The Healthy Social Life
How to have fun without compromising health
People often think that if you’re healthy, you can’t enjoy your life.
Yet we’ve seen again and again how the best food and even the best clothing are not only healthy, but more enjoyable than their unhealthy alternatives.
But what about the rest of your life?
It can seem that most of the social activities you might engage in run counter to your health goals. And many health-conscious people run into this tension sooner or later.
But there are plenty of social activities you can do that don’t force you to make unhealthy choices.
And as it turns out, the list is even more enjoyable than what most people do for pleasure…
It’s about quality
When living in a culture that does not encourage health, it’s very easy for health conscious people to fall into the trap of avoiding “normal” social occasions, resulting in the sort of modern-day puritanism which they have been accused of.
This is an attitude which I firmly reject, and is the basis for the Tan Land idea that health is enjoyable.
In the same way that healthy eating is not about what food you eat, but how it’s made, living healthily is not about what you do but how you do it.
Just like any food can be made in a nourishing way by ensuring it’s of high quality, so too can the activities you do.
The goal here is not to reject time spent with friends and family who don’t live exactly like you do (although you may find yourself wanting to spend less time with familiar people and more time with people that share your values, which happens whenever you choose a path of personal growth not shared by your existing community).
But, insofar as you can influence the activities you and your friends partake in, you should try and choose things that bring you and your friends up instead of bringing you down.
So instead of rejecting an activity outright, think about how it can be done in the best possible way.
This idea is how you should approach every aspect of life— not merely your food, but everything you do.
With that out of the way, I’ve compiled a list of examples that might help you live a better social life.
Not only will it be good for you, but hopefully you will be able to show your friends through your actions how this way of life is superior both from a health as well as enjoyment lens.
Food Related
Most socializing revolves around food and drink, as it always has.
Where do you go on a date? The bar.
Where do you celebrate a birthday? A restaurant.
Where do you meet your friend? Coffee shop.
This can pose a challenge if you care about quality food, for the simple reason that most venues are terrible.
But with a little research and creativity, you can turn any food/drink occasion into one that is better for everyone:
Restaurants with high quality food, particularly that you can’t make at home (find them on Seed Oil Scout). “Farm to table”, on-farm restaurants, and traditional Japanese places are typically good options
Cigar lounges and jazz bars (cigar smoke suppresses estrogen, and most such bars have good lighting and higher quality drinks)
Natural wine bars (natural wines are traditionally made without all the modern chemicals, and don’t make you feel terrible)
Coffee shops with organic “artisanal” coffee
Wine tasting at wineries that produce natural wines, free of artificial chemicals and pesticides
Farm tours/farm days. Most farms have some events open to the public. If you’re a frequent customer, this can be a great way to see what the farm is actually like.
Farmer’s markets. My fiancée and I both ended up bringing friends to farmers markets while in college as a weekend-morning activity
Parties (e.g. 4th of July, Memorial Day, birthdays). Either host them yourself and make sure you serve real food, or bring something to the party that you (and everyone else) can enjoy (like MASA Chips, organic salsa/guag, natural wine, etc.)
Picnics/cookouts. Bring the food, and you have little to worry about.
The key here is to not reject going out entirely. If your friends want you to go out, that’s great— just recommend a place that meets your standards. It will likely be a superior experience to the usual spots they might go to.
And if alcohol is likely to be involved, check out my guide on dealing with that here.
Physical Stuff
Physical activities are a safer bet. With some exceptions, most activities that involve moving your body will help you to remain healthy.
However, we are often stressed and lazy, so many such activities are too intense for a lot of people, so they resort to the other extreme of sitting on a couch.
Fortunately, there are plenty of options that are both accessible and low-stress. If people are looking for stuff to do, then there are plenty of good options that don’t involve hitting the bars:
Hiking/walking in nature. Don’t make this more aggressive than it needs to be. Even in big cities, there are plenty of natural places like parks that can be used. Harder to do this in the winter. Walking was a favorite social activity of Steve Jobs, and is a highly traditional favorite of intellects throughout history.
“Outdoorsman” sports. Hunting, fishing, camping, backpacking. Leave the Heinz ketchup and canola oil at home.
Beach days. There is a good way to go to the beach, and a bad way. Leave the sunscreen and white claw at home, and head to parts of the beach that are a bit less chaotic.
Tanning. Wherever you are, when the weather is good you can pull up to the local park with a beach towel and hang out with your friends in the sun.
Rock climbing. More than just a sport, this is also a social event, and people of any level can have fun doing it.
Sauna. There is a long tradition of sauna in Eastern Europe not merely for the health benefits, but because the nature of the activity fosters focused and intimate conversation.
Social sports. Paddle boarding, skiing, kayaking, etc. Some of these are a bit high-effort, but make for great weekend trips.
Entertainment
What your mind consumes is just as important as what your body consumes—the two are one. If you recognize the need to eat nutritious food for bodily health, then you must also recognize the need to consume entertainment/content that is healthy for the mind and soul.
Modern entertainment has a pretty bad reputation, and for good reason. Most culture that’s produced today is garbage, and drags down your mental and therefore physical state.
Again, it’s not what you do but how you do it. Don’t mistake outward appearances for content.
There are plenty of musicals and plays that suck, and plenty of movies that are good, despite the fact that most people would consider the former to be examples of “high” culture, and the latter to “melt your brain”.
I don’t feel the need at this point to list out examples of movies or entertainment that is “good” for you (if such a list would be helpful to you though, let me know).
So don’t avoid entertainment—just make sure that the movies you watch, music/concerts you attend, and museums and cultural events you attend are inspiring and promote beauty and truth.
Aside from the immaterial benefits, depressive entertainment is horrible for your hormones and therefore body as a whole.
Flooding your body with stress hormones from your music or movies is not the right way to approach entertainment.
You should judge whether it’s healthy or not based on how it makes you feel in the hours and days after. Does it uplift you? Reduce stress? Teach you something constructive, either pragmatic or abstract? Energize you?
Or does it leave you drained, or fearful, or nervous, or anxious?
If so, it might be best to avoid.
Conclusion
Some may rightly point out that many of the items on this list are expensive.
True, but at the same time, another half of the items are free.
Regardless, why pay a smaller amount of money to contribute to the harm of yours and your friends bodies, when you could pay a bit more, or even nothing, for something beneficial?
There is something on this list for everyone. It’s not the job of your friends to choose something here— you’re the one who values health, so you have to take ownership of how you spend your time and a bit of leadership and initiative on your part will go a long way.
Makes you want to take up bicycle riding for some reason.