Have you ever succumbed to the pressure of lifestyle magazines to start getting up at sunrise, only to feel drained and groggy for hours? Or maybe, you've decided to cut out carbs from your diet only to find you're lacking energy and struggle to keep cravings at bay?
If the answer is yes, columnist Ruth Ostrow thinks you might be a victim of "wellness fascism".
An owl rather than a lark herself, Ruth recalls being made to feel wrong for her lifestyle.
"Some of us suffer a known medical condition called morning depression so we are most productive at night. Yet we’re considered lazy or deficient because we don’t bounce out of bed early"- explains Ostrow.
She believes that "one-size-fits-all", imposing wellness rules can be dangerous. "Wellness fascism" is making people sick -- especially sick with guilt, fear or anxiety. News outlets love shocking claims and health-and-wellness fads, often proclaiming particular food a miracle or a villain on a whim. If we follow generic recommendations, only to find out that they don't work for us, we end up feeling inadequate and even "failing at being healthy".
For Ostrow, the antidote consists of moderation and self-awareness -- checking in with what your body tells you, rather than blindly following the herd. We're all about natural, science-backed ways of enhancing your wellness, but listening to your body is vital if you want to achieve your own "wellness equilibrium".
Have you fallen a victim of a health fad before? Share your story below.