Personal Training

The Unhealthy Side of "Healthy Living Blogs"

Posted on by Naomi

I posted this comment the other day on my Facebook page and was overwhelmed by the response I got both on my page, on twitter, on instagram and various emails. They were ‘thanking’ me for posting this comment as if to say that I was pointing out the big elephant in the room that has been lurking. Apparently many of you feel the same way I do but no one has taken the time to express how they feel. When I write something, I do it from the heart, meaning I am honest, up front, take it or leave it. I say what I feel and really try not to sugar coat it. Seriously-there is no point in sugar coating things. Life is too short. This specific topic had been on my mind for a while and at this moment, I was reading some older blogs I hadn’t kept up with in a while and was so saddened to see some of the content.

When I first began blogging I can honestly say I had NO IDEA what would become of it. I started as a lurker of blogs myself and figured ‘why not’ I love to cook healthy recipes as well as share my workouts with people, so why not share it to the world, right? If you look back to my blog from 2009, 2010 and even parts of 2011, I spent a lot of time giving you more of a glimpse into my personal life. My family, friends, the boyfriend I had at the time (now my ex-boyfriend) all with a mixture of food/recipes/workouts in the mix as well.
I began to take my career to the next level as well as began to compete in fitness shows and I made the decision to use my blog more as a resource rather than a personal diary. Sure, I still love to share little tid bits here and there about my personal life, but for me, I think there is a fine line of sharing too much info with the world wide web. I LOVE to give you all workouts, tips, motivation, experiences and recipes but I also like to keep a part of my life private.
Back when I started Onefitfoodie, I  followed many blogs and was an avid reader and commenter on some of my favorites. I would check in each day, comment and even formed some friendships of these lovely ladies. Over the years, many things happened in both my personal and professional life that led me to not be sitting at a computer all day reading blogs anymore. I got a new job which I am in love with. I get to work one on one with clients each and everyday helping them reach their goals. I love the company I work for, the room for growth that is in front of me and the location of the facility that I work at. 
Basically, I became very busy (as we all are) I decided that I wanted to use my blog as a professional resource that I could refer my clients to, as well as members of my facility.  I couldn’t keep up with the blogs that I used to check in with everyday and a part of me was really bummed about this! I felt like I was doing a disservice by not ‘checking in’

Then I began checking in here and there with some old blogs as well as some newer ones I hadn’t known about ‘back in the day’; I have to say I was saddened. It seems everyone and their mom has created a blog under the category ‘healthy living blogger’ yet not one of these blogs I checked in with preached health. Some of my favorites have even taken a turn for the worst.
When I think of the word health I think of my body. It is a temple. If there is one thing I want to keep working until the day I collapse- it is my body.  I cannot understand for the life of me why these young women are preaching health yet day after day the only thing they are documenting are impostor ‘balanced’ meals that they claim are in fact ‘balanced and healthy’  When did eating 5 HUGE BOWLS of vegetables for all meals become “great fuel for the body” don’t get me wrong, veggies are great. I eat a ton of vegetables each day, but having solely veggies with some sort of fake dressing made with stevia and dipping sauce made with PB2 is just not promoting healthy eating habits.

When I read these blogs, I think of all of the young females and males out there struggling with body image and seeing these ‘healthy living bloggers; take pictures of their fake and processed foods, chemically enhanced exercise beverages and performing an insane amount of aerobic exercise. I cant help but get sad and want to scream at the computer to STOP LOOKING, PEOPLE. 

I am sorry,  but low carb tortillas with protein  frosting sprinkled with freeze dried fruit and reduced fat peanut butter for breakfast, a chemical laden protein bar for lunch and insane amount of broccoll with garlic powder and cauliflower pizza (cheeseless and proteinless) with vegetables on top for dinner, is not my idea of a balanced, well rounded diet.  Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing ‘wrong’ with any of these foods here and there. The problem that I have is when day after day this is what these people are eating, on top of the fact that they are spending endless time in the gym performing 60+ minutes of aerobic exercise. The human body is slowly breaking down. When did respecting our bodies take a backseat?

Food is meant to be seen as tasty, delicious fuel. It helps our bodies recover and fuels our hectic workday, amazing workouts and great nights sleep. The idea of ingesting 80% chemical laden food and preaching about HEALTH seems like such an oxymoron, I can’t help but turn away.  It is so hard to read when these same people are preaching about ‘healthy living’  All I think about are the young females and males in their college dorms, in High School, trying to ‘lose weight’ so they turn to heathy living blogs and see these food and exercise habits, getting ideas and mimicking them.

