Fresh Start Fitness

“Healthy” is a term that has become a trigger word for me. I have learned from my own fitness journey, my journey through motherhood, and working as a personal trainer that “health” is difficult to quantify and different for everyone.

I was sitting in a graduate-level class recently and we were discussing and comparing whole wheat bread to white Wonder bread. For many people, whole wheat bread provides healthy benefits like less sugar and more fiber. But for my son, who suffers from Inflammatory Bowel Disease, the fiber content and density of whole wheat bread would tear through his intestines with a vengeance. White bread, on the other hand, sits easily in his stomach and provides him with desperately needed calories for energy. For others with his disease, they cannot tolerate raw fruit or vegetables, nuts and seeds, or nightshades like tomatoes in any form. What is “healthy” for one, even for most people, is not always for everyone. Healthy for him includes monthly infusions when he is pumped full of medication to sustain his health and provide him with relief.

My friend Emily (you can read about her “Real Life Fitspo” story https://freshstartfitness.blog/2024/07/28/real-life-fitspo-emily-k/) was teaching fitness classes and running half marathons while eating a plant-based diet when she realized she suffers from body dysmorphia and was exercising her way into a mental, physical, and spiritual breakdown. She was not able to enjoy eating food with friends and family or going to restaurants for date night with her husband. Over-exercising and obsessing about food choices would have led to detrimental outcomes for her if not for medical intervention, counseling, and spiritual reconciliation.

What about for families that can’t keep up with inflation and are working hard to feed their families on a budget? When I shop at Sam’s Club, I can buy one large pack of strawberries for about $8, which will last one day. Or I can buy one ginormous tub of cheese puffs for less than $8, which will last for weeks. Is it better for a family to spend precious hours and precious dollars cooking a home-cooked meal with “healthier” benefits, or to go through the drive-through and bring home McDonald’s so they can enjoy more time together playing, reading, or resting? Is bad food better than no food?

Exercise has changed my life for the better in many ways and being thin is one outcome of my efforts in the gym. But when I was in my own mental health crisis and someone complimented my healthy new body while I was wishing I could die in my sleep, the feeling of being unseen and invisible on the inside was devastatingly painful. “Health” is not obvious and it surely isn’t reflected by body size or a number on the scale.

The purpose of this post is meant to gently remind: that body size, number on a scale, medical intervention, mental health, labs and blood work, financial security, time, and a thousand other important factors matter and contribute to health. The best way to determine if someone is in good health is to ask them: how are you doing? Are you pursuing things that promote body health and mental health? Are you using food for fuel and for fun? Are you spending quality time with your family and honoring your own wellness? Do you need to spend time with a therapist? Food is medicine and exercise is medicine. Therapy is medicine and medicine is medicine. So are friendship, peace, forgiveness, sunshine, hope, rest, and being seen and known by others around you. All are important, and all contribute to health.