Eat, feel, and think healthy

Sometimes I feel like I could be healthier. Sometimes I think am I healthy enough? 

What does healthy really mean?

I manage a chocolate shop so you can imagine my indulgences. I had an elderly man come in and simply said to me, “I’m an old fuddy-duddy but I walk around and ask myself why are there so many fat young girls around these days?”

I didn’t know whether to be angry or shocked. I felt both. I am fit so I am often questioned how I look the particular way I do when I work in a place of chocolatey goodness. But this was unreal. How can someone be so ignorant is a fraction of what I really thought towards his commentary. And so I quickly organized my thoughts and asked him “what does fat look like to you, and what would you identify as healthy?” He said thin. I told him he was wrong. I told him he was making a visible judgement when health has everything to do with body fat percentage and an overall well-being. He didn’t know what to say but he seemed perterbed that I was arguing back.

Regardless of this fuddy-duddy and his commentary, it pushed me to think about health. Healthy thoughts are what I think to be of most importance. Eating healthy is meaningless unless you feel good about it. Excercise and activity will be fueled by positive thoughts. And then there’s this feeling of healthiness that flows with your everyday brainwave.

I have been experimenting with cooking and consuming less sugar (almost impossible I tell you) and there’s a few things that have helped me.

• Going to a farmer’s market! I didn’t buy anything different than what I would from the grocery store, but going to the market and feeling much more green has created a feeling of excitement everytime I go to make my food. Also, try growing your own! I have a veggie garden and there’s not many greater feelings about food than pulling a carrot out of the ground. These things create healthy thoughts, healthy feelings, and healthy meals.
• Trying the gym again! Even if you feel you can’t, try again. I haven’t been totally successful with the gym because I feel defeated and hopeless and tired. But don’t let those things prevent you from trying again. You are the only measure of your own success. 
• Have a me day! I had vacation time and I spent one of those days having a makeshift beach day at home. I don’t have a pool or a beach, but I packed up a beach bag with my beach essentials, threw in my swimsuit and hung out in the backyard. It was great! I got the same effect of a day-away but without any stress because I was home. It was a great reflection day and I felt relaxed in a whole new way. Sometimes a reboot is all you need to recharge your goals!

Being healthy matters. We are responsible to keep ourselves in check. But how we do this is totally dependent on how we want to feel. Thinking about health as an energy we want to exude can change the whole method in which we seek our goals. Don’t be a fuddy-duddy either, respect each other’s differences. 

How do you stay healthy? 

Encourage each other in the comments below.

– Francie