I’ve been blogging for just over 4 and a half years and recently it occurred to me just how much my view of what ‘healthy’ means, has changed. When I first started blogging fresh from losing over 40lbs in weight, I didn’t really think about health that much. That might sound mad, but at the time my focus was more on being slim. In fact way back then the name of this blog was Keeping Slim and Getting Stylish. It took me a good few months before I started to see health as being far more important than being slim ironically, at about the same time I started to take my pursuit of ‘health’ to an extreme. I went from a place where my exercise was a couple of days at the gym and Davina DVD’s with muesli for breakfast, to running, working out 6 or more times a week and a vegan diet. I lost more weight, but ended up further from ‘healthy’ than I’d even been at my heaviest. That was not due to the food I was eating, being a vegan or even the exercise, but my obsessive mind set. It was around this point in time that I started to see how healthy was way more than just what you ate and how much you exercised. I also started to understand how an approach can work for one person, but the very same approach can lead to less than great results in someone else.
I started my study to become a health coach, and my understanding and appreciation of what health truly is became clearer and clearer every day. I even felt the need to write it all down in my Alternative Healthy Living Manifesto which you can get hold of when you sign up for my email updates.
More recently, I’ve come to see just how expansive health really is. It is so much more than just food and exercise. It’s your thoughts, how you feel about your body, how you express yourself, your style, your environment and what you put on your skin. It’s whether or not the job you do makes you happy, your stress levels, quality of sleep, your relationships and your finances. Yes, food and exercise are really important, but to me, health is a culmination of all of those things. No amount of kale or marathon running is going to make you truly healthy if you are missing a big piece of the picture somewhere else ♥
That being said, it’s not about being perfect in every area of your life. It’s about seeing things as a whole that matters, and understanding how all these areas impact on your health and ultimately your happiness, contentment and generally how fabulous you feel! That is what health is to me anyway. It’s a state of being that enables me to live my life to the fullest and follow my passions. I certainly wasn’t living life to the fullest a few years ago, and I wasn’t happy. Now I might be a good few pounds heavier (pregnancy aside), but I’m a damn lot happier and more fulfilled when I’m not second guessing everything I put into my mouth.
I’m very passionate about what healthy means to me, especially now I understand the interplay of the different areas of life and how they come together to achieve health. As I said, for me it’s seeing things as a whole and living life with passion, together you could maybe say looking at things wholeheartedly.
I realised a couple of months ago that I’ve been pretty much in a constant state of flux and change since I started writing Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish, I truly am a different woman to the one that started writing this blog. I’m also on the cusp of yet another huge change as we welcome our new baby into the world in the next few months.
It is time for a change, a change that reflects who I am now, my view of what ‘healthy’ really is and my future plans. Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish as a name for this blog just doesn’t seem to fit me anymore, just like my old size 18 bootcut pants or the size 8 pair of skinny jeans I gave to the charity shop! It’s time to clear out my virtual wardrobe. I love writing this blog, something I hope comes across with every post and I thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting and joining me on this journey of mine. But even if it was just my Mam, Dad and Aunt reading, I would still blog. I need a place to pour my thoughts and ideas into the world and I can’t imagine life without it. Right now, I feel it needs a wardrobe update, some fancy new clothes that suit me and my new shape better.
So in the next week or so, if all goes according to plan, Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish will be undergoing a Dr Who like regeneration into Wholeheartedly Healthy!
I am so totally nervous but excited about revealing this to you! That may or may not be the final new logo, we shall have to see! It’s mega scary to change something like this when I’ve been blogging under a name for so long, but change has to come, and as I said, Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish doesn’t feel like the right fit for me any longer. Obviously I’m still all about the healthy and the style, but I feel that I blog about a much wider range of areas, all of which link in to that wholehearted view of health.
I thought long and hard about a new name, and the complexities of such like domain names etc, but when Wholeheartedly Healthy came into my head I got the goosebumps and it instantly felt right, just as Uniquely Healthy as a name for my business did. I did think about using Uniquely Healthy here, but it still didn’t feel like quite the right fit for the blog and I feel like that is much more the perfect name for my 1-2-1 coaching work. I feel like Wholeheartedly Healthy is a name I can stick with for a very long time, after all I came up with Keeping Slim and Getting Stylish in about 5 minutes 4 and a half years ago when this blog was little more than an online food diary!
