Do you think people are realistic about what being healthy can do for us?

Warning, this gets rambly.

In my eyes, health is very personalized. It looks different for and on everyone, and there is no one size fits all (pun not intended, but approved.) In my mind, eating healthy is about meeting your bodies nutrient needs. Fueling your body with what it needs to stay healthy is always good. Excersize isn't about weight loss as much as it is keeping yourself moving and enjoying that movement/activity. It helps your brain too!

It's a foundation. Keeping your body maintained best you can, and giving it the best shot it has.

However, there is no magical answer.

No food, diet, excersize plan, pill, or whatever. Nothing will keep you immune from illness, injury, age, and disability.

These dont happen because of "right" or "wrong" choices. Hell, even weight isn't so simple. Theres a level of elitism I see in some fitness spaces, where they put themselves on a pedestal and gloat about how much better they are then fat or disabled people.

"Look at us! We made all the right choices! We're not like those sad people who will die at 30 because they're lazy!"

They dont know that pedestal is made of sand, and all it takes it one wave to knock it over. An accident, sickness, genetics. A healthy life certainly can help with these things, but they do not make immunity.

I myself am disabled. I have a condition called POTS, causing dizziness from moving positions (and just about everything else) and fatigue.

I will never be "healthy". No fad diet or excersize plan will change that. Actually, most would worsen my symptoms considerably. But yet, so many people say they would dissapear if I just did yoga. (I do stretches regularly. Very enjoyable, still have the malfunctions.)

I think I forgot the original question. Let me wrap up real fast.

Personally, I have seen most benefit in fostering a healthy relationship with food. I do not moralize certain foods, no "good or bad" or "cheat days." Just feeding my body when it's hungry (or when its not, thanks small appetite) and making an effort to get in needed nutrients. Going from barely eating 1000 calories a day to eating "bad" foods regularly (and actually sleeping regularly) has cut my fatigue down so much.

And I'm...attempting excersize. Ive been a theater and art nerd my whole life, it's an adjustment even without the dizzy spells. We're working on it.

Health is a lot of things. It is not one size fits all. Frankly I think a lot of popular health fads are unhealthy and dangerous, and focus far too much on guilt and fear. But that doesn't mean there aren't benefits in making healthy choices. It can improve your bodies health, but also make your brain happier! And that's my main goal.

I think most people that lose weight believe it's healthier, and that's because it is healthier. I would suspect also that if a person that needs to lose weight, and of course this is on a spectrum, do believe that it translates into a healthier and happier life and life span in general. I think that was your question.

Of course other factors determine good health as well and again from my observations people that have more feet time on mother earth, and bare footed to be more specific tend to be healthier than those sitting and not moving very much. Basically the more active a person is, better health outcomes are then translated over a life span. Cheers