Even if you don’t subscribe to the traditional health tips which is rooted in diet culture, such as detoxes or juicesIt’s still hard to stop the noise of wellness fads from seeping into your psyche. They still make us believe that expensive supplements or retreats are the way to achieve maximum health, along with time-consuming daily habits like intense workouts seven times a week or make every bite we eat from scratch using organic ingredients.
But you may have found that when you try these kinds of wellness habits, you end up feeling even worse than before. You feel sore, tired, potentially hungry, and often extremely broke.
Which leads to the question: what exactly does women feel ‘healthy’? That’s a complex word, but in this context, it simply means energized, happy, and the best versions of ourselves. I put that to 58 women and was pleasantly surprised by the results.
The two health habits that women bet on
The two most common responses were so simple: for walk in nature and lifting weights. In fact, my favorite response came from Strong Women reader Anna Maysey-Wells, who wrote that the only thing that improves health is “long, noisy walks. [They make my] the muscles feel tired, the lungs feel full, the brain feels better.
Other responses included: “Dead weight! I love them, who would say? by Allyson Thomas, and “Our Baby Strength Training” by nancy better.
While we’ve long been touting the huge benefits associated with these activities at Mujeres Fuertes, it’s so refreshing to hear that women are leaning into these positive habits, especially in January, a month traditionally associated with excessive movement and minimal food.
While both activities have a huge physical benefits, the reasons women love them seem to be because of the impact on mental health. Weightlifting is about “feeling strong”And“ being empowered ”, while walks are seen as“ grounded ”. Maybe it’s because the confinement has made us realize how relevant mental health is to overall well-being, but it could also be because we’re finally beginning to realize that movement is much more sustainable when it encompasses our brain and body.
Other ways to feel better
However, walking and lifting weights weren’t the only habits women rely on to feel good. Others included variations of the following:
- “Get enough sleep”
- “Spend less time on my phone”
- “Orgasms!”
- “Being on my yoga mat to move and breathe for 10 minutes”
- “Extension”
- “Read without distractions”
- “Being outdoors with vegetation”
- “Eating the rainbow”
- “Time for me”
- “I’m happiest when I feel like I’m in control”
- “Much water”
This list shows that there are so many different habits that can make us feel better. But more importantly, it shows that true health does not come from distorting the size or shape of our bodies, controlling food intake, or maintaining high energy expenditure. Pure and simple, the things that make us feel like above average human come down to taking time for ourselves, being in the real world, and empowering our bodies and minds. If they are not things to aspire to in 2022, we don’t know what they are.
