Define: Healthy

When you hear the word "healthy", what kind of images pop into your head? A sweaty guy screaming at you from an infomercial?  Those weird crackers that have been in your pantry for four years? Over the decades, people have used and abused the term "healthy" to promote their own different products and agendas. The truth is, being healthy is different for everyone. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines healthy as: "enjoying health and vigor of mind, body, or spirit". All three of these aspects of health are just as important as the other. They require balance. Your health is not defined by a scale, a score, or any one opinion. To me, "healthy" is not a destination or achievement, it is an ongoing decision to be the best me I can.

A couple of years ago, I was about 20 lbs heavier, without a job, and with a way lower GPA. Mentally, I felt ridiculously dissatisfied and bored with everything. I felt like I was going nowhere. Physically, I was constantly tired and eating quick and easy food that I didn't even really like. Somewhere around that time, I decided that I had enough of feeling below average. I needed to stop blaming others for my failures and hold myself accountable for my actions. I was desperate for some kind of change, and I decided to start with changing how I looked. 

Fortunately, I was never bullied about my weight. It was solely my own decision to change my appearance. I didn't set any numerical goals, no weight limits, nor calorie goals. I was honestly just sick of feeling so tired and sluggish all the time. I didn't feel healthy. I started trying simple exercises that barely had me sweating, and decided to skip the cup o' noodles and instead stir fry some real vegetables. I wanted to actually enjoy my food, instead of just trying to feel full.

Honestly, it became a lot of fun. I was trying out different exercises like dance routines, and looking up new recipes to cook for my family and I. Once I started seeing and feeling a change physically, my mental state soon followed. I realized that only I had control over achieving my goals, which caused me to set higher ones in other aspects of my life. I got my first job, I went back to NVCC, and I started getting straight A's for the first time in my life.

I do recognize, however, that I will not always make "healthy" decisions. In the past few weeks alone I've eaten a whole bag of candy. But you know what? That's okay. Being healthy does not mean restricting yourself. The biggest part of being healthy is enjoying your life. This blog will consist of my own journey through an attempted healthy lifestyle, and if you so choose, how you can too. If you are comfortable with where you are in life, physically and mentally, congratulations! You're a little better off than the rest of us. If you feel like there are some changes you'd like to make, that's okay too. As long as you are doing it for you, and not to satisfy other's expectations. Like I said, being healthy is not defined by a number, it is defined by being the best you, you can be.


Work Cited:
"healthy." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2013
         Web. 23 Jan 2013.