Well, HELLO!
Coach Meg here, and today I want to talk about why an obsession with health is not, well, healthy. I would know, because I was obsessed with society’s definition of health for so long, and it made me the least healthy I’d ever been.
When I say obsession with health, I’m talking about the mainstream definition of health. The one with conflicting information that speaks in absolutes, gives food morality, idolizes a certain body type and size, and says you’re good for following all the rules all the time. This is the type of health that makes you feel bad when you ‘slip up.’
It’s the one that makes us obsessed with eating and exercising just ‘right,’ and it sucks.
See, here’s the thing about obsession: it’s bad for you. Health is all encompassing - mental, physical, and emotional, and each of these has an impact on the others. The definition of obsession is: a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling. Does that seem mentally healthy to you?
In a world where everyone has a different idea of what healthy eating and exercising is, and everyone is convinced theirs is the RIGHT one, I know I had trouble with all of the conflicting information. I stopped eating various food groups because different people or places had told me they were ‘bad.’ I did cardio because THAT was the best, then - wait - I did strength training because THAT was the best?
How did this obsession turn out for me? Well, I was eating next to nothing, doing cardio AND lifting weights every day. I was antisocial, regimented, uninterested in other things, aaaaaaaand finally I was admitted to the hospital.
Being preoccupied with making the ‘healthy’ choice significantly tanked my mental, emotional, AND physical health and dug me into a hole that has taken years and years to claw my way out of.
And I learned - the healthiest choice we as individuals can make is to make sure all the prongs that make up our health are attended to (in my opinion, mental and emotional health take more of a front seat!) We eat foods that make us feel good and nourished. We listen to our bodies and use how we feel as a cue to move or not. We try food even when we aren’t hungry because it’s new. We partake in the cake our coworker brought for their birthday. We order quesadillas along with our drinks when we’re out because we know alcohol doesn’t count as dinner.
We allow our lives some chaos. Pivot along with the day. Rearrange based on how we feel. And we make room for spontaneity.
That, my friends, is true health.
From one recovering obsessive to another - you’ve got this.
XOXO
Coach Meg