The Mental Load of “Trying to Be Healthy” (and Why We’re All Exhausted)

Welcome to Nacho Fitness Coach—the podcast for people who want to be healthy… but also really want to lie down. Hosted by Sarah, a personal trainer and recovering perfectionist, and Caleigh, a fitness newbie, realist, and professional nap enthusiast, this show exists for anyone who doesn’t have six-pack abs, a perfect morning routine, or the energy to track every metric known to man—but still wants to feel better.

This episode dives headfirst into one of the biggest problems in modern wellness: the overwhelming mental load of health.

When “Healthy” Becomes Exhausting

Between fitness trackers, apps, AI tools, and endless social media advice, it can feel like being healthy now requires a full-time job. Track your sleep. Track your steps. Track your workouts. Track your heart rate variability. Track your water. Track your protein. Don’t forget electrolytes. Don’t forget creatine. Actually—take creatine every day or don’t bother at all.

At some point, it stops feeling helpful and starts feeling neurotic.

Sarah and Caleigh talk openly about how easy it is to fall into the trap of tracking everything—especially when the internet constantly tells you that you’re doing it wrong. One video says bananas are the healthiest food on earth. The next says bananas are basically poison. It’s no wonder people feel confused, frustrated, and burnt out.

The Internet Is Making Fitness Harder, Not Easier

We live in a world where a 20-minute walk is considered “exercise,” not because people are lazy, but because modern life is incredibly sedentary. Most jobs involve sitting at a desk, staring at a screen, and moving very little throughout the day. Compared to previous generations—who worked outside, farmed, or did manual labor—our baseline activity levels are dramatically lower.

Add in ultra-processed food, constant notifications, and social media algorithms pushing fear-based health content, and suddenly everything feels urgent and overwhelming.

And now? AI-generated content is everywhere—fake videos, recycled advice, and “wellness hacks” that look real but add zero value to real life.

The Real Problem: Too Much Information

The episode highlights a hard truth: most people don’t need more health information—they need less. The constant stream of unsolicited advice creates decision fatigue and anxiety, especially for parents trying to “do it right” for themselves and their kids.

At some point, the question becomes:

Is all this tracking actually helping—or just making us more stressed?

Back to Basics: What Actually Matters

After cutting through the noise, Sarah brings it back to what truly makes a difference:

• Eat mostly quality food
• Move your body regularly
• Drink water
• Get enough sleep

That’s it.

Not 10,000 perfect steps every day. Not flawless sleep scores. Not every supplement on the market. Tracking can be useful if it helps you notice trends—but obsessing over exact numbers often does more harm than good.

Small Changes That Actually Help

Instead of trying to fix everything at once, the episode shares realistic shifts that reduce mental overload:

• Staying off your phone first thing in the morning
• Moving your body before scrolling
• Reading instead of doom-scrolling
• Letting go of habits that no longer fit your current season of life

Health habits don’t have to be permanent to be effective. Some work for a while. Some need to change. And that’s normal.

The Takeaway

Trying to be healthy in 2025 shouldn’t feel harder than being unhealthy—but for many people, it does. This episode is a reminder that you don’t need to do everything. You don’t need to track everything. And you definitely don’t need a hydrogen water bottle to fix your life.

Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do is simplify, tune out the noise, and focus on what actually moves the needle.

And maybe—just maybe—take a nap.