Most people feel they are overweight and therefore must exercise or diet as a necessity to look good aka healthy. I am not advocating a sedentary lifestyle or eating unhealthily; far from it- active lifestyle and eating good healthy but tasty food should become our way of life – but not to get to a particular BMI number or shape or size. Today health is mostly considered synonymous with the right BMI. The Myth of good health being a number (actually calibrated for a totally different purpose) has to be broken. It is lie deceiving and destroying a generation.
As against popular opinion, BMI is not an indicator of health and fitness. Its inventor, 19th century Belgian mathematician Adolphe Quetelet, intended his formula to be used to assess the status of general populations so the government could better allocate resources — not to calculate how much excess fat individuals have. But in the late 1970s, researchers began using it precisely as Quetelet hadn’t intended- to categorize individuals’ weight and health status. It’s been the medical miracle ever since- named and shamed for every physical and mental problem every found.
Thereby, BMI is not an accurate measurement or predictor of health, especially for people who are shorter or more muscular than average. It doesn’t take into account the amount of muscle or fat in a body, or how strong or heavy a person’s bones are.
BMI too is no unchanging fact; rather it has shifted significantly in the last 15 years. That means what was considered normal or healthy BMI few years earlier is now considered overweight and on the way to the terrible epidemic of obesity. The world is obsessed with shape, size and weight as the way it defines, categorizes and rewards or shames you. And that often becomes our own parameters of self-definition too.
Body Image
If you were to ask yourself ‘are you good looking,’ or ‘are you happy with the way your body looks and feels’ what would you say? If I were to ask you, ‘do you feel you are a fat and overweight and thereby the constant pressure to reduce weight what would you respond?
Body image is how you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind. It encompasses:
- What you believe about your own appearance (including your memories, assumptions, and generalizations).
- How you feel about your body, including your height, shape, and weight.
- How you sense and control your body as you move. How you feel in your body, not just about your body.
Many people have a negative body image -a distorted perception of their shape based on the distorted images sold by the media as desirable body-image. They are convinced that only other people are attractive and that their body size or shape is a sign of personal failure. They feel ashamed, self-conscious, and anxious about their body. They feel uncomfortable and awkward in their own body.
People with negative body image might have a greater likelihood of developing an eating disorder and are more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and obsessions. When we do not like who we are, it is bound to show up on our physical and mental health!
We all may have our days when we feel awkward or uncomfortable in our bodies, but the key to developing healthy body image is to recognize and respect our natural shape and change those negative thoughts and feelings with positive, affirming, and accepting ones.
Reclaim your Body
A positive body image is a clear, true perception of your shape–you see the various parts of your body as they really are. You celebrate and appreciate your natural body shape and you understand that a person’s physical appearance says very little about their character and value as a person. You feel proud and accepting of your unique body and refuse to spend an unreasonable amount of time worrying about food, weight, and calories.
No shape or size is more desirable or acceptable than another. The media tells lies that a particular shape and size alone is desirable and acceptable and this lie helps keep much of the food, cosmetic and many other industries alive.
Health is not a about achieving a particular weight or BMI, it is about a way of life. It includes eating interesting healthy food that you enjoy and having an active interesting lifestyle over a sedentary one. More significantly it is about choosing what you love in life and living that out. Let no one deceive you that health is a few digits on a monitor or a prescribed shape and size. It never was and never will be. Enjoy a fulfilling life!
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