Health is...

“Lose 5 lbs in 5 days!” “Tone Every Bulge! “11 Ways to Shed Christmas Calories!”

Titles like these are boasted on the front cover of many popular “health” magazines today, along with other promises of shinier hair, whiter teeth, or a thinner waist. They guarantee these things via a new, revolutionary diet or workout regimen that’s “proven to give results!” These magazine titles reveal how, in today’s society, health has become “one size fits all”. Living a healthy lifestyle means drinking detox juices, cutting on carbs or sugar, and going to the gym religiously. It looks like a thin waist, toned muscles, and the absence of fat. Furthermore, health is linked dangerously close to society’s idea of beauty. Healthy (based on society’s definition of health) = beautiful. Models and celebrities are pictured on the covers of these health magazines to lure men and women to buy into the idea that by following the 10-part workout or only eating greens, they too can fit into society’s definition of beautiful.

What the popular definition of health misses, however, is that health is not at all “one size fits all.” It’s unique to each person, and what it looks like should also vary from person to person. Listening to and understanding one’s own body should be at the center of a healthy lifestyle, not a certain diet or number of trips to the gym. This concept is ignored, or rather intentionally buried, by the health industry and the comparison that results from this burying consequently allows the health industry to thrive. The industry relies on dissatisfaction and the idea that health can only look one way to sell juice cleanses, workout subscriptions, and low-calorie recipes.

Yes, diet and exercise play a major role in healthy living, and I’m not saying they should be ignored; however, healthy diets and healthy exercise don’t have to look one way. I’m a busy, stressed college student, and most days, my exercise is walking to and from classes, and, for now, that’s enough for me. A healthy diet/exercise will most likely look different for each person, and can even vary within one’s own lifetime, depending on the season of life they’re in.

Rest also plays a crucial role in healthy living. The popular perception of health often neglects the importance of rest. It emphasizes activity and movement, often to the extreme. The constantly active mentality can lead to a sense of guilt regarding rest, and without rest, injuries occur and an unhealthy relationship to exercise can develop. Rest is crucial in the healing and regeneration of our physical health, along with our mental and emotional health, and thus should be a major component in any healthy lifestyle.

The modern definition of health also fails to recognize that health is holistic. It is not just bodily, physical wellbeing, as the health industry often fixates on, but it also encompasses mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, etc. wellbeing. In fact, health cannot just be one of these aspects. They are intertwined and dependent, such that poor physical wellbeing can affect one’s mental wellbeing (and so on). Therefore, you can’t just look at someone to determine whether or not they are “healthy,” because health goes beyond the surface level of physical wellbeing.

Finally, society has determined that part of the beauty ideal is appearing healthy. Society says that the thin waist and defined abs that “anyone can get if they exercise enough” makes you healthy which consequently makes you beautiful. Beauty and health are separate. Being healthy should not be a prerequisite for being beautiful. The aim of having a healthy lifestyle should be for the sake of selfcare, not so that society will perceive you as beautiful. In a way, appearing healthy could be considered an appearance bias. Appearance biases are the messages we receive everyday implying that our worth is more about what we look like (i.e. looking “healthy”) and less about who we are.

So, in light of this massive information dump/rant, I want to challenge you all to reevaluate, and if necessary, redefine, your current definition of health. Why do you think that X behavior promotes health? Is your body telling you that or is it society and media? Is that behavior healthy for your overall person, or just one aspect (i.e. only your physical health)? Furthermore, ask yourself how much you’re buying into the healthy=beautiful idea. Can you feel beautiful and confident in your body even when you’re not exercising as much as you want to or as much as your body needs?

Finally, I just want to acknowledge that reclaiming health for yourself and choosing health as selfcare is difficult and requires bravery. It’s countercultural; a form of activism. This being said, I invite you to join me in this activist movement, to redefine health in a way that focuses on individual, holistic wellbeing, where health is not a requirement for beauty.

x Sam