For most of my early twenties, health was numbers.
The number on the scale. The number on the barbell. The number of sessions I managed to fit into a week.
I trained hard. I cycled to work. I was at the gym five times a week and part of the 5am club — proud of the discipline, the structure, the sense of control.
Health, back then, felt like something to earn.
But then life happened. Work, studies, responsibilities — and slowly, my body began whispering that it couldn’t keep up.
And eventually, it didn’t whisper.
It stopped me.
When the Body Says “Pause”
I started to experience symptoms of an autoimmune condition — pain, sleepless nights, inflammation that made movement feel impossible.
It was frustrating, confusing, and deeply uncomfortable.
For someone whose identity was built around discipline and strength, being forced to stop felt like failure at first.
But somewhere in that stillness, something began to shift.
I realised I didn’t get to choose the pause — but I did get to choose what I did with it.
That’s where my journey into health and wellbeing coaching began.
From Discipline to Care
For the first time, I had to ask myself what movement meant when it wasn’t about progress or performance.
What it meant when I couldn’t do “more,” but had to do “less.”
How do you stay connected to your body when it’s the very thing slowing you down?
How do you stay kind to yourself when you’re used to measuring your worth by output?
That was the hardest — and most important — transition:
From discipline to care.
From pushing to listening.
From control to compassion.
It wasn’t about giving up. It was about showing up differently.
The Meaning of Health — and How It Changes
There will almost certainly come a point in each of our lives when we have to redefine what health means.
Sometimes that happens through illness or injury.
Sometimes it’s a change of phase — entering our thirties, forties, fifties.
Sometimes it’s starting a family.
Sometimes it’s burnout, menopause, or simply realising that what once worked… doesn’t anymore.
Health isn’t static. It evolves as we do.
What health meant to me at 21 — a gym schedule, 5am alarms, and personal bests — isn’t what health means to me now.
Today, health means sleeping through the night without pain.
It means managing inflammation.
It means calm mornings, slow walks, nourishing meals, time with people I love.
It’s less about numbers — and more about how I feel living inside my own life.
The Seasons of Health
Maybe you’re in a season of energy and growth — pushing forward, chasing goals, feeling strong.
Maybe you’re in a season of slowing down — finding balance, rethinking, recovering.
Or maybe you’re somewhere in between — not sure what health looks like for you right now.
Wherever you are, you’re allowed to adapt.
You’re allowed to let your definition of health change with your life.
Just as summer shifts to autumn, we shift too.
Our bodies, our energy, our priorities — they all evolve.
And that isn’t failure.
That’s wisdom.
A Reflection to Leave You With
If you were to pause today and ask yourself —
“What does health mean to me right now?”
What would come up?
Maybe it’s strength.
Maybe it’s peace.
Maybe it’s connection.
Maybe it’s permission to rest.
Whatever it is — that’s your starting point.
That’s your kind of health.
Written with care by
Demi Sidlauskaite
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