Health optimisation has become a massive phenomenon.
A new health influencer over there; a new biohacker over here.
All with a similar message: trying to optimise every aspect of their health, trying to be this idyllic figure for one reason or another.
Look, maybe letting their hair down once in a while isn’t where these individuals get their sense of joy, and to a certain extent, I resonate.
For me, not that I consciously try to be this perfect, idyllic figure when it comes to my health, or any area of my life for that matter; it’s an impossible goal anyway. It’s a game we cannot win. But I do fall more on the optimisation side more often than not.
And I’m not afraid to say it: mostly out of fear, anxiety, and insecurity.
Not the type of fear I’d feel coming face to face with a lion in the middle of the African plain, but the type of fear that says if I’m not super conscious of my health, then I’ll end up letting everything go, and my life will become a disastrous mess… or something like that!
Nutrition, Fear, and the Story We Tell Ourselves
Let’s take nutrition as an example.
It’s very easy to overindulge, especially in the modern world, and the little voice in the back of my mind questions whether, if I were to just take my foot off the gas a little bit, maybe by enjoying a sweet treat now and then, God knows what would happen. Would I just become an overindulgent mess, eating all the sugary foods I like without a care in the world?
Unlikely. Although, just to be sure, one reason my tendencies lean towards optimisation, and towards being stricter rather than more lenient (this is at least the story I tell myself), lies in the desire to seek balance.
It just happens to come from a place of fear, anxiety, and insecurity, survival-based emotions, rather than the safety-based emotions that point us towards thriving.
This is partly down to the challenge we all face.
Why Balance Is So Hard in a World of Temptation
We live in an environment with so many temptations that balance might, in itself, be an elusive goal, and that being stricter with ourselves is often the required approach 80, maybe even 90% of the time, if we actually want “balance” in the grand scheme of things.
We think we’re eating healthily, or doing the right things for our health, but when we look at the ingredients label, we realise we’ve been lied to, gaslit, and deceived. It’s one of the clearest signs that our food environment isn’t set up for our health.
For those of us who gravitate towards the optimisation end, it’s worth questioning, even with all of this in mind, and all that we know about health (most of us have spent well over our 10,000 hours going through the weeds): if we were to take our foot off the gas just slightly, would we actually overindulge to the level we think we would?
The Two Camps: Who Needs Discipline, Who Needs to Let Go
Let me put it this way.
Some people would benefit from a stricter approach to their health, not overindulging at every turn; they already do too much of it. Discipline and resilience are what they need.
They’re often overweight, foggy-headed, and living with multiple chronic conditions. You name it.
Then, for those of us at the other end, we’re so strict that it can make life less enjoyable overall. Discipline and resilience aren’t our problem. Letting go and enjoyment are.
From the outside, people see that we have the body and the habits dialled in, that we look after ourselves. What they don’t see is how strict and rigid we are, and how this can manifest as not truly embracing and living life to the fullest, when we’re on holiday with friends or family and can’t, once in a while, have an ice cream.
Point being:
There are those of us who need to say no more often just to reclaim our health, and that’s only back to baseline, let alone anything beyond it. And there are those of us who can learn to let go and say yes a little more, indulging in the sweet treat or the heavily starchy meal every blue moon.
Here’s the caveat.
Even as I say that, the voice in the back of my mind is activated, and if you’re more on the optimisation end of the scale, you could be thinking the same, running through all the things we could do to offset the effects of the sweet treat or the heavy carb meal, so we can still enjoy these pleasures occasionally without damaging our health.
“Oh, I could have the ice cream and then go for a walk afterwards, followed up by a HIIT workout.”
“Oh, and if I take this supplement before and after, it’s going to block the effects of A, B, and C.”
And so on it goes…
What I’ve come to learn is that if we lean towards the health optimiser, it’s just our framework; it’s just how we see the world.
Whether we indulge or not, the pure act of overindulging is arguably highly unlikely, and hardly ever going to be an issue for us.
Whether that’s a blessing or a curse, who knows?
On one end, a blessing, because overindulging isn’t an issue we face.
Yet on the other, the rigidity and strictness can often make life less enjoyable, especially with friends, family, and loved ones. And that points to a very important reminder.
There are always costs in this life, both in the macro and the micro. The question is: what are the costs we’re willing to pay in both?
Furthermore, it’s kind of weird how this all works: how one subset of the population who most need to hear a certain message doesn’t respond to it, yet the subset who are already doing all the things respond to it in their masses.
What Is an Over-Hyper Responder?
This is what Chris Williamson calls the over-hyper responder.
