What Does 'Being Healthy' Really Mean?

"Life is more fun when you have the energy to live it." We asked personal trainers and professional athletes what it means to them to be 'healthy'. 

Alice Hector – Elite Professional Athlete

Healthy to me is the ability to do your chosen activities freely and feel good about yourself. It does not mean dieting or restriction in any way, but subconsciously making good food and lifestyle decisions (good habits) and also being relaxed about chocolate/wine/treats when you fancy them.

From my stance as an elite athlete, healthy does not necessarily mean elite performance (as that can easily tip the balance into being unhealthy, just as a sedentary lifestyle can) but I believe you can be healthy and be a top professional athlete and drink wine - just not the whole bottle!

Anne Iarchy – Personal Trainer

Having a lifestyle that combines healthy eating, regular physical activity, and a positive mindset. Striving to be disease-free by leading that lifestyle. And being able to do whatever you want to do thanks to that lifestyle, e.g. not being limited by mobility, injury, size or shape.

Polly Hale – Personal Trainer

Being fit enough to do everything I want to do, from still carrying my kids when needed (the eldest is 10!) to recently joining pole dancing classes. Life is more fun when you have the energy to live it to the max without compromise.

Ken Byrne – Ironman Athlete

Being healthy to me means being happy, being able to be active, finding a good balance between work and family, and not being too hard on myself to achieve everything. Understanding others and trying to deal with life's stresses the best I can.

Alvaro Martin – Elite Triathlete

Being healthy means, for me, thinking about the right choices and acting on them. It's not just about food; it's about your whole life. Books, music, friends, work and everything makes up your life!

Leanne James – Personal Trainer & Triathlete

Being healthy to me would be feeling good about myself, making the right choices and creating the right balance between family, work, fitness and nutrition, and friends; which is never easy! And then not giving myself a hard time if it doesn’t always go to plan.

Making the right choices for me can be anything from the right food choices, or whether to push through a tough training session if feeling exhausted (and knowing when to stop!) to making time to go and have a coffee with a friend or watch my children play a sports match rather than being too busy.

Tim Harrison – Fit Food Writer

Being healthy for me has to be “whole self healthy”: mind, body and soul – holistic if you want. Your training should enhance your happiness and fuel the chance to train.

Thomas Hill – Personal Trainer

Being life-proof. Being able to do anything that life demands of me from running for the bus to wrestling with my kids to picking up all the shopping bags at once!

Beatrice Vetter-Ceriotti

Being healthy, mentally as well as physically, to me means keeping healthy habits and with them striking a balance between work, life, and my sport allowing me to achieve my goals without depriving myself of activities that bring me joy. What society nowadays perceives as a healthy lifestyle with restrictive eating and an unattainable body-image of a healthy person is in my opinion unhealthy in itself. Celebrating what your body is capable of, regardless of what people think you should look like, should be the main goal. Healthy is to be kind to your body and soul.