Beyond Green Smoothies: What Health Really Means

I once obsessed over my diet.

I experimented with kale, quinoa and kombucha to find real wellness.

But way back when, years ago… I was standing in my kitchen, blending a disgusting green smoothie, when it hit me.

I had been experimenting with perfect Instagram-worthy breakfasts, expensive supplements, and tracking my steps, but I felt more exhausted than ever. I was also cheating on my diets too often, and not feeling super motivated. Despite "healthy eating" habits, I was not happy, not full of energy, and not fired up about life.

Has the wellness and diet industry sold me a lie? 

Rethinking Health: Beyond the Green Smoothie

We've been conditioned to believe health is simply a checklist of behaviors. Drink water. Eat vegetables. Exercise daily. Meditate. Sleep 8 hours. 

But here's what nobody talks about:

Health isn't just physical. It's not even mostly physical. It's way more complex. And mental fitness is more important.

While I was obsessing over my macros, I was ignoring the fact that I hadn't had a meaningful conversation with my spouse in weeks. While I was perfecting my morning routine, I was burning out at a job that crushed my soul daily. While I was trying to get more sleep, I was constantly worried about the stock market. In fact, the stress and anxiety of my life was actually causing me to binge eat or drink sometimes and canceling the benefits of a healthy life style.

I had tried to optimize my body while my life was floundering and my mind was spinning.

My Real Health Score

Flashback to over a decade ago… I was up one night, struggling to fall asleep, after another long workday where I still had not completed the major work projects hanging over my head. I felt like I did not understand why life was not fulfilling and why I didn’t feel healthy.  Despite my diet and exercise routine, I felt tired and broken.

That's when I reminded myself of something that helped me in the past: a life scorecard that I used once in a while to measure 8 areas, not just one.

Health. Environment at home. Leisure. Purpose. Growth. Relationships. Occupation. Wealth.

HELP GROW — it's an acronym I created to help me recall this list of important areas of life.

Funny side track. I actually thought with this framework I had invented something very useful, only to discover my scorecard was based on the “wheel of life”, a 2000 year old concept.

Using this little life scoring hack, I saw the full picture of my wellness. My physical health score? A solid 8/10. My relationship score? A devastating 6/10. Occupation score 4/10. My purpose score? Even lower.

I wasn't really healthy. I was in decent shape. But even that was a struggle! I felt sick.

The Wellness Illusion: Why We're Getting It Wrong

The green smoothie craze is just one example of how our relationship with health has been hijacked. We've been overwhelmed by a tidal wave of wellness marketing: flashy supplements, influencer-endorsed routines, and endless products promising to "fix" us. Instead of genuine wellbeing, we've been sold a checklist of bio-hacks and trendy superfoods.

But real health, the kind that gives you lasting energy, mental clarity, emotional resilience, and a genuine zest for life, isn’t hiding in a juice cleanse or a flawless meal plan. It's found in the balance between eight fundamental areas of life:

1. Health (Yes, But Not How You Think)

Physical wellness matters, but it's just one piece. Mental health, energy levels, and how you feel in your body matter more than the number on the scale.

2. Environment

Your surroundings shape your wellbeing more than you realize. A cluttered home, toxic workplace, or polluted neighborhood will drain you no matter how many vitamins you take.

3. Leisure

When did we decide that being busy equals being important? Rest, play, and joy aren't luxuries — they're necessities for sustainable wellness.

4. Purpose

The Sunday scaries and Blue Mondays exist because most people spend 40+ hours a week doing work that feels meaningless. No amount of meditation can fix existential emptiness.

5. Growth

Humans are wired to learn and evolve. When you stop growing, you start dying — mentally, emotionally, and eventually physically.

6. Relationships

Harvard's 80-year happiness study proved it: relationships are the strongest predictor of life satisfaction. Yet we sacrifice them for everything else.

7. Occupation

You spend a third of your life working. If your job is slowly killing your soul, no superfood will save you.

8. Wealth

Money isn't everything, but financial stress will destroy your health faster than fast food. Financial wellness is health wellness.