Over-hyper responders are a subset of people who respond to a particular message even though they don’t have to or need to, but it’s in their very nature to do so, because it’s already where their mindset is. They’re already doing the things the message transmits, so by their very nature they’re already open to it and resonate with it fully.
This also goes to show that it’s our perspective and mindset that shape our reality. And when we reinforce it, time after time after time after time, it becomes something far deeper than just a perspective.
It becomes who we are, so deeply ingrained in our belief system and identity that there is no separation between the two.
How Identity Keeps Both Camps Stuck
That’s why, in the example given, both subsets of people have a challenging time.
The individuals who would benefit from stopping the overindulging, eating McDonald’s every day, grabbing soda at every turn, and snacking constantly throughout the day have an extremely hard time doing so. It’s not their identity. It’s not who they see themselves to be.
Whereas on the flip side, those who find it tough to grab their favourite sweet treat and enjoy life a little more, maybe it’s the ice cream on the beach, are often fuelled with guilt if they do, because this isn’t who they are. They aren’t the type of person who indulges, who eats ice cream, let alone overindulges.
Funnily enough, both groups could, and probably would, benefit from learning from each other to find some sort of balance and middle ground. Even if, in our environment, that’s hard to find. Maybe by coming together, they can help each other. Who knows?
Point being:
Health optimisation has become a massive phenomenon over the past five, six, seven years, and it attracts a certain type of person, the type who, most of the time, doesn’t actually need to hear the message. They’re typically an over-hyper responder.
That’s not to say this is inherently good or bad. What’s actually good or bad? It’s to say that if we fall into this subset of the population, we can learn to let go and know that it’s okay to enjoy the odd thing, like ice cream on the beach with family, every once in a while.
It’s not going to knock you off your game, make you flaky or weak, cause a rapidly developing disease, or make you some sort of inferior person with no willpower.
Instead, it may just increase your life satisfaction that little bit more, and help you feel that you’re being pulled towards a higher version of yourself, rather than constantly dragged.
This, simultaneously, goes for those on the other side of the scale, those who find most aspects of their health difficult, whether it’s exercising or saying no to the food they know they shouldn’t constantly be putting in their mouths.
When they start to say NO a little more, it doesn’t only begin to shift and change their self-identity and how they view themselves; it reinforces that they do have willpower, and that they have what it takes to improve their health and life outcomes. That balance, between discipline and enjoyment, sits at the heart of the foundations of holistic health.
The Takeaway: A Lesson Beyond Health
The TLDR is a lesson far greater than health optimisation alone. It’s one for life: there are those of us who can learn to let go a little more, and those who would benefit from tightening our belts, becoming a bit stricter with ourselves to develop our discipline, resilience, and character.
This won’t only help us on our health journey but throughout all walks of life.
Whichever camp you fall into is neither good nor bad. It just is the path our lives have led us down, for one reason or another.
The question is: what are we going to do about it now?
Key Takeaways on Finding Health Balance
- Examine Your Motives: Strict habits often stem from anxiety or fear of losing control rather than a place of true well-being.
- Resist the Food Environment: Modern food choices lean heavily against health, so setting clear boundaries helps you avoid daily temptation.
- Identify Your Personal Camp: You either need stricter discipline to rebuild your health, or you need permission to loosen up and enjoy life without guilt.
- Recognise Over-Hyper Response: You might be absorbing strict health advice meant for someone else, taking on rules you do not actually need.
- Shift Your Identity: Habits stick because of who you believe you are, so changing your mindset allows you to step into healthier flexibility.
- Focus on Broad Life Satisfaction: Real progress comes from balancing focused effort with simple everyday pleasures.
FAQs for Health Optimisation: When Balance Becomes the Real Goal
Why do you feel guilty after eating a treat?
Guilt usually happens when your internal identity is tied to rigid perfection. Eating a treat breaks the strict rules you set for yourself, making you feel as though you failed your standard.
Are you paying attention to advice meant for someone else?
Yes, many people act as over-hyper responders. You take strict guidance meant for those who need basic discipline and apply it to your already strict routine.
How can you build flexibility into your routine?
Start small by allowing minor treats without trying to burn them off through extra workouts or supplements. Learn to enjoy moments with family and friends.
Can being overly strict harm your overall well-being?
Extreme rigidity often cuts you off from social connection and simple joys. When control limits your daily happiness, your approach stops serving your life.
How do identity and daily habits connect?
Your actions reflect your beliefs about who you are. Shifting how you view yourself helps you move from strict control to a flexible, balanced life.
