Sunday, August 8, 2010

attitudes towards health.

I was just trawling through the blogs and read this post over at Fit Sugar

"Dear Fit,
I've been best friends with someone for over a decade, and within this past year, she's gotten on a major health kick. We're talking meeting with a personal trainer, exercising at least five times a week, buying only organic foods, and not eating a drop of junk. She won't even drink alcohol, not even a glass of wine. I'm really proud of her for being so healthy, but honestly, it's driving me crazy. I feel really insecure around her, not only because she looks so amazingly toned and thin, but because I like to indulge a little every once in a while. I feel like I can't order greasy French fries or enjoy a decadent dessert if we go out to dinner. She won't stay out past 9 pm because she needs to get up early and work out. It sounds stupid, but I feel like her healthy lifestyle is putting distance between us. It's just not fun to hang out with someone who is so darn strict. I don't want to lose her completely as a friend, so what can I do to make me feel less annoyed and less self-conscious?"

This is interesting to me. A few years back I began a healthy lifestyle and pledged to eat better and work out more - a decision that lead me onto studying nutrition at university and considering a career in the health field. I found it interesting how different family and friends reacted to my new choices. Nights out where I used to eat greasy takeaway at 2am were no longer an option and when my friends wanted takeaway, I would refuse and be told that I was 'so good' for not giving in. I would arrange catch up with friends around workouts and often organize my own food for family get-together's so I knew I would be eating a healthy and nutritious meal.

I never considered the other side of things. Though I'm not as strict as the friend mentioned in Fit Sugar's post (by far!), I do know that I've had a few rolled eyes and light jokes made by family about my attitudes towards nutrition and healthy living. But it definitely sounds like the woman above is being very strict and towards the more extreme end of the healthy lifestyle scale. We all should know by now that moderation is definitely key to a long lasting healthy lifestyle ;)

Life without chocolate every now and then? Hell, no.

Though I think that having a healthy friend or family member can be a positive thing and often have an overwhelming impact on your own life. My dad is also extremely healthy and for years has competed in triathlons and marathons. I know that over the last few years my family has gone from smoking, drinking and take-away junkies - to the point where we all now eat extremely healthily and exercise regularly. It's become second nature and it makes me so happy that we are all on the right path and happier for it.

So that's just some food for thought...I just find it interesting how positively or negatively people can react when healthy lifestyles become a topic of conversation.


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