The content of what I blog about isn’t going to change dramatically, it has evolved organically over the years reflecting my changes as a person, and because I ultimately blog from my heart, that is always going to be the case. Some people would say that successful blogs stick to a focused topic, but as much as blogging has become part of my business it is still a personal blog and I never want that to change. So I’ll be continuing to blog about all sorts of stuff linked to my wholehearted view of health and my own personal journey. Of course I’ve been blogging about my pregnancy, and will continue to post about life as a new Mama too as well as throwing in a few blogging and business related posts due to popular demand! I might have to reduce down the number of posts I publish each week, but what I hope to lose in quantity I hope to gain in quality. I’m also planning new email updates, more free downloadable pdf resources and new and much improved versions of the Super Conscious Living Programme and 12 Weeks to Feeling Fabulous Course.
Argh, this is all so scary, I hope you guys are able to stick with me! What do you think of the new name? I am nuts to change it after all this time? What does ‘healthy’ mean to you?
Hi Laura,
As usual your blogs are always fantastic and very inspiring! You do an absolutly amazing job!!
To me healthy means just making sure you try and get some healthy nutrition in your body and balance it out with exerise so you do get any serious health condidtions. Staying healthy and trying to maintain it will reduce, heart diesease, diabeties, cancer, stokes, …. it has so many benefits by eating the right foods and exericing it would be crazy to choose the other lifestyle, yes people say you only live once, but does that mean making your one shot at life reduced, more complicated having more health condidtions….you really want to go down that road? x
So yes healthy to me means you try your hardest to do all you can to make sure you dont get ill.
Thanks Cat! Good point about avoiding those kind of illnesses, your right that it’s not much of a life if you get ill all the time or one of the really bad diseases x
I really love the new name, I think it sums up your blog perfectly!
Thanks Zoe!
Hi Laura – I like the new name and logo – a bit less “clunky” than the existing one. I agree that “healthy” means something different to each one of us – I have diabetes but I still enjoy getting ideas from your low-carb recipes that I can adapt and share on my own Dia-blog. You’re doing a great job and hope the baby won’t divert you too much from keeping us informed and motivated!
Thanks Kati! Will have to have a look at your blog, glad that some of my recipes are useful!
Love the name!
I love reading about your journey and I think the new name for your blog really reflects what I am thinking in terms of health too. I lost a big chunk of weight about 2 years ago and then it crept back up a little bit, nothing like it was before but just a little more. I am realising now this is my natural weight and as long as I exercise a couple of times a week, eat a generally healthy diet then it doesn’t matter than I am not a size 6 and eating kale for every meal! I am enjoying this approach and I am glad others are feeling this way too :)
Thanks Deepa! Love your approach and you are SO right, lovely to hear another person feeling good about that!
I think what you do is great, a real inspiration to everyone going through the same experiences.
Thanks Karen! xxx
I love the new name (and logo) – it’s a perfect match for your blog. For me being healthy is about healthy eating, getting moving and dong things that make me happy.
Thanks Helen! Love your version of healthy :-)
I love the new name! It’s definitely a good fit for what your blog is all about. Plus it sounds really professional in terms of a brand doing books etc. Good luck with all the changes!
Thanks Anna, really glad you like it!
I love that name, it reflects you, your ethos and writing content perfectly. Great choice!
I know how it feels to get a bit tied into one subject; which is why i retired my food & fitness blog last year and switched to a lifestyle blog. It’s still a big part of my writing but I love being able to write about all the other things I do in my life – for me, that’s real honest blogging.
Thanks Alex! I couldn’t agree more, I don’t think theres any way I could narrow down what I blog about that just wouldn’t be me and I don’t think I’d enjoy it that much either, healthy really is loads of different aspects of life after all :-)
I love the new name and I think the change is going to be a great one for you :) Don’t be nervous, just excited :)
Thanks Dannii, its the tech side I’m crapping myself about now!
Brave and very good move!
I really love your blog – especially the recipies and it has really helped me get my head around things I’ve wanted to try for a long time such as protein powder and green smoothies.
Good luck! xx
Thanks! Glad that the blog has been useful for you :-) xxx
Awh I love the new name and you shouldn’t be too worried about changing it this late, everyone will still follow your blog and if anything it will bring more people in because everyone wants to be ‘Wholeheartedly Healthy’ in the end.
