One highlight of 2013 was the celebration of a not-so-new art form: the selfie. President Obama took one, the Oxford English Dictionary named it word of the year, and MOMA even had a show about it. I was a little slow to join the tidal wave of digital self pics (I’m over 50), and had no idea what a hashtag was.
But one of the reasons you have children is to learn what’s hot and my social media savvy daughter has brought me up to speed, both with selfie skills (“Dad, you made your chin look way too big”) and with new terms such as #latergram.
Since I love spreading health messages to as many people as possible, it struck me that—rather than jump onto the slightly narcissistic selfie bandwagon—it could be morphed into a badge of honor to inspire others, capturing moments of personal growth and healthy living.
Hence, the #healthie.
#healthie: A new photo community of committed, supported wellness warriors
While initially I thought that this genre had never been explored, I’ve learned that a few examples of healthies have been posted elsewhere and deserve a nod.
We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. We also know that New Year’s Day resolutions, whether to quit smoking, move more, eat better, and manage stress through various mind-body pursuits, fade as quickly as January 1. While we can’t always be there to give our friends a pat on the back, or share something new we’re trying, we can use a #healthie to support our efforts.
Some #healthie ideas that might inspire others are:
- Standing in front of a juicer, holding a sign showing how many consecutive days you’ve made fresh green juice
- In a sun salutation as you work your way to a goal, maybe 108, in a row
- Trying a new food, like goji berries or kale, to improve your health
- Standing on a scale with thumbs up, because your wise food choices paid off
- Bare feet in the sand of a beach, connecting to the electrical strength of Mother Earth
- Hugging your favorite pet
- Sitting in a Lotus position while meditating (snap that #healthie and then turn your phone off)
- Finishing a 10K that you trained for as part of your commitment to better health
- Acts of community service and random kindness
- Holding a health book you read and want to share with others (perhaps my Holistic Heart Book?)
I suggest we start a community of wellness warriors and flood social media with our #healthies. Don’t forget to tag them with #MindBodyGreen as the more readers who enjoy this incredible site, the sooner healing will come on a global level.
I ‘ve already shared a #healthie of my own here. What will YOU share? Happy #healthie 2014
