How do YOU define 'healthy'?

It's probably going to be different based on the person. It sounds to me like you're using "healthy" to describe "fitness?" I don't think you'll find a definitive meaning, because it's probably more of a spectrum, in which healthiness and fitness are relative and variable.

An objective way to determine this is blood pressure monitoring, resting heart rate, passing various fitness assessment tests, stress tests, etc. A less than objective way to determine health is how one feels when doing activities that range from normal, daily activities to those that require some exertion.

Trying to put myself in your shoes, the first thing that comes to mind would be that "healthy" is being able to do everyday activities without shortness of breath, discomfort or pain, or loss of consciousness (haha). And then from there, you are more healthy if you can perform activities with some intensity for lengthy periods of time.

I was in a car accident that left me with chronic pain for a little over a year of my life. Thank God I'm pain free now! When you have experienced pain or illness and you no longer have it, you don't take health for granted. Healthy to me is waking up with no pain and feeling normal today. And I'm very grateful.

Google search "definition of healthy" returns a fair number of hits, many from dictionaries.

So....it appears the definition of health IS on the Internet.

I like the beginning of the World Health Organization definition:

"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

My definition has continued to evolve. Like Taunto above, there was a time I would get winded simply walking out of my apartment and up our little hill. Now I'm looking at targeting a low body fat percentage, hitting my increased weight lifting goals, and am currently working on getting my running distance back up to where it was a bit over a year ago. Let your goals evolve as your body changes, but definitely set goals for yourself.

I would define healthy as having a balance of energy across the different aspects of my lifestyle and to feel that I am making improvements at managing that more effectively with each effort.

I include food and exercise as part of this, and in managing stress and anxiety both from everyday situations as well as stress from physical or mental exertion.

At the end of the day all it is is energy in versus energy out so it's down to the quality of the energy that you put in (stress management, sleep and fluid included) and the ways that you choose to expend that energy that determines the quality of your output.

e.g. clean eating + water + sleep + exercise = better sex, sleep, work, rest, and play

v's

poor nutritional balance + little water + minimal/no sleep + sedate lifestyle = little energy left to make any effort

I actually get more from life now that I've realized that to do everything that I need/want to do to balance up my lifestyle often means that I have to accept slower progress athletically because this isn't the principle focus of my lifestyle, and I am not/don't strive to be paid as an athlete so can't afford for it to be either (being an athlete takes a lot more than just a great nutritiously packed diet!).

I am doing much better in managing a healthy lifestyle since I've taken to working out less than I always used to and prioritizing where and how I expend my energy. It depends what you want to achieve