What If We've Been Thinking About Health All Wrong?
Have you ever noticed how we speak to our bodies?
We complain about them.
We criticize them.
We compare them to everyone else’s.
We look in the mirror and focus on what we wish were different.
We punish ourselves with restrictive diets.
We promise ourselves we'll “be good” tomorrow after eating something we decided we shouldn’t have today.
We tell ourselves we need to exercise more, weigh less, eat better, sleep more, stress less…
And somehow, along the way, health became a battle instead of a relationship.
But what if we’ve been thinking about health all wrong?
This happened to me from early high-school until my late-20s.
It started with worrying about weight. I was always a ridiculously skinny kid, but as soon as I started going through puberty and seeing a little more fat on my body, I began the vicious cycle of wanting to get rid of it (even though I was still thin). That's where the battle began.
Over the years, I tried calorie reduction, a super low-fat diet, substituted real food for "diet," "low-fat," and "sugar-free" options, but most of the time was left feeling feeling hungry and tired.
I worked out to burn calories, not build strength.
Beyond weight, in college I struggled with stomach pain that could not be explained, even resorting to an endoscopy which showed nothing wrong.
I needed an afternoon nap virtually everyday, I struggled to sleep well, and had terrible acne.
A few years later after having kids, I had digestive issues and pain, and my sleep was so bad I had to take a prescription sleep aid.
I hated struggling with my symptoms, and all I wanted to do was fix them, fix my body.
Eventually, I started paying attention to my body. I started understanding that my lifestyle habits were the key to supporting what my body needed and to feel my best.
Why Reframing Health Exists
For years, I knew I needed to show people what I had learned, to help them sift through all the conflicting health information out there, and to help them understand that there is a different way to see health.
The trap is that so much of the health advice we hear focuses on what to do.
Eat this.
Don’t eat that.
Exercise more.
Sleep more.
Lose weight.
Count your calories.
Follow this plan.
And while those things can certainly matter, there’s something we don’t talk about nearly enough:
How we think about our bodies.
Because the way we think influences the way we treat ourselves. And the way we treat ourselves becomes our habits.
That’s where Reframing Health begins.
Instead of constantly asking, “What do I need to do to fix my body?”
What if we started asking: “How can I take better care of the body I already have?”
What If We Saw Our Bodies For All They Do For Us?
They are constantly working for us.
Breathing.
Moving.
Digesting.
Healing.
Adapting.
Sleeping.
Thinking.
Fighting.
Carrying us through every ordinary day—and sometimes through extraordinarily difficult ones.
Maybe our bodies don't need more punishment.
Maybe they need more care and compassion.
My Own Reframe
This perspective has become especially meaningful to me through my own health journey.
There was a time when it was easy for me to think about my body primarily in terms of how it looked, how it performed, or what I wanted to change.
But facing a serious illness changed the way I see my body. I began to appreciate it differently.
Instead of seeing only the things I wished were different, I became more aware of everything my body was doing for me—especially during a difficult season when I needed it more than ever.
That experience didn't suddenly make everything easy, but it changed the question.
Instead of asking, “Why isn't my body doing what I want it to do?”
I started thinking more about: “How can I support my body through what it's going through?”
That shift in perspective is a big part of why Reframing Health exists.
Not because I have all the answers.
But because I believe we can approach health differently.
Health Is Built in Ordinary Moments
We often think that becoming healthier requires a dramatic transformation.
A new diet.
A six-week challenge.
A strict workout program.
A complete lifestyle overhaul.
But lasting health usually isn't built in dramatic moments.
It's built in ordinary ones.
The meal you choose.
The walk you take.
The workout you actually enjoy enough to repeat.
The hour of sleep you decide is worth protecting.
The deep breath you take before reacting.
The stress you decide not to carry.
The encouraging thought you give yourself instead of another criticism.
The decision to try again after a day that didn't go as planned.
Every small choice is an opportunity to care for yourself.
And over time, those choices become habits.
Those habits shape how you feel today—and can influence the health you're building for tomorrow.
Change the Lens First
This is the heart of Reframing Health.
I no longer believe health is simply about eating perfectly, exercising harder, losing weight, or following the latest wellness trend.
It's about looking at your health through a different lens.
A lens that considers nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, mindset, and the individual person behind all of it.
Because there isn't one perfect way to be healthy. There is only the process of learning what helps you feel and function at your best—and creating habits you can actually sustain.
You don't have to be perfect.
You don't have to start over every Monday.
You don't have to fight your body into submission.
You can start small.
You can make one better choice.
And then another.
Start With One Question
So today, instead of asking:
“How can I make my body look different?”
Try asking:
“How can I care for my body today?”
That one question can change the decisions that follow.
Maybe caring for your body means eating a nourishing meal.
Maybe it means going for a walk.
Maybe it means getting to bed earlier.
Maybe it means taking a break.
Maybe it means speaking to yourself with a little more kindness.
Maybe it simply means recognizing that your body is doing a lot more for you than you give it credit for.
You don't have to change everything today.
Just change the way you see the next choice.
All of this is why I created Reframing Health.
Let's stop fighting our bodies and start building a healthier future—one small habit at a time.
TODAY'S REFRAME:
What’s one small way you can care for your body today instead of trying to control it?
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