We've all met them, they are the types that are incredibly health conscious. Perhaps some of you here could be regarded as health freaks. I certainly don't mean it in a derogatory manner. There's nothing wrong with caring about your health and watching what you eat. But, there may be a point where health consciousness is taken too far. Where those that are incredibly health conscious wish to impose their eating habits and lifestyle on others. Vegetarians get a bad rep for doing this. Although they mean well, others get annoyed and find them bothersome. Especially those that enjoy eating meat and other fatty foods. What's your opinion on health freaks? Do you get annoyed by them or do you appreciate their concerns about what people eat?
All things in moderation. I appreciate those who are willing to champion healthy eating and exercise and whatnot, but there's a point where you need to cut down on your rhetoric. You won't win any points by trying to force your views down the throats of others. It seems wiser to me to try to serve more as a role model, and have people aspire to be like you, rather than tell them they should be like you. Health freaks also face some of their own perils if they become too obsessed with their health. I'm not sure if I've mentioned her elsewhere on this board, but my wife knows a woman who is absolutely obsessed with keeping trim and losing weight, to the point that she almost looks like a skeleton... yet insists she needs to get to the gym and drop some more pounds. She's almost scary to look at, and more than a little sad. That's an extreme case, though.
I don't mind when people tell me their health views, sometimes I'm able to agree and share some fitness and health tips. I just dislike when someone tries to force their tips down my throat. Also, being too fit or obsessed with fitness is actually an eating disorder. I forgot the name but the sufferers take fitness and health to the extreme and it can end up being really dangerous. I love working out but I can't imagine being addicted to it.
Anything taken to an extreme or unhealthy obsession could be compared to an addiction. There are people who have to be conscious of their health decisions in order to lose weight, however, some people take it to the extreme. There are people who feel that they need to work out multiple times per day everyday, count every calorie, etc. It is ok to be aware of your health, however there is a point at which it can become too much.
Are you thinking of orthorexia? It's a combination of working out and eating healthy taken to extremes, or at the very least it's an obsession with eating only 'proper' foods.
In general, I admire health freaks. That's because it's always good to see someone who has principles and sticks to them. In my country, healthcare is free of charge. However, there's not enough funding so anyone who actively chooses to attempt to reduce the burden on this service by taking good care of themselves should be applauded. It's just the sanctimony that some people exhibit gets to me. There's often a lot of hypocrisy too. Vegetarians denouncing meat eaters as "cruel" whilst they've got leather shoes on their feet and milk in their coffee. All this "My skin is too precious to use any chemicals on it" and later finding out that they're puffing away on 20 cigs a day. So, yes @Damien Lee, I wholeheartedly agree that there's a minority who give the well-meaning health nuts a bad name. That's a shame as ultimately, it's a barrier to useful discussion.
Health freaks is one addiction that can be a good thing if not taken to the extreme of overdoing it. You can be a health freak and be perfectly healthy. I admire people that are that committed to their health and their well being. I wish I could be more disciplined with my eating and exercise.
I think in this modern age many people are attracted to the looks of a person and may see ads on the Television or internet of a model and try and get obsessed to look like the person and may try and go on a diet too soon, and the body does not adjust fully to it. It is important to not get too addicted and take your time in doing this and make small changes which can be beneficial and healthy for you and the body also, there is no need to take extreme steps to having a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes a person may want to lose weight, but they end up missing a meal which is not good and can make them more hungrier at their next meal which can make them eat more then they usually would, and make them feel unwell some days and know some people who suffered from this.
They are not concerned about what others ingurgitate. They only want to share their "culture" and be in the spotlight for the moment. You know, about two months ago I was at an anniversary and asked if a pizza contained meat, and there was a girl saying "No, it doesn't, because I am a vegetarian and I don't eat meat, but I ate it as well and it is better for you than the meaty one blah blah blah". Needless to say, I thanked her "politely" for the information and moved to another table. I understand that she was proud the she could give up on eating meat, but it wasn't necessary to tell me the story of her life. As if she did it for the other people, not for herself.
I have to agree with the everything in moderation mindset. Yes, on the surface being healthy looks and sounds good - working out, eating well - but there are people that take this to extremes. Working out for hours upon hours a day, restricting foods so severely that they can never go out and enjoy a meal with family and friends because of the fear of there being nothing on the menu that will fit their calorie/macro/protein/paleo/low carb/no carb requirements (the list goes on!) - in my opinion being too obsessed with your health is just as bad as not caring about it at all.
Actually I am a health conscious type of person but not to the point that you may call me a freak..I love sharing my ideas and opinions on how to become healthy and what I am doing to my family, relatives and friends because I love and care for their health too. I am just lucky that they are non-judgmental people and they always appreciate my reminders to them when it comes to health matters.
If it is in an excessive manner, it is not good either. No matter how good it is or the intention is, if it is an addiction, it is bad. So better to be in moderation even the wanting to be a healthy one.
Well being a "health freak" is often what is referred to as a positive addiction. I think over exercising would definitely fall into this category. My personal opinion is that it is anxiety behind all of these things. The desire to look the best, and work out stress. I think it leads to compulsive over exercising. I think the poster children for this would be Kelly Ripa and her husband both had stress fractures or something of that at the same time, and were in boots. I would call that way over the top.
You've probably got a point there. I think some of them become vegetarians, and vocal ones at that in order to push their way of life and get noticed. Not terribly different from Evangelicals and socially conscious politically correct types. They also think that they are right and the rest of the world is wrong. They really enjoy pontificating and hearing the sound of their own voice.
Everything in moderation! Health freaks might as well be addicted to health, you could say. Which, funnily enough, is not healthy. Kinda ironic. Nothing wrong with being health-concious, but some people do take it so far and it ends up backfiring.
It's come to my conclusion that when it comes to health, nothing that's EXTREMELY healthy is not really healthy, truth be told. Vegans won't admit that we are fully developed because our ancestors decided to eat meat, while people who keep their children from any danger fail to see that through their actions, their children become weak.
Everyone has the freedom of choice. I consider myself very health conscious, but everything has to be done in moderation. I like snacks and some fast food also but there has to be a balance between that and giving your body the nutrition that it needs. As far as being vegan, it all depends on how it's done. As long as a vegan understands how to get all the proper nutrition needed from plant based food, they could remain healthy for a very long time.
I think there's definitely a boundary. If someone is making it an obsession, they sound like they have a problem. If they genuinely just care about their health, then that's okay.
Sometimes I wonder if any of this people actually suffer from insecurity and use this as a way to cover it. They make changes in their lives, not necessarily because they need them, but because they believe it would make them more interesting, different and unique. About Evangelicals... Well, this is another stories. Most adherents of religious doctrines actually want to bring you on the same path as them, so their sects would have more adepts. They do it for God, and for their beliefs.
I'm not really one to delve into another person's decisions or choices in life. Like vegetarians, paleo diets and whatever else really, it's all their choice. The thing is, as long as they're not damaging their health, then by all means go through with their decisions. And I will support them in that, to each their own! But if someone's health is in danger because of deprivation of food, then that's when the problem comes in. Everything should be in moderation as what others have said.