being healthy: are you doing it wrong?

hey, happy friday! it’s a rainy day here in the SLC—i guess what they say about april showers is right! i don’t mind the rain, though.. it makes everything green and vibrant afterward. plus, we need it!

so, i got a comment on yesterday’s post that really struck a chord and i have decided to share it, share my thoughts, and open it up for discussion.

before diving in to my thoughts on the whole “doing it wrong” statement, i should probably address the thing about being sick. i realize that, because i choose to be a blogger, my life is often under a microscope. that’s fine, it’s my choice to share my life with you guys and what people take from my ramblings is not in my control. however, i did kind of laugh at this because of the “sick a lot” remark. the last time i was sick was exactly a year ago—to the day! i typically get sick once a year right around this time. prior to getting my tonsils out, i got sick all the time! i believe it was up to six times one year—ugh. but thanks to that surgery, i usually just get sick once a year. one and done.

not only am i rarely sick, the whole equating my sinus infection to not living a healthful life made me laugh. the healthiest people on the planet (which i am not) can get sick in a heartbeat. healthy people catch colds. heck, healthy people get cancer. even if you live and breathe health & fitness, you are not invincible. you will not escape sickness just by eating right and exercising and practicing healthy habits. sorry, that’s not the way life goes. which is why i replied to the comment with this:

anyway, the whole judging of how often i get sick aside, it’s actually the second part of the comment that i want to talk about.

“you are doing whatever you are doing horribly wrong.”

whatever i am doing? what is it, exactly, that i am “doing”? last time i checked, i was just living my life. how does one do that “wrong”?

is there a right or wrong way to live? well, that is a matter of opinion. and, to be quite honest, the opinion that matters most is your own. if you are living your life “right” according to you, then that is what matters most. (unless, of course, you are murdering people and robbing banks and whatnot.. then the law’s opinion probably matters quite a bit.)

yes–this blog talks about health. i like clean eating. i like fun workouts. i like health tips. i like fun facts. i like new recipes. i like old recipes. i like sharing my life with you.

but NEVER would i ever consider myself the epitome of health. shoot, i am not even close to it. let’s see.. what are some things i am “doing wrong” when it comes to the health world?

• i eat white bread. fried food. sugar. lots of sugar.
• i drink booze.. sometimes too much. all at once.
• then i cure my hangover with greasy food.
• i’m lazy by nature.
• i often only get 5-6 hours of sleep.
• i overeat all the time. geeez, i love food too much to stop!
• there are days where i log under 2,500 steps… less than 25% of the recommended amount for the average joe.
• i forget to floss.
• i’ll stay up past midnight and sleep past noon.
• i leave my contacts in for weeks at a time.
• i go to bed with make-up on more than i care to admit.
• i never, ever stretch.
• i chew too much gum.
• there are many days in my week without a vegetable in sight.
• i love butter. and mayo. and high fructose syrup-laden ketchup.
• my eggs aren’t always cage free. my beef isn’t always grass fed. my produce is only sometimes organic.
• i skip my vitamins and supplements alllll the time. super forgetful.
• sometimes i leave work at 4:30 PM and realize i haven’t drank a drop of water all day.
• i eat way too many carbs.
• i’ve been known to hit the tanning bed once or twice before a tropical trip.

look at that. i thought of twenty bullet points off the top of my head. just last night i ate two pieces of white bread toast with loads of butter at 1 AM and then went to bed with my makeup on and my contacts in and overslept. whoops!

and, yes, i realize that yesterday i was sick but i still went to a see my favorite band at 10 PM. and, shoot, i have been going to the gym this week even though i am not 100% better. i realize both of these things could have played a role in that whole not getting better as fast as possible thing.. but i made those choices regardless.

i am clearly doing this life thing wrong.

or.. am i? who is the judge?

i am not perfect. i am a far cry from it! but i am (mostly) happy. i say mostly because i am not the happiest most spunky girl in town. i have my downs. i have struggles. like i said, a far cry from perfect. but i wouldn’t take a step back, look at my life, and say that i am doing it wrong.

i love life. despite the occasional sickness. despite my mysterious GI issues. despite not being able to into all of the jeans i own. despite my marital problems. despite my twenty-bullet-point list of what i am doing “wrong”. it’s my life and it is my choice to be happy, despite anything in it that may be “wrong”, whether it is in my control or not. yeah—i know a lot of those things i CAN change.. and if i feel like i need to, i will. as for the things in my life that are going wrong, i always remember this quote:

i hope you never leave this blog after reading a post with the impression that i am preaching to you. with the impression that i am doing everything right and you should follow me in order to prevent yourself from doing it wrong. with the impression that i myself am the healthiest person around simply because i discuss health topics. because those, my friends, are all wrong impressions.

i’m just living. one day at a time. okay, maybe i’m doing it wrong, but i am sure enjoying the ride, learning from my mistakes, and trying to make the most of this life. after all, i’ve only got one to live.

no question.. just please share YOUR thoughts on this in the comments.

xo. janetha g.