I have said this before and I am going to keep saying it, everyone is different. Therefore, we all view health in unique ways and a lot of us will change how we define it as we learn more from doing our own research. There are standards set in place based on medical research for doctors to evaluate an individual’s health, such as a normal weight range for your height and build. However, fitting within ALL of the medical standards may not mean you are completely healthy. It also is obvious we all have a difference of opinion as to what is healthy. So ask yourself, “how do I define healthy?”
I define being healthy as feeling good mentally and physically to be able to live a happy life. I see it more as being about quality of life. What do I need to be happy? For me this means I take time for myself mentally and emotionally, I do not eat processed foods 80-95% of the time, I avoid foods that I know cause me digestive inflammation (diarrhea, bloating, gas, intestinal cramping, constipation, etc.) and I workout every other day while being active everyday.
I meditate, workout, talk through any overwhelming feelings I develop, keep things positive as much as possible and try to socialize regularly. I make 80-95% of the foods I eat from scratch. The other 5-20% of the time I just enjoy my food while hanging out with my wonderful friends and family. I get IBS flare ups when I consume fried/high fat foods, alcohol, beans with meat, processed foods and cane sugar. I will get into more detail about food and eating in a future post. I run, do resistance training, do HIIT workouts or whatever I feel like to get my heart rate up and my mind clear every other day. Every day I’m always doing some sort of activity because that is when I’m at my happiest. This is how I stay healthy.
I really started defining this for myself while I was searching for recipe ideas and nutrition advice in 2015. There are SO MANY diets/lifestyles out there, but I have always felt as though none of them fit me perfectly. So it is important to think through this to start getting into a healthy routine that fits for your needs, schedule and lifestyle. Now, I find it easier to make the right choices when it comes to working out and fueling my body with the right foods without it being stressful. It is a very personal thing and I hope that my example helps you get started because you just might feel better for it.
If you want to share how you define health, comment below!
Reasonably Fit Life 
Loved your photo and this blog post! I definitely lost track of what “healthy” meant to me a little more than I intended lately. Abs don’t always mean healthy if you can’t live and maintain balance (physically, socially, and emotionally). And working out is something good for my personal well-being, not for weight-loss, which makes exercising as a whole so much more fun and something to look forward to!
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Yes, we are all different, and one thing that really plays into the difference is our age. 30 years ago, 20 years ago, oh heck, last year. I had much different definitions of being healthy. After a couple of serious health issues, being healthy has a whole new meaning, which is kind of hard to describe. The one thing that I would have to take from your most recent posts, is stay flexible, don’t get stuck with something that doesn’t really work for YOU. My past jobs have kept me very active, but since retirement and just playing around doing wine/spirit demos, I have found that the exercise routine that I have adopted to make up for the reduced daily activity, makes a big difference both physically and emotionally. I refuse to just sit around and vegetate because of a couple of minor health issues, that would probably not help any, and would give me more time to feel sorry for myself, which I try to avoid.
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You go Mark! You’ve always been a motivator for me to do what makes me happy 🙂
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