I have come a long way since I first started my journey to living a healthy lifestyle. I have struggled with truly being happy with myself and the way I do things, but I have finally come to a place in my life where I can say I am truly happy and healthy, both physically and mentally. I hope to encourage and help everyone do the same. Keep reading to hear what I think it really means to be healthy.
For so long, I took the term healthy to mean a specific set of rules to live by. I thought that if I did anything else, I wasn't really healthy. No eating after 7. Eat mainly fish. Don't eat too much bread. Be sure to get some cardio into your workout. Order a salad when eating out. The list goes on and on. But is this really what healthy means? No! Healthy is the condition of your body and mind. It all has to do with how you feel.
So, what does this mean now? If there's no specific rule to be healthy, then how can you know what to do? Well, it's easy. What makes YOU happy is YOUR healthy. Different things work for different people and certain things that work for some, don't for others. And that's perfectly okay! We were all made unique and we should shape our life around who we are.
I see people all the time doing things or eating things they don't like just to hold up the standard of "healthy". But if healthy is about how you feel, and you aren't happy doing a certain thing, then that's not truly healthy. If dead lifts hurt your back or heavy squats hurt your knees, find other workouts that don't hurt you! Why injure yourself when our workouts are meant to make us stronger and feel our best. If you hate running, find another source of cardio that you enjoy. If you can't stand the taste of green smoothies, get your veggies the way you like! Whether that's a big stir fry or a fresh salad, just be sure YOU are the one enjoying it. Yes, dead lifts and green smoothies are healthy and good, but this doesn't mean they are healthy for you. Maybe hip raises and a salad are what's healthy for you, since that's what makes you happy and you feel your best.
With this being said, there are things that are obviously "unhealthy". Does that mean you should always avoid them? No! Indulgences in foods that aren't considered clean or healthy can be good for keeping your mind and body on track with your fitness goals without feeling restricted. Forget what you see in magazines or online and worry about how what you are doing makes you feel.
There is no perfect way to do things. In fact, there are endless ways you can still be healthy while loving your life and being happy. Find your unique style. Be mindful of what you eat, and be sure you really like it, and aren't just eating it because some fitness page said it was good for your stomach. Listen to your body when you train. Find exercises that push you and that you enjoy doing, but that don't harm you. Do things that will benefit your body as well as your mind. In short, find what works for YOU, because if you aren't happy, then you can't really be healthy! I hope this helped some of you realize that there is no standard or set of rules, and you can be healthy and happy at the same time :)
So, what does this mean now? If there's no specific rule to be healthy, then how can you know what to do? Well, it's easy. What makes YOU happy is YOUR healthy. Different things work for different people and certain things that work for some, don't for others. And that's perfectly okay! We were all made unique and we should shape our life around who we are.
I see people all the time doing things or eating things they don't like just to hold up the standard of "healthy". But if healthy is about how you feel, and you aren't happy doing a certain thing, then that's not truly healthy. If dead lifts hurt your back or heavy squats hurt your knees, find other workouts that don't hurt you! Why injure yourself when our workouts are meant to make us stronger and feel our best. If you hate running, find another source of cardio that you enjoy. If you can't stand the taste of green smoothies, get your veggies the way you like! Whether that's a big stir fry or a fresh salad, just be sure YOU are the one enjoying it. Yes, dead lifts and green smoothies are healthy and good, but this doesn't mean they are healthy for you. Maybe hip raises and a salad are what's healthy for you, since that's what makes you happy and you feel your best.
With this being said, there are things that are obviously "unhealthy". Does that mean you should always avoid them? No! Indulgences in foods that aren't considered clean or healthy can be good for keeping your mind and body on track with your fitness goals without feeling restricted. Forget what you see in magazines or online and worry about how what you are doing makes you feel.
There is no perfect way to do things. In fact, there are endless ways you can still be healthy while loving your life and being happy. Find your unique style. Be mindful of what you eat, and be sure you really like it, and aren't just eating it because some fitness page said it was good for your stomach. Listen to your body when you train. Find exercises that push you and that you enjoy doing, but that don't harm you. Do things that will benefit your body as well as your mind. In short, find what works for YOU, because if you aren't happy, then you can't really be healthy! I hope this helped some of you realize that there is no standard or set of rules, and you can be healthy and happy at the same time :)