This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org. As a wellness writer, I stay abreast of the latest health and medical research by reading books and scientific studies, attending webinars, and following top wellness influencers on the podcast circuit and social media. The upside is that I’m very well-informed on how to live a long, healthy life.
Unfortunately, knowing and doing are two different things, so there’s a downside, too: I often feel that my healthy habits are inadequate, and my attempts at getting “super healthy” usually end in disappointment. Undoubtedly, this cycle of trying, failing, and trying again has made me much healthier than I would otherwise be, but it can also make me feel miserable sometimes. Comparing myself to wellness titans Wellness podcasts are a big part of my problem. These shows feature big-name doctors and scientists with hundreds of thousands of followers, bestselling books, and famous TED talks — and none of them achieved that level of success by leading “pretty healthy” lifestyles. These people plunge themselves into ice-cold water every morning; eat all of their calories within a few hours a day (except when they’re eating nothing at all for a week at a time); sleep in what’s essentially a blacked-out, climate-controlled Faraday cage, nestled beneath a 20-pound gravity blanket; take a cabinetful of medications or supp …