My definition of health has changed drastically since graduating from college. Honestly, when I was in school, I thought health just meant “not being sick.” If I changed my diet, it was about looking good in a swimsuit. If I worked out, it was for the same reason (and for the stress relief, which is actually a good reason to exercise). I wore lack of sleep as a badge of pride while pouring my sixth cup of coffee in the dining hall.
Once I graduated and moved out on my own, I had time to slow down. Without the pressure of writing papers and attending a zillion meetings, I spent that time discovering myself all over again. I discovered new hobbies, like cooking and blogging, and found that I get a nerdy joy from reading health- and wellness-related research. I also discovered that I had some chronic health issues that were potentially preventable if I changed my eating and sleeping habits. That got the ball rolling from exploring the Paleo diet to doing body weight workouts to understanding that it’s totally cool to enjoy a sugary cocktail–as long as I understood its effects on my body both now and later.
Health-wise, I’ve been through a few dark phases. I’ve been that girl who wants to tell you ALL about how amazing her paleo diet is. (Boring unless you asked.) I’ve been that girl who offers unsolicited nutritional facts, always prefaced by, “so I just read this fascinating article…” (That’s actually how I start a lot of regular sentences.) And unfortunately, I’ve been that girl who stands paralyzed at the grocery story, torn between her tiny budget and the promise of organic-fueled health. (For the record, only buy organic/grass-fed/one-thousand-happy-labels if it works for your lifestyle, budget and health.)
Right now, though, I’m getting closer to pretty good place. I understand what does and doesn’t work for my body in terms of foods, even though I don’t always follow those guidelines. A run has become something I think of as a treat: sacred time set aside for thought, solitude and a major endorphin boost. I take proactive measures to ensure an early bedtime, most of the time, and I take mental and physical breaks when I need them.
In the course of all these ups and downs, I’ve learned a few important lessons about the pursuit of health. These all came rushing into my head during a run, but as I sat with them I realized that they applied time and time again to my personal pursuit of health.
It’s okay to be “weird.”
It is completely fine to be the one who prioritizes sleep over another cocktail on Saturday night or declines cheese on your salad. Order that balance ball to replace your desk chair (mine’s on the way!). If anyone teases you beyond the bounds of normal camaraderie, feel free to assertively tell them to step off–your health is your priority.
It’s important to look at health holistically, but it’s also important to understand biology, numbers and cold hard facts.
I view health as a concept that integrates movement, diet, sleep and emotional/mental care. At the same time, it helps to understand dietary patterns’ effects on the body’s processes for digestion and storage, your natural body type and the importance of good fuel and maintenance over time. I’ve felt dispirited sometimes when I work out and it’s difficult, only to realize later that I hadn’t eaten enough that morning, or I hadn’t been sleeping well, or I’d been eating foods that I know are less than optimal sources of nutrients.
The pursuit of health is a long game.
If you have a day where you eat a whole bunch of chocolate, or you drink too many glasses of wine or you sit on the couch watching television, it’s okay. Again, it’s a long game. Your mental state is just as important as your physical state, and sometimes what’s going to make you the happiest is an SVU marathon and a giant burrito. To me, long-term health and happiness are intertwined, and the pursuit doesn’t demand rigid perfection every single day. What’s imperative, though, is to notice patterns in your habits and how they affect your well-being, and to balance indulgence with adherence to the choices that make you feel your best.
Wellness can be a community pursuit.
It certainly doesn’t have to be, but as an extrovert I’ve found that supportive groups make a critical difference to maintaining healthy habits over time. I’ve been amazed and hugely appreciative of every single comment on a running, LYB or health-related post (or any post, but those are the topics at hand). The tone of your comments is always encouraging and the advice is so enthusiastic: “you can do it!” “you’ve got this!” “I tried XYZ and it could really help you, too!” Finding and participating in these spaces on social media and on other blogs amps up the motivation even more.
