Editor’s Note: this post is part of the current series of posts submitted by healthy living bloggers on what health means to them. We are no longer taking submissions on this topic and will soon open the floor to a new topic.
This post is brought to you by Jennifer at Truly Vibrant.
When it comes to having good health and being healthy, to me that means feeling good–truly good, not feeling good for a brief moment or appearing to others like you feel good. It means feeling alive and strong, able to live an energetic and vibrant life that makes you happy.
It’s not just the food we eat that impacts our health. It’s our whole life: our food, activities, career, spirituality, and relationships. So many of us think we are eating the right things, doing the right workouts, putting in the right number of hours at the right job, or devoting ourselves to the right people in our lives, when in reality, what we think is “right” is totally wrong for us. Sometimes we have to get out of our own way and see past the lifestyle temptations and patterns that offer temporary satisfaction but actually prevent us from finding true health and happiness.
It may sound basic, but to me, healthy simply means “good for you,” and “good for you” can accurately describe many, many different things. It can apply to vigorous workouts or afternoon naps. It can apply to a vegetarian diet or a meat-filled diet. It can apply to whole-grains and wholesome baked goods, or it can apply to a gluten-free way of eating.
Sometimes the things that make us feel alive and strong aren’t even the traditionally “healthy” choices, but they are good for us. (See my recent blog post about “wholesome” treats versus traditional “healthy foods!”)
If you can really learn to listen to your body, and make the lifestyle choices that make you feel truly good, inside and out, you’ve found what health means to you. Bravo!
Thanks Jennifer! To stay updated on everything going on with HLB, please be sure to subscribe in your feed of choice!
