Luxury has and probably always will be synonymous with our favorite brands, whether it's a Chanel or Miu Miu bag, a new Dôen dress, or skincare from Augustinus Bader. I still (and always will) love all of those things. But lately, I've realized that my definition of luxury has changed slightly. These days, luxury looks more like waking up before my alarm because I actually slept well. It looks like making it through an entire workday without crashing at 2 p.m. It looks like keeping up with my 9 year old daughter wherever we go without needing to sit down afterward. It looks like booking the hiking trip and the spa day because my body is capable of enjoying both and I don’t just need to crash out in a spa setting. In a culture obsessed with productivity, beauty, and optimization, I’m starting to think the most valuable currency isn't things anymore, but more-so energy.
For decades, how “fit” we were perceived to be was measured by things we could see: the number on the scale, a specific dress size, visible abs, etc. None of those things though actually tell us how healthy we are. At our practice and when I think about my health and wellness, the questions we're asking now are much more interesting. How well does your body function? How do you recover after exercise? Are you preserving muscle? Do you have the energy to build a career, parent your children, travel, and enjoy your life without constantly feeling exhausted?
Looking healthy and feeling healthy aren't always the same thing and I’ve felt both sides of the coin in my life. I was almost 30 when I got married in 2015, and if you had asked me what "being healthy" meant back then, my answer probably would've included eating less, doing more cardio, trying another cleanse (please don't ask me about the Clean Cleanse – I still have nightmares), and convincing myself intermittent fasting was the answer to everything. I was exhausted in this period of life because I likely was not eating enough to fuel myself, especially when you factor in the cardio. The kicker is that I still didn’t *love* how I looked. Thankfully, wellness has grown up. The conversations we are having today are about protein, strength training, recovery, sleep, hormones (and how we track them over time), walking, preserving muscle, and longevity. Weight loss can absolutely be a goal, but the bigger goal is building a body you'll love living in for decades. I wish it would have been like that back in 2015, but I’m glad that this has shifted to something more sustainable.
I think this is why I see energy quietly emerge as the ultimate status symbol. Unlike a handbag or a vacation, you can't buy it, you have to build it. Someone who's truly "rich" in energy isn't necessarily the thinnest person in the room. She's the woman who can lift her suitcase into the overhead bin without asking for help, spend all day exploring a new city, keep up with her kids (and someday her grandkids), recover from a Tracy Anderson workout in the Hamptons without needing three days to feel normal again (cough, cough me before 2023), and wake up excited instead of exhausted.
Interestingly, medicine is evolving alongside this cultural shift and with the evolution comes access for patients who want to dig in to optimize their energy. For years, obesity treatment focused almost exclusively on helping patients lose weight, and we do that, but at our practice, we ask a much bigger question concurrently: what kind of body are we helping patients build? That means thinking beyond the scale and focusing on preserving muscle, maintaining bone health, supporting metabolic function long-term, recovering well from exercise, and staying physically capable throughout life. Weight loss can improve health, but only if we protect the body that's going to carry us through the next 30 - 40 years and beyond.
To me, this is a more sophisticated version of wellness. We've moved beyond the era of punishing ourselves on the treadmill and counting every calorie. We're learning to support our biology, pay attention to our family history and genetics, preserve our strength, and invest in the version of ourselves we'll become twenty years from now. Because the greatest luxury isn't *just* looking younger, it's having the energy to fully participate in your own life. And I think that's exactly where the future of wellness is headed.
I'd love to know... what does luxury mean to you now? Has your definition changed over the years? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments or connect with you. And if you're looking for a medical team that believes health is about far more than the number on the scale, we'd love to help you build a body that supports the life you want to live. Email us or book an appointment to get started.
— Brittany Turner
Co-Founder, The Aesthetic Concierge
