Healthy is always changing

Hi friends! Here with another guest post, this time by my friend Robyn of The Real Life RD. Robyn and I met at FNCE a few years ago, we were both the part of the Agents of Change program and instantly clicked over our shared love of food and intuitive eating. We’ve connected ever since and I love her no-nonsense approach to nutrition and living your best life. Enjoy this wonderful article on the idea that ‘healthy is always changing.’

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Hello to all you Delish Knowledge fans – I’m a fan too and think Alex not only creates drool worthy recipes that make me want to get in the kitchen again but she also inspires others to disengage with whack diet dogma and instead eat what makes you feel GOOD. Cheers to that! While Alex is away being a boss of a new mom, I’m pumped to be taking over her awesome internet space – so thanks for trusting me with your fabulous blog Alex 🙂

I’ve learned over the past few years of being a dietitian and also being a 20 something human, that we as a society have gotten the meaning of healthy incredibly wrong. We’ve put it into this black and white box instead of letting it float around in a huge grey area, landing where it feels natural and right in that moment.

So while there is a lot of health information out there (some true, more false) there are three things I do know to be true.

Healthy means far more than how much green is on our plate and how many calories we burned today.

2. Two, healthy is not a static set of guidelines, rather it’s a rhythm that will ebb and flow as our lives ebb and flow.

3. We place way too high of expectations on ourselves. We can’t do it all and we weren’t made to do it all.

I’ve been in some of the most chaotic and unpredictable and busy seasons of my life over the past couple years, but I’ve also experienced slower seasons where rest comes more easily. And what I’ve learned in both of those is that your priorities change as seasons of life change.

Perhaps there’s a lot of emotional stress going on in your life. Divorce or a sudden death or family turmoil or a breakup or a job termination.

Perhaps there’s a new found excitement and joy in your life like dating or making new friendships or traveling somewhere new.

Perhaps you’re in a physically stressful season of late nights working and early mornings working again, where sleep is lacking and there’s barely a moment to rest and simply breathe.

Perhaps you’re just tired of trying to do it all – work out six days a week, meal prep on Sundays, go to bed by 10pm, get up early to be productive and blah blah blah blah BLAH. Maybe you’re tired of trying to keep it all together.

I’ve walked through the thick of each scenario above so hear me when I say, I get it.

And with each of those, it’s unproductively stressful to try to eat healthy (whatever that means) and get in your workout every morning, and get to bed at 10pm for 8 hours of sleep, and also be invested in relationships and do your job well and ALLOFTHETHINGS.

But…deep breath. You don’t have to. We are humans, not super heroes.

Maybe that means you give yourself grace with workouts, listen to your body instead of trying to control your body and do what feels good and what you actually even have time for. Maybe that’s a walk with a friend, or maybe that’s stretching on your floor before bed, or maybe that’s nothing at all. Maybe movement means going about your daily life – walking to things, unloading groceries and vacuuming your floors.

Maybe that means you buy frozen veggies and eggs and pre-cooked rice or some frozen meals you enjoy or if you’re like me…you order takeout or grab Chipotle instead of cramming in meal planning and grocery shopping on your weekend. Because sometimes rest is far more important than cutting vegetables and stirring quinoa.

Maybe that means you don’t eat all the vegetables and all the whole grains and clean organic non-gmo only coconut oil things. Maybe you eat what’s least stressful and most nourishing given the circumstances. Health is so much more than what’s on your plate. And if there are two things that trump eating and exercise every time…it’s getting enough sleep and taking care of yourself so you can manage your stress levels.

Maybe that means you accept imperfection, see it as a gift instead of a weakness, and be okay with doing what matters instead of doing everything perfectly. You’re doing just fine. And it’s okay to embrace your humanness.

So maybe there in fact is time to rest, do something that fills you up, flip on some Netflix, and recharge for a bit.

Whatever that looks like for you, healthy changes as seasons of life change. And that’s more than okay.

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Thanks Robyn for sharing your expertise and perspective with us. You can find Robyn on her blog, Instagram and Facebook. Wishing you all a great weekend! xo Alex