food choices most of the time because eating well makes me feel good. But it’s also about enjoying life (including more “indulgent” foods), without guilt. Learning that different foods are not inherently good or bad, just food!
To me, being healthy is about balance and loving yourself! A good mix of activity, rest, clean eats, treats and lots of love for yourself and others 🙂
“Healthy” is leading a balanced life with nutritious food, exercise that I enjoy and a peaceful attitude. It includes both physical and mental balance!
Healthy means laughing every day.
Healthy means keeping your life in balance and not taking anything too seriously!
Healthy is having energy to keep up with your active children, being free of disease and feeling happy and well in your own skin.
Being healthy to me means being confident in my skin because I feel good about my body inside and out!
Being healthy is all about balance in your life. Too much of anything whether it is work play exercise or kale, is never a good thing!
To me- healthy is HAPPY- When I am happy I treat myself better- workout more, eat better, feel better, more energy, etc. Its a loop! If I fall off the “healthy bandwagon” I try to stop, do something that makes me happy, and continue on from there 🙂
So simple yet so complicated 😉
What does Healthy mean to me? It means good, clean, organic farm fresh food. It means working out 4-5 times per week, not necessarily hard core workouts every day, but moving around and doing something. It means feeling good on the inside and out. Those are what healthy means to me!
To me, healthy means having balance. A balance between work and play, a balance between pushing yourself physically and giving yourself rest days, a balance between enjoying treats and filling up with nutritious eats. When you live a balanced life, you live a healthy life 🙂
To me, healthy is fueling your body in such a way that it gets all the vitamins and nutrients it needs, while also getting exercise consistently to keep all systems firing at optimal levels. Beyond those basic needs, there is no reason why we can’t treat ourselves here & there!
To me being healthy means finding a good balance between indulgence and a strict workout/eating plan. Everyone needs chocolate in their lives! 🙂
Being healthy to me means: Trying hard everyday to do my best no matter what with what I am eating and with my daily activities. If I feel good on the inside it will shine through to the outside!
Healthy to me is about being or trying to be the best version of yourself, physically, mentally, & emotionally. Life is about balance, everything in moderation 🙂
My healthy is being mindful about what goes into my body and staying active so that I can live a long and fulfilling life.
Healthy to me is making very conscious choices about what I put in my body and do with my time, and making sure those choices make me happy and feel good. One of my sun-phobic friends once tried to scold me for spending too much time out in the sun, saying that I’d get skin cancer (an awfully finite statement if you ask me). I told her that if I die of skin cancer, make sure everyone knows I have no regrets, because I was happy the whole time. I’ve never really eaten a lot of processed or chemical-laden foods (my mom didn’t allow them growing up, which I’m really thankful for now), but my vices are definitely coffee and wine–but those also make me happy 🙂 I used to be very obsessive about only eating “clean” foods but even that I’ve relaxed a bit– sometimes you just CAN’T get an organic salad, it’s okay to eat a conventional one.
For me, healthy means feeling comfortable, strong and capable.
Being healthy means feeling confident about myself.
Love sneak giveaways! Healthy to me is finding a balance with fitness and healthy eating without getting stressed. I strive to eat home cooked meals and my dogs get me out walking at least once a day. If there are weeks where that’s my entire “wellness routine” I’ve learned that’s ok!
Healthy means many different things to me…. it means loving and appreciating my body for what it is….it means getting a healthy balance of healthy foods and exercise with some wine and chocolate too 🙂 it also means having a healthy mind set and avoiding extremes at times.
For me, being healthy means living my life in a way that maximizes my potential. It is fueling my body to do the activities that I love, staying fit so that I can climb mountains and go running, but also enjoy treating myself to a sweet treat every once in a while because I love sweets. It’s all a balance.
My thoughts on being healthy have changed over the years. If you ask me this several years ago, I would have said being thin. After going through some health issues and reaching out to experts for help, healthy now means to me fueling my body with proper nutrition in order to lead an active lifestyle. I also changed how I think about cleaning using normal household items like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice, no more chemicals.
Healthy is finding that balance that works for you-emotionally, physically and spiritually.
