12/27/2024
Have you ever considered that we cannot define health? It cannot be reduced the presence or absence of illness, or the appearance of muscle, or certain blood test results. It cannot be defined through physical capability, nor can it be defined by levels of happiness. We can have high blood pressure and live a beautiful life of social connection and self-compassion and fulfillment. We can be an elite athlete and suffer from crippling depression. We can have chronic illness and present as “healthy looking” by diet culture standards. We can have blood markers all in the “normal” range but feel deeply alone, anxious, and afraid.
How then can we talk about what makes a body “healthy”? I’m not sure it matters. But maybe, just maybe, we can all work towards something more simple and more fundamental: rest, nourishment, respect. And the thing about that conceptualization is that it becomes open to our own interpretation of what feels good, what feels kind, what feels safe.
You deserve food. You deserve rest. And trying to restrict or criticize our way to “health” is a path away from ourselves. For me, this can never lead to true wellbeing.
What do you think? How have you started to rethink and redefine health for yourself? I’d love to know, especially as we approach January and the messaging around what “healthy” means (and “looks like”) gets wild.♥️🙏🏼
