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Writer's pictureBernadette Henry

A Wake-Up Call: Prioritizing Your Health Beyond Exercise and Diet



In today’s world, physical health is often portrayed as the ultimate key to overall well-being. Social media is flooded with tips and advice on how working out and eating right are the only ingredients for a long, healthy life. While this advice has merit, it paints an incomplete picture. For many of us, taking care of our bodies goes beyond exercise and diet—it involves dealing with complex medical conditions that aren’t necessarily solved by a clean lifestyle.


Over the past few months, I’ve been reflecting deeply on this. I believed I would be free from health complications by following a regular fitness routine and maintaining a balanced diet. But reality hit me hard when I was recently hospitalized for a condition that turned my world upside down. This experience has forced me to reconsider what true health means and how we must advocate for ourselves—beyond the basic physical upkeep.


In this blog post, I want to share my health journey, challenges, and valuable lessons I’ve learned. Hopefully, my story can help you recognize that health is multifaceted and taking care of yourself isn’t always as simple as it seems.


My Journey: A Surprising Diagnosis


Let me start by saying that I have always been committed to my health. As a jump rope enthusiast and fitness ambassador, I’ve incorporated daily movement into my routine. I’ve also made a conscious effort to eat nutritious meals and keep my body in check. Yet, despite all these efforts, I received a diagnosis that threw me off course.


For personal reasons, I won’t disclose the exact condition right now (perhaps in a series of videos later), but what I will share is the overwhelming wave of emotions I experienced: anger, frustration, confusion, and disbelief. Like many of you, I assumed that as long as I followed my doctor’s advice and stayed on top of my fitness, I’d be fine. But that wasn’t the case.


The diagnosis wasn’t hereditary, which only added to my confusion. How could this happen? I’d done everything right—or so I thought. It felt like a betrayal by my own body. However, this experience has given me an essential wake-up call about health: it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation. Health is deeply personal, and managing it requires an ongoing conversation with your body and healthcare providers.


The Problem with the “Just Exercise and Eat Right” Mentality


One of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered on my journey is the oversimplification of health, especially in the online fitness community. When I shared my recent weight loss and how I achieved it, many of the responses I received echoed the same theme: “Just exercise and eat right, and you’ll be fine.”


While I understand the importance of these two pillars of health, I’ve learned they aren’t the magic solution for every health issue. For some people, even with a perfect exercise routine and diet, medical conditions can persist, and some may develop new ones despite their best efforts. This mentality can be harmful because it dismisses the complexities of individual health needs and conditions.


According to The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), lifestyle factors like diet and exercise are essential for maintaining good health. Still, they are not a cure-all for chronic conditions with genetic, environmental, and biochemical roots (Shulman, 2014). It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that fitness can “fix” everything, but science tells us otherwise. Comprehensive health requires attention to various physical, emotional, and medical.


Moreover, the pressure to conform to a narrow definition of health often leads people to ignore warning signs from their bodies. As The New England Journal of Medicine notes, health is not just the absence of disease but the presence of physical, mental, and social well-being (Marmot et al., 2015). This holistic view is essential when it comes to managing both chronic conditions and unforeseen medical diagnoses like the one I faced.


Learning to Listen to Your Body


This experience has taught me to listen to my body more carefully. For years, I followed what I thought was a foolproof plan: working out regularly, eating a balanced diet, and following my doctor's advice. But I wasn’t always honest with myself about the signals my body was giving me. I often brushed these aside to maintain my fitness routine, whether it was persistent fatigue, recurring pain, or unusual symptoms.


In hindsight, I realize that dismissing these signs could have made my condition worse. The body communicates with us in subtle ways, and it’s important not to ignore those signals. Now, I’m learning to be more in tune with my body’s needs and to act when something feels off, even if it means taking a step back from my routine.


Navigating the Noise: Health Beyond the Surface


Another major challenge has been navigating the overwhelming amount of noise around what it means to be "healthy." Social media is filled with influencers who tout picture-perfect wellness, but it’s crucial to remember that health looks different for everyone. No one-size-fits-all approach works because each person has unique needs, medical history, and genetic predispositions.


In my case, despite doing everything I thought was right, my diagnosis reminded me that health is far more nuanced. I’ll continue prioritizing exercise and nutrition because they’re essential, but I also recognize that managing my health goes beyond that. I’m committed to working closely with my doctors, exploring other areas like mental health and stress management, and continuing to make informed decisions about my body.


One of the most significant shifts I’ve made is learning to tune out the noise—whether it’s the pressure to “look” healthy or the endless stream of unsolicited health advice. I encourage everyone reading this to do the same. Ultimately, no one knows your body better than you, and your health journey is yours.


Moving Forward: Embracing a Holistic Approach to Health


While the diagnosis was a hard pill to swallow, it also gave me a chance to reassess my priorities. Health isn’t just about looking a certain way or achieving a specific fitness goal; it’s about feeling good from the inside out. It’s about managing existing conditions, preventing new ones, and fostering emotional well-being.


Now, I’m focusing on balancing all areas of my life. I still love to jump rope and work out, but I’ve also started paying more attention to my mental and emotional health. Additionally, I’ve launched a new social selling business that aligns with my passion for self-care and wellness. It allows me to work from home, so I don’t have to spend seven days a week physically working outside the house.


Balancing work, family, and my health has been challenging, but I’ve found ways to make it all work. By pursuing a flexible career path, I can maintain my health while ensuring I have the financial means to continue my graduate studies without delay.


Conclusion: Your Health, Your Journey


One thing I’ve learned through this experience is that health is a journey, not a destination. No matter how disciplined we are with our fitness routines or diets, our bodies can throw us a curveball. What’s important is how we respond to those challenges. Instead of feeling defeated by my diagnosis, I’ve chosen to see it as an opportunity to live life more fully and take better care of myself—physically, mentally, and emotionally.


To anyone reading this: Take care of yourself. Don’t ignore the signs your body is giving you. Make regular check-ins with your healthcare provider a priority. And most importantly, block out the noise that says you must conform to a narrow version of health. Your journey is your own, and no one else can define it.


I’ll share more insights, feelings, and tips on my YouTube channel as I continue toward better health. I hope my story inspires you to take control of your health journey and live your best life every day.


References


Shulman, G. I. (2014). Ectopic fat in insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and cardiometabolic disease. New England Journal of Medicine, 371(12), 1131-1141.


Marmot, M., Allen, J., Bell, R., Bloomer, E., & Goldblatt, P. (2015). WHO European review of social determinants of health and the health divide. The Lancet, 380(9846), 1011-1029.

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