When “Healthy” Becomes the Radical Choice

A quiet rebellion against the culture of overdoing.

By Jaclyn, Your Wellness Coach at Itasca Naturopathic Clinic

Have you ever noticed that the habits most supportive to your health are the ones people call “extreme”?

Meanwhile, the things that truly drain our energy—skipping sleep, living on caffeine, eating on the run, numbing out with alcohol, pushing through exhaustion—those have become… the norm.

Somehow, it’s completely accepted to feel tired, inflamed, overwhelmed, and disconnected from your own body.

But choosing to nourish yourself?
To prioritize sleep?
To say no to what drains you?

That gets labeled “extra.”

Let’s talk about that.

What We Call “Extreme” Is Often Just What We’re Not Ready to Choose

A few weeks after starting CrossFit, someone said to me:

“Wow, that’s so extreme. I could never do that.”

And I get it—high-intensity workouts aren’t for everyone.

But that conversation made me realize something:
People often call something extreme simply because it’s outside their comfort zone.

Running a marathon? Excessive.
Prepping meals? Too much.
Turning down a drink on a Friday night? Rude.

But here’s the reframing I want you to sit with:

Those aren’t the extremes hurting us.

The true extremes are the ones we’ve normalized.

The REAL Extremes No One Talks About

It’s extreme to ignore your body when it begs for rest.
It’s extreme to call chronic fatigue “just getting older.”
It’s extreme to reach for caffeine to wake up and wine to wind down—every single day.
It’s extreme to accept feeling anxious, inflamed, or burnt out as your baseline.

Those are the choices quietly chipping away at your vitality, your mood, your hormones, and your confidence.

Taking care of your body isn’t extreme.
It’s an act of rebellion in a culture that glorifies burnout.

Let’s Redefine What’s Hard

Getting up at 6 AM for CrossFit was hard.
But you know what else is hard?

• Not sleeping
• Feeling foggy and irritable
• Having zero energy after work
• Carrying stress in your body for years
• Losing your sense of self because your health keeps slipping

Choosing wellness isn’t the harder path.
It’s just the more intentional one.

You don’t need to become an athlete or overhaul your life—you only need to decide that feeling amazing matters.

And it does.
Your energy, mood, metabolism, and hormones will always reflect the small choices you make consistently.

Start Small. Build Momentum. Rise.

If someone calls your healthy habits “extreme”?
Take it as a compliment.

It means you’re choosing clarity over chaos.
Consistency over convenience.
Your future self over short-term comfort.

Try starting with just one or two of these today:

✨ Drink a full glass of water before your morning coffee
✨ Take a 10-minute outdoor walk after lunch
✨ Add one extra serving of vegetables to dinner
✨ Set a bedtime reminder and honor it
✨ Pause before saying “yes” to something that drains you

Small choices, repeated daily, change the entire trajectory of your health.

2025 Is Almost Over. Your Next Chapter Is Calling.

How you finish this year shapes how you begin 2026.

You can coast on autopilot…
Or you can rise, recalibrate, and redefine what health looks like for you—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

If you’d love support, structure, or accountability, I’d be honored to walk with you.

Join us for Transform Your Wellness Journey, our twice-weekly online coaching community designed to help you feel energized, balanced, and confident again.

Let’s finish this year strong—together.
—Jaclyn 💛