Written by Megan Farthing
Hello Alive readers my name is Megan and I’m a Nutritional Therapist and Weight loss Coach.
In my work, I have seen some medically ‘unhealthy’ people with symptoms of ill health as long as your arm and come complete with medications to match.
But what does it mean to “be healthy”?
Being healthy doesn’t just mean the absence of illness, many people focus on obesity as a measure of whether a person is healthy or unhealthy whereas, some describe pain as being unhealthy.
“Healthy” looks different to everyone and isn’t measured as easily as getting on the scales.
It means feeling ‘well’ in yourself, having energy, ease of movement, feeling strong, fit and motivated, as well as a feeling of contentment and happiness.
These are some aspects to having good health, that will never differ no matter the age or stage of life you are in.
Good Nutrition: Eating foods that nourish the body instead of degrading you from the inside out will not only change the number on the scales if that’s what you need but eating well will also reduce
inflammation and ease symptoms of pain and disease.
Regular exercise: Or any movement that you enjoy and can do consistently will only enhance your quality of life both physically and mentally.
Prioritising sleep: This can have a huge impact on how ‘healthy’ we feel and can affect our good intentions with food choices and regular activity.
Stress reduction: Be kind to yourself, talking to yourself as you would a friend with love and encouragement maybe the catalyst to finding ways to calm the mind and body.
Mindset: This plays a big part in creating a lifestyle that moves toward feeling healthy rather than staying in the rut you may have found your health in today. Being mindful of where you can make some changes that will give you feelings of accomplishment will enhance the process.
So how do I achieve health?
You start with small, sustainable changes that fit into your lifestyle. Small changes can and do create big rewards.
Why is being healthy important?
While it may not be possible to avoid diseases altogether and finding the fountain of youth is just a fairy tale, we should do as much as we can to develop resilience and prepare the body to deal
with illnesses should they arise.
Being healthy isn’t a short-term goal or something to do for a few weeks — it’s a journey and it can be fun and easy!
When you find balance in your life, you are on the right track to feeling your best!