My Transformation

After creating my balanced life framework and scorecard, I spent time each year rebalancing my life scorecard. Here's what happened:

The Relationship Revolution -  I stopped working weekends and stopped checking work emails after 7 PM and started having dinner conversations without phones. My relationship score jumped from 4 to 7.

The Purpose Pivot -  I carved out 2 hours weekly for a passion project that aligned with my values. My purpose score climbed from 2 to 7, and suddenly I had energy I hadn't felt in years.

The Wealth Awakening -  I finally addressed the financial anxiety I'd been ignoring. Creating a real budget, reducing my risk, resetting my financial needs (the number we all think we need to retire), and not obsessing over my net, lifted a weight I didn't realize I was carrying.

The Focus on Joy - I became intentional about creating more leisure time and more joy. I spent more  time with family and friends.  More time walking, golfing, coaching or going to my kids games, etc.

Results

My overall life score went from 5 to an 8.The score was not a competitive measure, but simply a self reflection on how my felt about my life. 

I got fitter and lost the same amount of weight I'd been trying to lose for two years — not because I tried harder, but because I addressed the life shortcoming, the stress and emotional eating that no diet could fix. I found exercise in other things I enjoyed, playing basketball, working on the yard, taking hikes, coaching and other activities.

I integrated healthy habits into a balanced life.

The Science Behind Balanced Wellness

This isn't just feel-good philosophy. Research consistently shows:

• Social connections impact mortality risk more than obesity or smoking

• Purpose is linked to lower rates of dementia and heart disease

• Financial stress literally ages your DNA faster

• Environmental factors affect everything from sleep quality to immune function

We've been treating symptoms while ignoring root causes of poor health.

Your Real Health Assessment

Stop simple asking "Did I eat well today?"

That’s important, but ALSO start asking:

• Did I connect meaningfully with someone I care about?

• Did I do work that felt purposeful?

• Did I take time for something that brought me joy?

• Am I in an environment that supports my wellbeing?

• Did I grow or learn something new?

• Are my finances reducing or adding stress to my life?

These questions will tell you more about your health than any fitness tracker.

The 60-Second Life Audit

Here’s a quick life audit and self-reflection. Rate yourself honestly (1-10) in each area:

• Health: Physical and mental wellbeing

• Environment: Home, work, and social surroundings

• Leisure: Rest, play, and joy

• Purpose: Meaning and fulfillment

• Growth: Learning and personal development

• Relationships: Connection and love

• Occupation: Work satisfaction and career trajectory

• Wealth: Financial security and money mindset

Add them up. Divide by 8. That's your real health score.

Anything below 6? That area is dragging down your entire life.

Live Intentionally

Here's what I wish someone had told me two years ago:

You don't need to be perfect in every area. You just need to be aware of all areas. You need to have a plan in all areas and live intentionally.

Some stages of life require focusing more on one area. Early in life, maybe it’s wealth building. Other times demand relationship investment and repair. Other times, finding purpose. The goal isn't perfect balance all the time, every year, but it's a conscious choice.

But you can't manage what you don't measure.

Your Next 24 Hours

Tomorrow morning, instead of just blending that green smoothie or just hitting the Peleton, try this:

1. Take the 60-second life audit above or use the free ZenScore app to get your life score.

2. Identify your lowest-scoring area.

3. Reflect on why it’s so low.

4. Do ONE small thing to improve it starting immediately.

Maybe it's texting a friend you haven't talked to in months (relationships). Maybe it's spending 10 minutes decluttering your workspace (environment). Maybe it's applying for one job that excites you (occupation).

Small actions in the right areas create massive shifts.

The Uncomfortable Truth

The wellness industry wants you to believe that health is about diet, workout, individual discipline and perfect habits. That stuff matters, but it’s not enough or it’s too much.

The truth is messier:

Health is about designing a life that doesn't require you to be superhuman to sustain it.

It's about creating systems that support ALL dimensions of your wellbeing.

It's about accepting that sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is order your favorite pizza, go for a walk and have a real conversation with someone you love.

What's your real health score? Take the 60-second assessment and share your lowest-scoring area in the comments. Let's start a conversation about what wellness actually means.

P.S. — If you found this helpful, you might enjoy my weekly newsletter about building a balanced life without burning out.