These interactions remind us, too, that we’re part of a movement that’s occurring all around the world. There’s a critical mass of people who prioritize their health and who are willing to strive for it, through daily changes and big picture shakeups. I’ve been blown away by the innovative ways that people pursue health and the myriad of paths that can lead to lifelong wellness.
What have you learned that’s helped your personal pursuit of health?
The Love Your Body Resolution is a biweekly series dedicated to loving + respecting your body. For more LYB Resolution posts, visit the archive. This is an extra post this month as I’ve got two guests coming up. I can’t wait to share their stories with you!
For the record, I have no clue if I need to write a disclaimer on a post like this, but I’m a follower of the CMA school of thought so here it is: I’m not a health or wellness professional. This is not intended as professional advice. If you want that, talk to your medical professional first, and then check out some smart cookies who also have titles like “Registered Nurse,” “Holistic Nutritionist” or “Certified Personal Trainer.”
of people who are waking up to the idea that health is a dynamic, personal journey, not a one-size-fits-all prescription. That realization alone has been a game-changer for me.
Listening to your body is a skill worth honing.
When I first started paying attention to how certain foods made me feel, I was surprised by how much my body communicated. That mid-afternoon slump after a carb-heavy lunch, the bloating after dairy, the surge of energy from a morning walk—these signals were there all along, but I had been too distracted to notice. Learning to tune in has been one of the most valuable tools in my health journey. It’s not about following strict rules; it’s about developing a dialogue with your own physiology.
For example, I used to think that feeling hungry was a sign of failure—that it meant I wasn’t “disciplined” enough. Now I see hunger as information. Similarly, I've learned to distinguish between the kind of fatigue that calls for a rest day and the kind that can be cured by a brisk walk. This skill takes practice, but it pays dividends. You become your own best health expert, not because you know everything, but because you pay attention.
Rest is not a reward; it’s a requirement.
Our culture often glorifies busyness and equates rest with laziness. For years, I bought into that, pushing through exhaustion and wearing my sleep deprivation like a badge of honor. But the science is clear: sleep is when the body repairs itself, consolidates memory, and regulates hormones that affect appetite and mood. Skimping on rest undermines every other health effort you make. If you’re looking for more on sleep, I’ve written about my own journey in 8 Hours, Or Else!.
I’ve learned to schedule rest with the same seriousness as a workout. That might mean an early bedtime, a deliberate afternoon nap, or simply saying no to social plans when I’m running on empty. Rest days are not “cheat days” from health; they are integral to progress. When I treat rest as a non-negotiable, I’m more energized, more focused, and less prone to illness.
Mental health is the foundation of physical health.
It’s easy to focus on the tangible: what you eat, how much you exercise, how many hours you sleep. But your mental state profoundly influences all of those. Stress, anxiety, and depression can disrupt digestion, sap motivation, and interfere with sleep. I’ve had times when my diet and exercise were “perfect” by conventional standards, yet I felt terrible because I was ignoring my emotional well-being.
These days, I prioritize practices that support my mental health: meditation, journaling, spending time outdoors, and connecting with loved ones. These aren’t indulgences; they’re essential components of a healthy life. When my mind is calm, making healthy choices for my body feels less like a chore and more like an act of self-care.
Practical tips that have worked for me.
Over the years, I’ve collected a few simple strategies that make healthy living more sustainable. They’re not groundbreaking, but they’ve helped me stay consistent:
- Prep in batches: Spend a couple of hours on Sunday chopping vegetables, cooking grains, and portioning snacks. It makes weeknight meals much easier.
- Keep healthy snacks visible: Put fruit on the counter, nuts in a jar at eye level, and hide the less healthy stuff. Out of sight, out of mind works.
- Find movement you enjoy: I used to force myself to run because I thought it was the “best” exercise. Now I mix it up with yoga, hiking, and dance videos. If it’s fun, you’ll do it more often.
- Track your habits, not just outcomes: Instead of obsessing over the scale, I note whether I drank enough water, got enough sleep, or moved my body. The outcomes will follow.
Remember, perfection is the enemy of progress. Small steps, repeated consistently, lead to big changes over time.