I have to say, it’s been SO inspiring to see your journey and how your views have changed around food, exercise and healthy living and I must admit, you inspired me so much along the way. When you were vegan, I was also, and looking back to when we both met that first time, we are so much better off now in mind and body. And when you started to change your ways, it made me question my own ways and I kinda followed and took bits of what you were doing into my own lifestyle and I can 100% agree, I feel SO much healthy and happier now and that’s all down to a balanced life now rather than an obsessive one which was probably inevitable as I was finding my feet after an eating disorder. But yeah, before I waffle on, I just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me along the way by your journey :)
Thanks Nicky, I do hope so! We are both definitely so much better off now, it actually scares me to think back to what I was like then. So happy to hear how you’ve been getting on now, you absolutely rock and I can’t wait to see what you get up to with your business!
Im so happy to see you making this change Laura! I think this is going to be an awesome thing for you….like you have said yourself in this post, you have come SO far in your journey over the last four years and the name change is a part of that journey. Embrace it! Remember, those that matter won’t mind and those that mind don’t matter =] !
Thanks so much Lucie, and great final thoughts there, I know I just need to go for it!
Health to me means running a mile fast – nahh I’m totally joking. How terrible would that be? Health to me is feeling happy in my body physically – everything working nicely with no issues or illness – and feeling happy in my body mentally – general happiness, self-confidence and outlook. It drives me mad when you hear about people condensing “health” into the number of calories the body needs to lose weight. It makes me very very angry.
I think your new blog name sound fantastic. I think it makes a lot of sense to change it. You’re evolving and growing, and your blog reflects that. You’re a true inspiration and a fabulous role model. I love your approach to eating, fitness and life in general.
Haha, no but I think that can be part of it, running is so important to you and I don’t think it’s a bad thing that part of being healthy for you includes your ability to run :-) It makes me angry too, so much of the picture missing when it’s just down to that. So glad you like the new name!
Love the new name:) fits really well with your ‘brand/person’ i think. I still feel like I am learning what being healthy is, after being on this journey fro over 10 years i am still learning and still realizing more and more the value of our health. I think having healthy mindsets has become more and more of a big deal in my own life, that is so much more than food but also about how you love yourself and others, how you manage your whole lifestyle.
So excited to see the changes – i am currently getting my website developed too so it seems change is in the air for everyone!
Thanks Kezia! I think we are always learning, that’s part of the beauty of it really :-) Excited to see the changes to your website!
The new name is perfect! You know I think you’re fab, but I’ll tell you again! Being healthy is about so many things, it really is a holistic thing. I can enjoy life on so many levels because I’m healthy, not just in terms of fitness and clothing sizes (actually, not at all because of clothing sizes…), but in terms of feeling fabulous, and having the confidence to give pretty much anything a good go, because taking care of myself reminds me of my own worth. I’d love your blog, whatever it was called, because of your balanced approach to health, and your honesty about how you’ve reached the point you’re at now. Good luck with the new branding, I can’t wait to see how you continue to develop!
Thanks Sarah, you do know how to make me smile! You’ve hit the nail on the head there about self worth, so so important xxx
Love it! Good luck I’m sure it will all turn out just the way you plan it, looking forward to seeing more x
Thanks Tamzin!
Love the new name and I’m excited I can’t wait to read more of your inspirational blog and your journey. Especially becoming a Mummy as I am too and I don’t have that in common with many of my friends or colleagues sadly. So in particular personally (and a little selfishly) I’m looking forward to reading all about it.
Thanks so much Caroline! Lovely to hear that you are looking forward to me being a mummy, that really makes me happy and I hope it helps you too, I think it would be hard when not many people around you are in a similar situation xx
I love the name and I love your blog! Keep doing what you do lady :D! xxxx
Thanks so much Charlie!
Hurray! I could never remember the name of your blog and always sent people to your Twitter account instead. Did it yesterday in fact!
Wholeheartedly Healthy is so much more you, maybe that’s why I couldn’t remember the name.
Haha I think that says it all! I’m changing my businessy site to lauraagarwilson.com as well, so hopefully that will help too!
I love the new name and logo! It conveys your approach to health and how it fits into your wellbeing nicely. That being said, I also wanted to say how much I appreciated this quote:
“More recently, I’ve come to see just how expansive health really is. It is so much more than just food and exercise. It’s your thoughts, how you feel about your body, how you express yourself, your style, your environment and what you put on your skin. It’s whether or not the job you do makes you happy, your stress levels, quality of sleep, your relationships and your finances. Yes, food and exercise are really important, but to me, health is a culmination of all of those things.”
That is something I definitely lose sight of at times when I become a bit too preoccupied with counting calories. I need to constantly remind myself that health is meant to liberate me, not constrain me!
