In today’s diet culture ridden society, weight seems to have become synonymous with health, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Contrary to popular opinion, weight is not a good indicator of health. Here are three things you can do that are much better for your health than focusing on weight:
1. Add meditation into your daily routine. Mental health is just as important as physical health, and while meditation can be extremely beneficial for improving mental health, some research has shown that it has potential physical health benefits as well, such as possibly lowering blood pressure and helping to regulate hormones that are impacted by stress. Try downloading an app like Headspace and meditating for a few minutes each day and see the benefits it will have both on your emotional and physical states.
2. Give yourself freedom to eat what your body wants and needs. Our culture that is soaked in reduced calorie and low-fat foods is far from encouraging food freedom. An article from Eating Disorder Hope shares that 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting and that 20-25% of those individuals develop eating disorders. Instead of listening to BS “health” magazines and so-called “wellness” bloggers, give Intuitive Eating a try, listen to what your body wants, and stop depriving yourself — your body is smarter than you think.
3. Unfollow people who make you feel bad about yourself. Let’s face it, we all know there are at least one or two (or maybe 20) people on our Instagram and Facebook feeds that make us feel negative about ourselves. Whether it’s because of body comparisons or any other reason, following people who make us feel bad about who we are can definitely have a negative impact on our mental (and, in turn, physical) health. If someone on your feed is making you question your worth, hit the unfollow button, and see how your happiness will start to increase.
Physical health and mental health are equally important, and they are very intertwined. By focusing on things other than weight, you are able to truly focus on more effective ways of defining your health. Try these three tips, and see the impact they will have on how you feel and think.