That sneaky Bella!! To me, healthy means whole foods and a balanced lifestyle that minimizes stress for my family. If one person is stressed, no one is happy, so it’s a constant balance that has only gotten more challenging with a demanding toddler and another kiddo on the way! If we’ve had a day where we’ve been outside, had some delicious whole foods, and more laughs than tears, it’s a healthy day 🙂
Healthy means so many things to me–eating a diet that works for me and my crazy digestive system (vegetarian), staying active by working out in ways that are enjoyable to me and fueling my body with whole foods that leave me feeling well.
For me, healthy means everything in moderation but love, laughs, friends and family. From the latter, all that I can take 😉
I love this question! Being healthy to me is filling my body with healthy foods, running and being active, resting when necessary,and having the ability to LOVE my strong, awesome body even when it is not perfect.
What a great post! I, like you, struggled for a long time to find my “healthy”. I was a college athlete – constantly weighed and measured by coaches, trainers, etc. against some crazy standard of what my “ideal weight” was. I struggled with disordered eating as well, sometimes resorting to liquid diets while training 4 hours a day just to make weight during pre-season. After I was done with school, I was completely lost as far as what nutrition and training meant to “normal” people. I felt like if I didn’t work out until I almost passed out, I wasn’t doing anything at all! It took me a good 5 years before I found my norm – no more than 1hr workouts per day (who has time for 4???) and a healthy diet that includes a wide variety of foods, most of which I had never heard of 5 years ago. Healthy is NOT a number on a chart – it’s feeling good in your skin and being able to use your body for the things you want to do. I love your blog so much because it’s constantly giving me new workout ideas and foods to try. Healthy is an ever changing and evolving thing!
healthy to me means doing what makes you feel best! for me, thats eating lots of fruits and veggies, running with friends, biking with family, and doing yoga, but not denying myself after-dinner ice cream or a movie-marathon on the couch 🙂 all of that combined keeps me feeling great physically, emotionally, and mentally.
To me health is all about balance in both body and mind. I can exercise everyday but if my mind is stressed, I will never reap the true benefits. If I feel guilt in nourishing my body with nutritious foods, or my soul with delicious cookies, I will never find balance. It’s all about finding a middle ground that allows breathing room, flexibility, and strength.
Healthy for me is to give your body what it needs and what is good for it in the long term.
Healthy is the achievement of balancing a positive physical and mental lifestyle. Although life causes this balance to shift negatively at times the true strength is when a person can persevere and put forth their best effort in maintaining that balance to the best of their abilities.
To me healthy means making good decisions most of the time. Allowing myself to splurge or skip a workout is important when I’m celebrating or my body tells me I need a rest day.
Healthy to me is balance! I work a very demanding job and want to ENJOY my time with my husband and friends; being too “healthy” takes the fun out of meals and drinks with them! However, I follow a vegan diet (for medical/health reasons) and run/strength train consistently. It all keeps my mind and body in balance, and healthy! Thanks for your input!!
To me healthy means to take care of the body as if you take care of every thing in your life like your kids. If my body is healthy then I will be able to do all of the jobs. It also keeps the balance to the body and mind and makes life beautiful.
Healthy to me is being of string body and mind, being a good example to my daughters. It’s being confident in my choices but also having fun. I’ve definitely learned that healthy does not mean restriction and punishment!
*strong, not string haha!
For me, healthy is eating like a PRO! Focusing on quality proteins and produce (veggies in particular), avoiding excess starches/grains, processed foods, and sugar, and exercising for fun in addition to fitness. Ooh, and the other biggie- sleeping plenty! When you eat and live the way that truly makes you feel great, you’ve achieved a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy for me is balance and listening to my body. They just go hand and hand 🙂
Healthy to me means feeling good in body, mind and spirit by keeping active and fueling your body with real food. Above all, being healthy means staying positive and happy 🙂 thanks, Miss Bella!
To be being healthy is when the decision to choose a veggie packed meal or do a workout is automatic, just part of your everyday lifestyle. At the same time it’s realizing that you won’t make those decisions everyday, and that’s ok, because choosing cake for dinner or laying around binging on Netflix is the exception not the rule. All about balance!