7/8/11

Does Being Healthy Make You Healthy?

It been a weird year for me health wise. Six months in and I can safely say I have eaten better so far this year then any year of my entire life. Yes, I have had some unfortunate bouts with binge eating but I also eat more nutritious, whole foods than ever before.

I also workout more efficiently now then I have in any 6 consecutive months. I run, cross train, strength train, stretch and get yoga-fied. It feels great and I am confident that I am on the right track as far as fitness is concerned. And that feels great!

So can someone please tell me, if I am doing healthy things why I can't manage to actually stay healthy?

I have had the flu three, count 'em, three times since the year started. I have had a hypoxiated cornea, digestive trouble and epic migraines.


Yes I shared that one again. You're welcome.

And now the latest medical drama to weasle its way into my "supposed to be" healthy life: kidney infection.

If you've had one you know that this is a nightmare. And having done some research I know mine is pracically mild compared to some people's experience. Nonetheless, I am not having even a little bit of fun.

On top of lower back (aka kidney) pain, frequent and painful trips to the bathroom and general malaise from my body's attempt to fight back, I am missing work and missing life. I can't workout, honor my commitment to play in a volleyball tournament tomorrow or even leave the house for too long in fear that I will have to bolt to a grimey gas station washroom five or six times in the span of an hour.

So here I am. Sick again and not happy about it.



Don't get me wrong, I know that things could definitely be worse. And I am so, SO grateful for the good health that I have most days. All I wish is that all my hardwork and good intentions could be put to better use by being able to actually revel in the "feeling good" that should come from healthy living.

I also know there are people out there who are suffering much more then me and who started out much healthier then me and as I write this my frustrations are for them too. Is it too much to ask to want to be as healthy as we try to be??

Yes, I am having a bit of a pity party. And yes, I need to suck it up because in all liklihood I will be well again in a few days. It's just so hard to hear people who smoke, drink frequently, party hard, eat poorly and never exercise on purpose say "Wow, you're sick again? I never get sick!"

Do I wish that they were sick instead. No. Well not entirely. My fear for them is that they never get sick so they think that they are healthy and I still believe (despite evidence to the contrary) that in the long run I will benefit from a healthy lifestyle and and unhealthy one will catch up to them. And that I don't want. So if the occasional cold would light a fire under their ass to clean up their act then maybe its not too bad....

Anyway, now that I've got that off my chest I am going to get back to the business of getting better. On deck for today:

7 bazillion litres of water/juice
Reading as many blogs as I can get my lil' hands on
Memory card cleanup
Reading Water for Elephants
Daytime tv
A nap

Yeah, its going to be boomin' up in here!

Happy Friday all! May the weekend find you in good health!


So tell me, do you find that people who live healthy aren't always the healthiest? Why do you think that is?

13 comments:

  1. The body is a weird thing... I have a friend is has done 10+ Ironman, is an amazing coach, knows everything about nutrition...and still cannot lose that last 15 pounds. I think a lot of it can come from getting so worn out from stress, work, life and then adding working out can sometimes be a shock to the system.
    Chin up!

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  2. I think there are two different variants of "healthy." One being working out, eating well, not trashing your body.

    The other is when things don't work together and you have an infection, or cancer, or whatever the case may be. There are plenty of healthy people that get cancer. I see people that tell me they treated their bodies well, didn't smoke, drink and they still have cancer, or a multitude of health problems... Some stuff is just hereditary. Or certain body types are more prone to infections than others.. and people that say they never get sick- they haven't been exposed to the right kind of funk yet, or they are just lucky. but I bet when they do get sick...they are out for the count.

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  3. oh nooooo! this sucks!

    and i know how much it sucks bc i just had a kidney infection like a month ago.

    but stay strong and positive and hopefully ur antibiotics will kick this infection's behind!!!

    enjoy some daytime TV. when i was sick, i watched a millions eps of Say Yes to the Dress. it made the days go by fast.

    but yes i totally agree with what you said that in the long run, u will 100% benefit over the unhealthy, never get sick ppl.

    rest up! *hugs*

    aneta

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  4. First of all - I'm so sorry you are sick! I had a absolutely horrible kidney infection when I was in college. I was in the hospital for three nights and jacked up on codeine. I know how miserable it can be!

    I think our bodies go through an ebb and flow of being healthy and not being healthy. Perhaps you were susceptible to getting these ailments anyways, but your healthy living helped them from going from bad to worse. If anything, I always look at being sick as my body's way of improving its immunity. Doesn't improve the situation at all, but it helps me deal. Also, even though I'm a pretty healthy person in the aspects of what I eat and how active I am, I sometimes don't manage stress well and that's the first thing that makes me sick. Are there other areas of health (stress, sleep...) that you need to focus on?

    Hope you feel better!

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  5. Kidney infections suck -- big time. Sorry you're down and out-of-it right now Hope you bounce back fast. I'd like to "ditto" the comments talking about how stress can effect health (and sometimes we don't even realize the stress we are under, cause it just seems "normal")

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  6. While I definitely think eating right and exercise are very important for health I think a few more holistic approaches are just as important. Things like rest, getting enough sleep and avoiding stress. I think a lot of "healthy" people actually put their bodies under a lot of stress by being to anal about being healthy. For example, when marathon training taking rest days is just as important as getting your runs in! I think the overall picture of health and wellness is so much more than just eating right and exercising!

    All that being said I definitely get sick anlot less since I lost 25 pounds and started exercising regularly a couple years ago!

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  7. I'm pretty lucky that I am rarely sick...now me saying this, will be the time where I probably get hit hard. BUT, I completely understand you frustration when seemingly "unhealthy" people make comments about my lifestyle, regardless if I'm sick or not! But keep doing what you're doing...exercising, eating well, it'll pay off no matter what! Feel better!

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  8. I'm sorry you are so sick!
    Maybe all the healthy eating/exercising is purging your body of the bad things and you will be super human healthy soon (i'm in no way qualified to decide this just trying to cheer you up!)
    Enjoy Water for Elephants, i loved that book :o)

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  9. Aw hun that sucks! When I first met my boyfriend Craig I had a bad bout of the flu, which then turned into reoccuring bouts of sinus infections and strep throat. I swear I sick for almost a year, it pretty much sucked and I still can't believe he stuck by me throughout all that, I had no social life whatsoever. It does make you become more thankful for your health!

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  10. I hope you get better soon!! I am waiting for the day something hits me... I am the one that never gets sick but then again, this could happen to anyone. It feels worst when you are actually trying to do something good! Take care and see you soon :)

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  11. Aww. So sorry you're going through all this illness. Whenever I feel like I've been sick a lot I just try a lot of positive thinking that I am not going to get sick. If I start getting paranoid about someone next to me having a cold, I'll usually catch it, but if I stay positive and try not to think about it, then I'm usually fine. I hope you get better soon! It sounds like you have it under control.

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  12. If Susan's ordeal has taught me anything is that living a healthy lifestyle doesn't necessarily guarantee that you'll be healthy. But I would like to believe that it means you get over whatever ails you much sooner!

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  13. Ugh, I can so relate! In the past 8 months, I've gotten very serious about my health. And then I get a kidney stone. SO random. I've been putting more water in my body now than ever before and I land in the ER in severe pain. It was a horrible experience (and I hope you're feeling better!) but I too felt like my body failed me at a time when I was treating it the best I ever have in my life.

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