Staying healthy is something we all feel a little differently about. We all think different diets are the right one, or that different exercises have the best impact, and unless you have a degree in nutrition or you’re a qualified physiotherapist, it can be hard to consider the other side of the healthy lifestyle you’re convinced is the one to follow.
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Because for some people, ‘staying healthy’ is easy – they’ve got a relaxed lifestyle, and a personal trainer of their own, and they feel totally in control. But for a lot of other people, ‘staying healthy’ can be really quite difficult. You don’t have the money, time, or energy to do so, and it’s something that really gets you down. You don’t look like the people you follow on Instagram, and you certainly don’t feel like you could go for a jog right now without taking hours to get home again!
However, it’s important to note that healthy is not the same thing for every single person out there. Being healthy is something we all need to keep in mind, and work for best we can, because it’ll ensure we’re living well and having a good time while we’re at it. But your idea of healthy might both look and be very different to the person you’re comparing yourself to – don’t ever forget that!
But why is healthy so different for different people? Well, it’s due to a variety of factors, and we can go through them all below; make sure you keep them in mind when you’re pulling the same hours at the gym as your best friend, and following the diet plan they recommended, and still look very different to the way they do.
We All Have Different Goals
To get the ball rolling, it’s important to remember that we all have different health goals. For some, it’s getting more sleep, for others it’s cutting out junk food. Everyone is on their own path, and taking their own steps, and that doesn’t make their goals any less important than anyone else’s.
We All Need a Different Amount of Water
Water is something we all need, and there’s no doubt about that. We should be drinking it regularly, to keep ourselves hydrated and feeling good, and without a good glass of water a few times throughout the day, we can get headaches, feel nauseous, and even get tired a lot faster than usual.
Our bodies are made up of nearly 60% water, and it only makes sense that without a regular top up, problems will start to occur. However, there’s a good chance that you don’t need to be drinking a liter or two of water every single day – it’s a general ‘guideline’ that a lot of people like to tow, but how much truth is really in it?
Well, a lot of experts like to use the ‘8 glasses of water rule’ simply because it’s easy to remember, and it definitely ensures you’re getting a good 8 ounces of water into your system every few hours. And yet, most of the water you need is in your food, and even just three or four glasses could be enough for you – simply put, drink what you think is right.
We All Have Our Own Dietary Needs
What you need to eat is going to follow some general rules, yes, such as a balanced diet and the usual food pyramid we see all over school walls. However, when it comes to staying healthy by means of dieting, your needs are going to be different to someone else’s – if you’re lactose or gluten intolerant, for example, or if you’re diabetic and need to cut out sugar where possible.
But you don’t need to have an intolerance or a chronic illness to have different dietary requirements. You might be a bodybuilder or athlete, who needs a lot of protein or visits a sarmsstore very often, or you might work long shifts at late hours and need huge hits of energy to keep you going during these unusual hours. Or you might just not like certain foods – that’s OK too!
Because as long as you’re eating what you need to eat, you’re doing just fine. There’s no harm in following a sustainable diet from time to time, and talking to your doctor or a trained dietitian is always going to be the best thing to do. Fad diets and dieting crazes should always be taken with a pinch of salt, and always do your research beforehand to see if the results you’re seeing really are what they’re worth.
Above all else, remember that having different dietary requirements, or following a different diet, or even not buying into dieting at all, doesn’t make you unhealthy or a bad person. Sometimes we don’t have the time, energy, or money to make a difference, even if someone completely uninformed thinks we need to!
We All Have Different Body Shapes and Types
It’s true, we all look different under the clothes, and that is very much by design. What 170 pounds looks like on one person is going to look very different on someone else, simply due to bone structure, genetic background, and lifestyle/environmental factors. We don’t have to go deep into the science of it all (as it really isn’t exact!), but it’s good to have a general idea surrounding this!
Sure, you may think of yourself as having an ‘hourglass’ figure, or having a ‘pear’ body shape, but these are just general terms to describe the shapes people tend to fit into. There’s no harm in not having a body shape like this, as there is no such thing as a default body type, or an average body type, or even an average, that’s-the-one-to-aim-for body weight.
Some people aren’t born to be super thin, or to look like that model in the magazine, and knowing this can bring a lot of comfort to people who may struggle with their body’s appearance. There’s not much you can do about the way your body is built, or how your bones have grown, or how wide your shoulders are – a lot of it is predetermined, and when you’re an adult, these things are fused in place. Even if you lose a few pounds here and there, these shapes won’t change, and there’s nothing wrong or unsightly about that fact.
We All Require Different Fitness Routines
A fitness routine can mean a lot of things. It’s the kind of exercises you do, the goal you’re aiming for, how long and how often you exercise, and how you’re supplementing the routine you’re following. And just because someone you know or someone you follow found success with a certain routine doesn’t mean it’s right for you too. It’s a hard idea to come to terms with, but it’s a very important one.
Of course, all exercise routines are going to have some kind of impact, but you need to be sure it’s the right kind. That’s why it’s so important to have a goal, as we noted above, and everyone is going to have a different goal and/or milestones to celebrate along the way. And there’s nothing wrong with needing to cut jogging out of your routine, and replace it with something like stationary cycling or swimming – if it’s better for your body, or it’s more convenient, or running just isn’t doing it for you, don’t waste a moment longer forcing yourself to do it. Sometimes commitment can be an unhealthy ideal itself, and you need to do what’s right for you.
So, depending on your body type, level of activity, and degree of balanced diet, your fitness routine needs to be entirely personalised to you. One size definitely does not fit all here, and you shouldn’t be forced into a fitness box with someone else, just because someone told you it’d be a good idea for you to ‘get in shape’. Take your time, experiment a little, and never be afraid to change the routine you’re following until you find what’s right for you.
What to Really Take Away Here:
Even if you’re built a little heavier than someone else, or your weight is distributed differently throughout your body, or you haven’t done a full workout routine in years, you’re still a healthy and happy person! Being healthy is something that we think looks a certain way, but we have no idea about a person’s life or what they go through, and health takes a different appearance with us all.
Because in the end, staying healthy is going to look one way for you, and it’s going to look completely different for someone else. Make sure you keep this in mind when you try to make a change to your lifestyle – just because someone else looks like they’re having ‘more success’ than you, it doesn’t make it true! Learn to love yourself in the meantime, and work towards a healthiness that suits you.