Like I said, there is a time and place for protein bars, for ‘protein frosting’ for cauliflower pizza. In fact these can be delicious treats once in a while. Everyday? As your main source of energy? WOOF.  As I am getting older, and especially after my health scare I have made even more of an effort to treat my body with the utmost respect. If I want something, I have it. I listen now, more than I ever have. I pay attention to ingredients in the products I buy. I am not sitting here trying to preach that this is what everyone should do, but I do think it is  important to see your body as a well oiled machine that you want to feed PREMIUM, GRADE-A fuel. It is the only body you have. 
So many of us are looking for a quick fix when it comes to weight loss, fat loss etc that we completely overlook the power of health. Eating food for improved, incredible health. I can’t remember the last time, I willingly picked up an article that focused on ‘health’ We are all so drawn to ‘weight loss’ that the amazing power of food when it comes to our health and well being gets put on the back burner. 

Like I said, after my health scare most recently, I have really been focusing on the power of food when it comes to my overall health. Food is incredible. We NEED food for optimum health, optimum weight management, disease prevention and increased vitality. It is incredible that simple foods can aid in all of these categories-no supplements or crazy diets needed. 

Food provides us with energy. Whole, real, unrefined and unprocessed foods. The more processed a food is, the less nutrients it will have. How many times have you gone on a ‘diet’ and felt lethargic or fatigued throughout the day? The reason for this is most likely due to the lack and imbalance of real food that is going into your body. Eat foods that is the closest to how nature presented it.

I am not trying to sound preachy here, guys, I am simply sharing my frustration with what seems to me that I am not alone in feeling. Of course, you have to do what works for you. You may hate this post-heck I may have lost followers and readers…I don’t care to be honest, I think this is one of the most important topics to touch upon and it does certainly feel like the ‘elephant in the room’ Agree or disagree, I want this to be an open forum and feel free to express however you feel

With that said. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to your body.  It is the only body you have. 

Naomi
Naomi

20 thoughts on “The Unhealthy Side of "Healthy Living Blogs"”

  2. Maren says:

    Agreed. Completely. I used to be so focused on the amount of calories, but now I am more focused on the ingredients. I have really cut back on all this processed junk. At the same time, I took to blogs to find out more about being healthy. Funny thing is, a lot of those bloggers don’t even show many meals/recipes anymore! It’s all about their lives. I’ve had to cut many bloggers out because of this. The majority I will never meet in real life anyway, and I need to focus on my in-real-life relationships instead of living on the internet. Thanks for posting this and making me realize that those meals are in fact NOT what should make up a balanced diet.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Amen sister! Thank you for talking about the elephant in the living room or perhaps in the blogosphere. Maybe I dhould call it the skeleton in the blogosphere.

  5. Heather says:

    I am on board with this post 100%, I have had to stop reading a number of blogs because they do not promote health mentally or physically. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Irina @ Chocolatea Time says:

    I somehow ended up on your site, this post in particular, via a reference from another blog and I’m so so happy I stopped by! I 100% couldn’t agree more with everything you wrote. My recent trip to Russia showed me the true way to eat food and enjoy it. Life should never revolve around food – the only time to “live” for food is when preparing and eating it. Thanks for the wise words 🙂

  8. Sarah Kay Hoffman says:

    You. ARE. Amazing!!!!! I love this so much. I struggle with this so much, but then I decided to simply not pay attention to them, and to not care so much anymore. That said, thanks for saying it!

  10. Connie says:

    Naomi..I have seen your blog in the past and remembered to come back to it today! I’m so glad I did because this was an amazing post to read. As someone who just started a “healthy living blog”, I wish to never influence others in a negative way. Although I am confident I eat healthy, balanced meals (with the occasional treats;), I actually went back to review my posts to make sure I wasn’t one of those bloggers who preaches eating “healthy” but actually doesn’t. Thankfully, I think I passed the test!:)

    I couldn’t agree more about treating our ONLY body like a temple. We really need to focus on our health now more than ever, with all these crazy diseases linked to processed foods and harmful ingredients. It is a shame that there are so many unreliable blogs out there, but hopefully there are also enough credible food/nutrition/exercise blogs so that readers can educate themselves about what is truly healthy. I’m glad you wrote this post. Thanks for being so honest!

  11. twoffs says:

    Wow, I couldn’t agree with you more! I literally just got sucked into the realm of ‘healthy living blogs’ and have read dozens upon dozens of them before finally taking the plunge to start my own. This is actually the first comment I’m making hah! I was worried I wouldn’t fit in at first because of those very points you make – I don’t make ‘mock desserts’ with protein powder and sweeteners, I hate almond butter, I don’t lust over Whole Foods salad bar, I don’t do workouts made with cute purple inspirational backgrounds. I love meat, I love weightlifting – and I felt so different from the rest of the community.

    Thank you for showing that not everyone is the same and that it is important for me to blog my voice and opinions because of the very fact that they are different! (and I think healthy!)

  12. Mitch says:

    You have definitely made a clear point here. I have been checking a lot of “healthy living blogs” and a handful of these blogs are not supposed to be in this niche.

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