What does it mean to be healthy?
For Kelsey Heenan, it’s not just about a toned body and perfect diet.
The 33-year-old fitness influencer puts her mental health above her physical health after struggling with an eating disorder. She has 411,000 followers on Instagram.
“Basically, I got to the point where I was undernourished and needed treatment ASAP,” Heenan told the Post, describing it as a “terrifying and terrifying period” of her life following her college basketball career. Did.
Despite being the oldest patient at the treatment center at 21 years old, Heenan went through the healing process and learned the skills necessary to bounce back stronger. Powerful New York Fitness and Wellness Festival at Chelsea Pier October 1st.
Today, the LA-based content creator and business owner spends her time helping others, both mentally and physically, who may be struggling just as they once did.
“Fitness and nutrition should be part of our lives, but they don’t have to dominate our lives.
She explained that a lot of the time people are “obsessed with needing to be a certain weight or a certain size all the time” and that “these things make us fail.”
“We don’t fail diets, we don’t fail workout programs. These programs weren’t set up for our success because they didn’t fit our lifestyle.” ‘ she said.
Plus, there’s no way someone with a busy lifestyle or kids can stay in the gym for hours on end.
“There’s not just one right way to do things, so figure out what’s best for your body for the goals you have, and set goals to be consistent over time.” I have.
On her Instagram page, she regularly posts workout routines, shares best practices for maintaining confidence, and shares words of encouragement with her followers.
in one clip With 212,000 views, she shares the story of overhearing a random woman in the fitting room complaining that she was “too fat” to wear what she was trying on.
“It shattered my heart into a million pieces,” Heenan said in the video. is.”
“Respecting the body” is the most important practice to participate in, especially when negative feelings about body image are on the rise.
“You can’t always control the thoughts that come into your head,” she said, but it’s important to observe them.
“[But] We can look at ourselves with respect and speak objectively. There are many other things that bring value. “
Focusing on these attributes that ‘deliver value’ and are not superficial is part of building a ‘strong foundation’ for self and personal health. Picking a diet or training program just to look good in the mirror won’t succeed without that “foundation”.
“It’s an element of respect that requires continuous work, it’s a journey. But it’s also a relationship to diet and a relationship to exercise,” she adds, rethinking arbitrary dietary rules. “It’s about what’s holding people back.”
For example, cutting out sugar and carbs can increase stress and create more obstacles on your way to a healthy relationship with your body. she claims
“Food is more than just nutrients. It’s part of our culture. It’s part of community. It’s part of celebrations like birthdays and events,” she said. How can you satisfy two things?You can understand nutrients and prioritize them, but you can also understand that food is much more than that. can you do that without
of course, billions of dollars The diet culture industry has its own set of obstacles. Like everything on the internet, trolls are rampant, but Heenan is determined to dismantle people’s perceptions of what ‘health’ is.
“A lot of the time people get narrow-minded in some way because of their experiences and what they’ve learned in their lives,” she said of her approach, which involves competing compromises.
“If someone is very strict about nutrition… they never think about new nutrients or move their bodies. It’s not a healthy long-term strategy.”
Heenan’s approach to nutrition and fitness goes far beyond your smartphone screen. Founded in 2014 with her husband. HIIT burncomplete with their own app, the pair create four workout challenges a year as motivation.
“There are many places you can go to get information about nutrition, but what many lack is the psycho-emotional connection and understanding of the emotional side of nutrition,” she said. “I’m trying to bridge that gap for people and create safe spaces where people can have those conversations and handle some of them.”
Her message, though “painful” and hard to share, resonates with her thousands of followers.
“Having an open conversation about the struggles I’ve been through has been a great way to keep myself confident.”
If you or your loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, help is available. Call the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at (800) 931-2237 or National eating disorders.org.
