We often set ourselves goals to ‘be more healthy', but how often do we stop to think about what being “healthy” actually means?
I was recently asked to write about what “healthy” means to me, and it turns out it took a great deal of pondering! And is something I could write about at great length.
But for now, this is what being healthy means to me:
Having the freedom to participate in your own life in the way that’s meaningful for you.
Being healthy to me isn’t simply about the absence of disease, illness or injury. Nor is it about doing the things we are conditioned to believe we “should” do to stay “in shape”.
It’s about nourishing ourselves from a place of love - not through obligation and guilt - and being able to experience joy in life, whatever that looks like for us.
Mindset is, therefore, a key part of this. To experience that freedom, we have to allow ourselves to have it.
And this will involve doing things that make us feel good physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Nourishing ourselves with the food we eat is part of this. Eating foods that make us feel good and give us energy to live in the way we want to be living. Of course whole foods are generally amazing for us. And if that piece of chocolate cake is going to bring you JOY - and not guilt - go for it.
That freedom is about tapping into what makes YOU feel good.
The same goes for exercise (I actually prefer to say “movement” over “exercise”!) If you enjoy going to the gym and it makes you feel good, do it! If you go out of a sense of obligation and feel guilty when you miss a session, find a way to move that you enjoy.
Connection to others and to the natural world will also contribute to this, as well as doing the things that make your heart sing (think back to the activities you loved to do as a child if you want to bring more joy into your life!)
I could go on and on, but in summary…
Being healthy is having the freedom to do the things that nurture your body, mind and spirit in ways that are meaningful for YOU (no-one else!)
This is not easy by any means! I certainly haven’t got this nailed, but it’s what I work towards.
When I work with a client, we dig deep into what’s really important for them right now - this might be about doing particular things, or it might be about being a particular way. Often it’s a combination of the two.
Ultimately, it’s about discovering what this freedom means to them, understanding what they need physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to live their life in this way, and supporting them to do what they need to do to meet those needs.
Do you know what “healthy” means to you? Book your Discovery Call and let’s have a chat.