It really got me thinking about what good health means. I think the only accurate way to think about it is on a continuum that is very specific to each individual. Good health for me is probably very different than good health for you. I pay attention to a number of factors that let me know if I'm on the right track, or need to make some changes.
For me, good health means feeling good, having enough energy, being free of pain and headaches, feeling supple and flexible rather than bloated and stiff, having good digestion, and being happy. If someone asked me, as in that seminar, to discuss my main health concern, I would probably say being overweight. When I'm eating well and exercising appropriately, I feel really good. I know how to make myself feel good and have my body work properly. I don't need to experiment with my diet because I know exactly how I need to eat to feel my best. That's actually really exciting! There are so many people who don't know why they feel bad, and struggle for years with trying to figure it out.
So if I know so much about myself and how to make myself feel good, why am I overweight? I have a body that gains weight and holds onto weight very easily. I am very sensitive to blood sugar fluctuations (which makes your body store sugar as fat immediately), and I unfortunately don't always eat exactly the way I should to prevent that. I also like to drink beer, and that happens to be one of the foods that gets stored as fat easily and quickly. I am still addicted to sugar, and have a hard time avoiding sweet foods after dinner (the worst time to eat!).
Being overweight is such a "public" problem. Everyone can see what I'm struggling with. And in our society, it is a problem that is highly judged. It implies a weakness in the individual, or shows they are a glutton. Everyone that I come in contact with immediately knows what my greatest health concern is...and it can be very embarrassing. It's very easy to read that preceding paragraph, and think, "Why don't you just stop drinking beer and eating sweets?!" In fact, I thought that when I was writing it.
If my continuum of good health was a range from 0 (terrible health) to 10 (perfect health), I would say right now I'm about a 7. But the important point for me to remember is that I used to be a 0. There was a time when I probably couldn't name one single thing that I was doing "right" for my body. I was eating horribly, not exercising at all, suffering from terrible stress and anxiety, and was very unhappy. I was stiff and had no energy and my back hurt so badly that there were many days I couldn't get out of bed. I suffered from paralyzing stomach pains, had awful digestion, and frequent migraines. I also weighed close to 300 pounds (although I don't know the exact number, because there was no way I would have stepped on a scale back then).
Now, I am very happy. I eat very well most of the time. I exercise frequently. I know how to relax and enjoy myself. I love my life, and I don't have very much stress. My stomach feels good almost all the time, and my digestion is working well. I hardly ever get headaches, and I never have to spend the day in bed because of pain or sickness. And now I weigh about 200 pounds (you all already know what I look like--sharing the number on the scale doesn't make me any heavier than I already am).
So, the bottom line is that I've come a loooong way and made so many improvements to my life. The difference between then and now is amazing. I am so happy to be where I am! I have learned to love myself, regardless of the shape of my body. I do still have some struggles, but so does everyone. I don't have to have achieved perfection in order to help other people or feel that I'm on the right track for my life. I'm healthy, but not skinny, and that's fine. Just ask my husband...
Also, read this: http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/why-skinny-doesn-t-always-mean-healthy
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