The Healthiest People I Know Don't Diet

The healthiest people I know eat when they’re hungry and stay active in ways they enjoy. They don’t deprive themselves of foods they crave, they never starve themselves for a diet, and they aren’t pushing themselves harder than feels good. 


I suppose if I start a post with “the healthiest people I know” you need my definition of healthy to hear me out. Healthy to me means self-love. It means feeling good physically AND mentally. Intuitive eating meaning listening to our bodies’ wants and needs. Nurturing our body instead of starving it. 


Having a healthy relationship with our body starts with a respecting relationship with our mind. No guilt for our thoughts. No neglecting our desires. Balance. Finding consistent ways to stay active that don’t feel like torture. Working out because we love our bodies, not hate them. Staying self-aware when efforts towards a better life become abusive. I should never feel hungry if I have access to food. I should never feel dizzy because of intermittent fasting. Pushing muscles to soreness is different than pushing myself to headaches or dramatic fatigue. I should never have to be mean to my body in pursuit of health. 


Friends who follow diets or cleanses tend to be more exhausted physically and mentally. Let down by the results and on to the next attempt. Consumed in conspiracies but unable to stop following them. Unhealthy cycles repeated in the name of health. Claiming they don’t have a bad relationship with food but at the same time choosing to fast for 72 hours. Unable to see the toxicity these fads enable. How is restricting your freedoms actually benefitting you? How is starving yourself on purpose not placing poison over your natural need to eat? 


What is your definition of healthy? If it’s to feel good, are you allowing yourself to truly experience this? Or are you putting yourself through suffering because you believe it will lead to success? What would your life look like if instead you allowed yourself to love food? If you found an activity that brought you joy and kept your body moving? How would you feel if you could eat what you wanted but still love your body? If you read the last question and you wish that could be true, it can. Reclaim your definition of health. Grab on to your confidence. Living the life you want might just be the healthiest you!