This past weekend I got my hair cut and highlighted. As my hairdresser and I caught up on each other’s lives I found myself telling her about my new eating habits. I told her about how I was cutting out processed sugars, white bread and trying to eat natural. I also told her about how I am learning to make natural and healthy desserts to satisfy my raging chocolate tooth.
Her solution = “just make some fudge”.
Wow. I did huge mental gulp and smiled as my head was transformed into a disco ball one foil square at a time.
“Just make some fudge” made me think about how different one person’s view of “health” can be so different from another.
What the heck is “health” anyway?
According to the World Health Organization health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”
I like WHO, but it makes “health” sound unattainable, like trying to drive to the horizon. You can see it, but you cannot ever REALLY get there.
For example: I am slightly stressed about school so there goes mental, and I have a small zit camping out on my forehead so there goes physical…those things are not BIG problems but in my opinion that is not “complete” wellbeing.
To me health is simple and it manifests itself every single day in our life choices.
Health means having the freedom to eat chocolate on occasion
but 8 times out of 10 choosing to eat a salad because I love eating a million colors per meal and I can feel my body craving all the nutrients in it.
Health means going to Austin to kayak with my mom and a friend during spring break to enjoy the lake and a little upper body exercise.
Health means going on a run not because I am training for a race, but just to feel the breeze, my heart rate rise and to take big deep breaths.
Health means being ok in my own skin, even if my body is not skinny and is far from perfect.
Health means writing a blog to maybe help someone else learn what health means, because although fudge has an important place in the world it DOES NOT fall under the category of healthy desserts.
Health means constantly learning more and more about what health means by reading other blogs, books and doing research.
Health means taking it one day at a time as I learn more and more about what health means or doesn’t mean for that matter.
What a fantastic post…all great things to remember and I love all the photos that went along with it!
And, that chocolate fountain? OMG. Yum!
Willy Wonka has nothing on this. Wow! I want a Lindt fountain installed in my house, too! 😉
Great post! I love it, thank you 🙂
What a great post! I totally agree that health means so many different things to so many different people!
Your raw taco meal looks delicious. I love anything taco related.
I second the request for the Lindt fountain in my kitchen too please!
gah. that chocolate fountain would be dangerous! yeah for fun activities like kayaking and bed jumping!
Beautiful post! Loved all the pictures, you look so happy in all of them!
The hairdresser comment made me smile, I have had similar things happen to me. 🙂
OH MY CHOCOLATE-Y HEAVENS.
So much fun! You look like you’re having a blast. There was a fudge shop in Christchurch and I went in there every single day, never buying anything but always grabbing some free samples. 😉
“Health means having the freedom to eat chocolate on occasion”
^
^
I LOVE THIS quote of yours.
I have chocolate tooth too 😀
Pretty pictures!!! 🙂
great post!
Thanks Alaine!