Thanks so much Rachel! You are SO right, health is absolutely that, its so easy to lose sight of that bigger picture though, so don’t beat yourself up just remember it :-)
Love the new name! I remember you changing from keeping slim to keeping healthy!
I don’t think you are crazy to change it at all.
Healthy to me is all about balance and moderation.
Thanks Maria! I was so worried about changing it but I think I really need to after such a long time :-)
I love the new name, Laura. I’ve followed your blog from almost the start and it’s one of my favourites. I definitely agree with your definition of “healthy” – it’s taken me a while to realise what it really means too and that it definitely isn’t the same as “skinny”. x
Thanks Lily, so lovely that you’ve stuck with me since the start!
LOVE the new name and it totally makes sense!!! Well done for taking the big step! x
Thanks Michelle!
Love the new name/look. Health to me is being disease free and able to do everything that makes me happy- like run marathons and ultras :P
Thanks Lauren!
LOVE the new name and logo Laura – and the ethos behind it too!
You and your blog continue to inspire me to find where my passions are, explore new places and products and try to be a good role model. Looking forward to reading the same fabulous, from the heart content, under a different header :)
Thanks Claire! So so glad you enjoy the blog! xxx
Laura, I love the new name. It is brilliant and suits you down to the ground. In the short time I have read your blog I can see how down to earth, genuine and lovely you are. I love your no bullshit attitude to health and wellness which is matched by an obvious kind and caring heart .The blog name is perfect for you and I will definitely be sticking round! Such exciting times ahead for you and your lovely family – I can’t wait to see what is in store :)
Thanks Lauren! You are so kind, that is a lovely comment thank you so much!
Loving the new name. It definitely suits! Your blog has evolved and it makes sense that the name should evolve to reflect the new nature of the blog.
Health to me used to be all about weight, but now I think about so many other factors when somebody mentions health. Stress levels, energy levels, happiness, confidence and attitudes towards yourself and others amongst other things.
Thanks Mary! Great that your view of health has changed, I wish it would for more people too :-)
I wholeheartedly (hehe!) support you in your decision! Of course we’ll stick with you :) & I like the mixture of different blog topics you have here & I would still say there is a common thread of ‘well-being’ underlying each one! PS I tried your recipe for the nut milk and it was incredible! have another batch cooling in the fridge right now!
Hehe indeed! Thanks so much Lucy, oh and yey for the nut milk! So glad you enjoyed it!
I think you are spot on about what is healthy and your new blog name is great – can’t wait to see the new beginnings (as well as cute baby photos :).
Thanks! I can’t wait to be sharing the cute baby pics too ;-)
Well, I am remiss in my blog reading for all of 48 hours and look at how much I miss.
I think the name change definitely makes sense. We evolve as people and so do our blogs, and it’s been a steady process for you from ‘Keeping Slim’ to ‘Keeping Healthy,’ and it only makes sense that you’d continue to grow and develop your brand as you undergo similar personal changes. I think your new name ties in with ‘Uniquely Healthy’ very well and makes your branding a lot stronger. I understand why you’re fond of the old blog name too, and I suppose the ‘Getting Stylish’ part was more relevant when your blog was fashion/food-related than since you’ve introduced aspects of holistic nutrition etc.
xxx
It’s not nuts at all to change your blog’s name after all this time. Actually, it makes a lot of sense given how much you and your life have changed during the past years. I’ve been pondering a name change for my own blog for months yet postponing it because I can’t seem to decide on a new one – or find ideas in the first place.
Health – in short – for me is being mentally and physically happy. That included both running and rest, both carrots and chocolate. Most importantly it excludes stressing about being the healthiest ever in every situation.
The new logo looks great!
hey Laura! don’t punch me but the longer I’ve known you and after meeting you in person, the more I felt that the current blog name didn’t do you/it justice! you and what you do and what you have brought to the table is so much more then just keeping healthy, and getting stylish! its lovely and its cute but i totally agree with you that its more “past” blog and now its time for a change! i really like the new blog name and the echos of wholeness, wellness, heart, health – i love it! its so you! anyway whatever your domain name you are still fab and im sure will continue to inspire many more lovely ladies worldwide as much as you inspired and helped me :)
Awesome news Laura!! I love the name change! I think you are just the perfect blogger.. Not to sound too much like a “fan girl” but seriously you manage it perfectly. I personally think you are very balanced and your work is an inspiration to me! To many more years of reading you! x