What does Health really mean?
As someone who genuinely LOVES my job ❤️ I have to say I do NOT love the industry I work with. The fitness industry like all industries is here to make money. But what makes it truly sad is they do so pretending to care about individuals and their health and vitality, so this makes it quite… well, personal.
The fitness industry has made some strong strides in the right direction. Pushing more for moving all bodies shapes and sizes. Even changing long standing names from things like BeachBody to BODi and making movement seem more accessible than ever. And I applaud that effort ❤️ We see more fitness instructors in larger bodies, a push for eating all foods and letting go of restrictive diets. These are great changes.
In truth the majority of this industry does not actually care about the individual's health, they are here to make money. Helping someone's health will take a backseat to this goal. This industry is designed to exploit your insecurities, pushing images and information that are not all that beneficial to your actual health and vitality.
As someone who has been in this industry for almost 15 years this feels really hard, like I am in a constant struggle. I want to make a change for living better all the while fighting an industry designed to make people, just like you and me, feel bad about themselves and be more and more disconnected with their bodies own personal needs and relying more than ever on things like wearables (fitness trackers), fitness subscription sites, and the truly worst one… diets.
Here's the thing, we can't change an industry that's designed to make money to focus on the needs of the individual, but you as the individual can focus on your needs.
We, you and I, have power 😊
Altho we can not end a giant such as the fitness industry, we can create a community of support and change. So let's create something that reflects and embodies everything we wish this industry would truly represent and empower ourselves and others along the way to redefine what health really means to you, to me and to them.
So I invite you the next time you're scrolling through your social media and you see all these posts about what I eat in a day, workouts, diets, bodies…. I hope you take a moment to reset your thought process and to remember, most of these messages that we see on a daily basis are not actually based on anything HEALTHY. They exist to make us FEEL like health looks a specific way, but my friend the narrative could not be more false.
So what does health really mean?
Finding movement that makes you feel joyful, energized and strong. Drinking water and getting plenty of rest. And finding things that we truly enjoy not feeling wrapped up in our identity of fitness and body shape and size for rediscovering who we truly are inside and out.
Because moving to feel good and support our amazing bodies is what true health really is. It is truly the most basic of things and does not have to be complicated. We have to remind ourselves that it's not about doing the things perfectly but about showing up and being there for ourselves. And when you see a post that makes you feel like you are not enough, remind yourself what actual health really means to you.
Take a moment and think about that….
Maybe write it out so you can come back to it. What a few basic health goals are for you. What simple things can you add into your life for your health and for your mental well-being? Things you can do for just you.
And remember to come back to this often so you can truly honor your health.
Come back to the basics of moving for joy. Eating for nourishment and pleasure, getting plenty of rest and hydration and that my friend is the key to unlocking true health.
