Healthy: A relative term

Healthy (or health) is one of those terms that gets thrown around way too much. Anything can claim to be healthy. True health is described by the bold words below (from Merrium-Webster dictionary):

1.  Free from disease or pain

2. Showing physical, mental, or emotional well-being

3. Beneficial to one's physical, mental, or emotional

4. Prosperous, Flourishing

Let’s clear up what healthy means (mostly relating to food) and what it does not.

1.       What you consider to be healthy may not really be healthy.

When asking someone what they eat, more often than not, the response is “I eat pretty healthy”.

Here’s my problem with that:

What you put in your body should bring you to another level, like the words that are in bold in the definition above. Some consider eating fat-free cheese and sugar-free (sweetened with Splenda) drinks healthy. Everyone has their own version and view of what is healthy. When I ask WHAT you eat, tell me exactly WHAT you eat and then we can determine what’s working and what’s not.

2.       We evolve.

My diet now is vibrant fruit and vegetables with some other whole foods in the mix. This is very different than what I ate 20 years ago when I thought I was eating healthy. However, 20 years ago I ate healthier than I did 10 years before that.

Most of us do not jump into a perfectly healthy lifestyle because it usually evolves. We add in better things while cutting out the bad. Be open to new whole foods. Notice what is working with your body and what may be bringing you down. No need to worry about being perfect, just keep putting as much good stuff in as you can.

3.       Don’t believe the hype.

If you are reading and following fads, what you think is healthy will always change because there is so much conflicting information out there.

Clever marketing also makes you believe that you should eat certain foods because of the label or claim they have on it.

Don’t believe the hype. Use your common sense. My Upgrade Your Life Program will point you in the right direction to see what works best with your body.

Bottom line, eat real food.

4.       Weight does not determine your health

“They mostly eat pizza and cereal, but that’s ok because they are not overweight”. This is like nails down a chalkboard for me. If you are not overweight, it does not mean that your body is running perfectly. Look to your body for other clues, like headaches, mood, bad periods, skin issues, etc.

No matter what size you are, remember that garbage in means garbage out. You may feel fine now, but it always does catch up with you.

5.       Health Care

Health care, in reality, is sick care. When you are taking care of your health, you are being proactive and preventative. All of the “health centers” and “health care” plans are not getting to the root causes and getting people well. If you want to be free from meds, pain and disease, remember that YOU are in charge of your body, so take charge!

 I did not mention health relating to your mind, body and how bombarded we are with chemicals. That’s for another time!

If this is confusing and you do not know where to start, Upgrade Your Life will point you in the right direction! Work with me to help guide you too! See the video Below too!