Redefining "Health": What Performance Health Is + Why I'm Done with It
I'm fired up (as you may have noticed from my last post). Because you're here and you've been with me for this journey, I think that you're going to resonate with these exciting new ideas, too.My guess is that some of the things I wrote about in F**k Metrics spoke to you. Maybe you've depended on a number to feel like you're enough. Maybe you've had trouble seeing how awesome you are because you felt like awesomeness was dependent on fitting a mold that never felt right.If you feel like you're just not hitting that joy-center with movement and nutrition, it's likely because you're focused on performance health's expectations of what you "should" be doing. Lucky for you, I'm here to tell you why you don't have to do that anymore.You can find your own, unique version of health that makes you happy, energized and excited about doing more. It does exist! And it doesn't depend on needing to be a certain size/weight, lift a certain amount, or run a certain time.Today, I'm going to give you the lowdown on the difference between "performance health" and "Health" as I'm seeking to define it.
Performance Health Vs My Definition of Health
In today's market, there are a lot of systems and programs that are only interested in how you perform against THEIR standards of health, using their measurements of success. It's often a series of metrics that track physical size, endurance and strength. This is "performance health."While performance health may work for some personalities, it's harmful to many people that resonate with what I write about here. People with obsessive-compulsive-leaning minds, perfectionists, depressives, people with anxiety and emotional eaters tend to also be extreme thinkers. We think that it has to be black or white, all or nothing (ever heard the phrase, "go hard or go home"?). When we're held to a standard, you better believe we're all in or all out.The problem with this extreme thinking is that no one can ever be "all in" all the time; they'd burn out. When we super-feelers inevitably do burn out, we give up entirely, telling ourselves we just don't have the willpower to do it; a belief that's thoroughly backed up by shame-inducing propaganda labeled as "inspo."We learn that burning out - an inevitable consequence of all-out effort - is a weakness that needs to be worked through. Unfortunately, working through the burn out period often leads to worsening health (adrenal fatigue, injury, eating disorders, depressive episodes, anxiety attacks, etc.).
My definition of Health is not a single metric or a measurement, it's every action you take to build your spirit, mind and body.
It's not always perfect (in fact, it never is), but it's yours. No one has all the answers, the perfect system or the ideal end game.I'm on a mission to help you build your individual health - one movement, action and decision at a time, without scales or judgment. It's not about what everyone else is doing; it's totally up to you and what feels good.It's not just body health, either. It's equal parts physical, mental and spiritual. Equal. Parts.The term, Health, has taken on this broad, cookie-cutter connotation. My guess is that when I say "health," you automatically picture a stock photo featuring a runner at sunset or a girl holding up a water bottle whilst laughing. Apparently, drinking water is hilarious. Who knew?Up till now, "Health" has been a generic, nebulous, often-confusing term that inspires a "meh" reaction at best.
Over the next few months, I hope to open your eyes to Health as a movement; as a way to take back your power from what you've been told you need to be.
This radical idea that health is individual with no end result can be the most liberating concept if you decide to give yourself over to it.If you want a weekly update to keep you motivated and integrated into the health movement, make sure to sign up below. You'll get special subscriber-only goodies, too![gravityform id="16" title="false" description="false"]I am SO excited about what's to come. If you have any questions or just want to share in this giddiness with me, tweet me or meet me on Instagram!To your Health,Amy