I was at a social this week, I know right, out on a school night!! Get me!
And was chatting to a friend who also owns a gym. We always chat about how business is going, amongst other issues and our convo moved on to the topic of the title of this piece…
The relationship between body positivity, weight and health.
Now there is nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself.
NOTHING! No matter what your shape or size.
If we all felt a little better about the skin we are in and enjoyed our own reflection, warts ‘n’ all, I’m sure we would be happier for it!
Happiness is also not dependent on how much you weigh. You can carry excess weight or be under weight and be perfectly happy, I’m sure.
However, health is another matter!
And this is undeniable!
If you are significantly overweight, you put yourself at more risk to developing health complications than if you were more aligned in the centre ground. In what I will call, a ‘healthy range!’
Now… by healthy range, I mean within current acceptable boundaries to good physiological health, using established metrics. This might include BMI, Hip to Waist ratio, Circumference measurements, Body Fat %, Blood Pressure, Resting Heart Rate, VO2max estimation, Cholesterol levels, the list goes on.
You can, and will fluctuate around these levels and that is perfectly normal, but it is ultimately recommended you stay within them.
It doesn’t matter if you are as happy as a pig in sh*t, if you are overweight, you are likely to develop health issues the longer the amount of time you are overweight.
Obviously, the risk increases the more overweight you are. Conversely, just a 10% drop in total body weight can significantly improve physiological health markers.
In my opinion, statements like ‘big is beautiful!’ are both positive and negative.
Positive in the sense that size is not and should never be seen as an indicator of beauty. What is beautiful to one may not be to another and that’s how it should be.
But also negative in the sense we risk encouraging an individual to remain in a physical condition that risks their health! Under some guise that size doesn’t matter, when actually it does!
Let’s make no mistake about this, the more overweight you are the more at risk your health is.
Can you be overweight and happy?
Yes
Can you be overweight and beautiful?
Absolutely
Can you be overweight and healthy? In terms of physiological health?
Ultimately… No!
As mentioned above, your weight plays a huge part in the risk to good health, the more overweight, the more risk.
However, this is not a ‘one size fits all’ scenario!
Many, many people will carry a few extra pounds, be classed as overweight or even obese, for a long period of time and show no adverse effects. But time usually catches up.
Type 2 diabetes and heart disease don’t develop overnight, they are conditions that manifest over a chronic period of time. These conditions are very serious, but there are also issues alongside joint health, mobility and sleep apnea for example, that factor into our health and how ‘good’ it is, which all correlate to our total body weight.
Let’s not forget we are calling obesity a problem of epidemic proportions in this country. It means it’s not good for us!
There is a reason our NHS, PT’s, Nutritionists (like me, James and Joey at Target Active Fitness) recommend healthy parameters.
And it’s not for shits and giggles!
It’s because we care about your physical health, we care about health seeking lifestyle factors and while we totally agree with the positive aspects of body positivity and loving yourself, it’s a hard pill to swallow when you’re under the knife, having a toe amputated due to type 2 diabetes which could have been prevented, if only you had lost some weight when your health started to show signs of deterioration.
Health at every size is not a thing! Happiness at every can be, but once you reach a point where your weight is very likely to impact your health, it’s time to do something about it, as poor health WILL decrease your current happiness.
Especially if poor health could have been prevented.
It is not Fat Shaming by recommending someone loses weight because they are risking their health. I mean we’re quick to comment on our friends and family when we feel they have lost too much weight! Regardless of our qualifications!
It’s a shame not to tell them the risks of being overweight.
Big Luv
DT Xx
Target Active Fitness is a Tewkesbury based Gym, Personal Training Studio and Nutrition Centre. Teaching first rate, no nonsense, gimmick-free Exercise & Wellbeing.
