+ vs %

     As a trainer, in my first interview with clients I have frequently heard “I just want to be skinny.”  I will talk to my clients and ask why, what they think of as skinny, and go down a road of questions to try to gain a more positive goal and outlook.  If this is not achieved, and the “I just want to be skinny” mindset is still there, then I won’t take that person on as a client.  That is not a healthy mindset.  That is not body positive, or health positive.  Bodies are all different shapes and sizes and are healthy in all different shapes and sizes and I will not help you in a negative way to achieve a “look”.  I am a health professional. We need a confident mental position on our body, and science backed metrics of health physically to make sure that our total wellness is in check. Body positivity is mental and body composition is physical, and we need both to be healthy.

     In a world where everything seems to be based on looks: influencer culture, dating, clothing, etc. it can take a toll on our mental health and body image.  So arose the need for the body positivity movement and I am here for it. No one should be made to feel ashamed of their body, period.  Bodies come in all different shapes and sizes and are beautiful in all different shapes and sizes and should be celebrated in all different shapes and sizes. Saying that someone shouldn’t wear something simply because of their size is hurtful.  Now, if you are a friend and you just think honestly something doesn’t fit, then find a way to word it positively and give a true opinion.  If you’re a stranger… no one cares.  This goes for all sizes- large or small. Adversely, in the body positivity movement, we seem to have swung the pendulum in the far opposite direction, where often it’s ok to make fun of someone for being underweight or make comments about being thin but certainly not overweight.  I have even noticed a trend that seems to be anti-health with tags like “abnoxious” and judgements based on the appearance of being muscular or athletic. No one should shame another for their body.  Body judgement comes from insecurity and may we all have security enough in our own body that we not feel the need to judge someone else’s.  We should be confident in our own skin, without ignoring health and wellness metrics.  If anything, we should inspire one another to a healthy lifestyle and lower risk factors while aiding in confidence. That is true body positivity.

     Body composition is the science backed theory that you need to be between certain body fat percentages to be considered healthy and to mitigate risk factors.  Notice I said in between- not just below. You can have too little bodyfat also causing you to have higher risk factors and become unhealthy. Now I’m not talking about BMI- BMI is total shit (*excuse my language but it’s total shit.) BMI simply compares weight versus height with no account for lean mass and is set on a scale created in the 1830’s and has changed very little since.  Body fat percentage compares your lean mass to fat mass, and every gender and age has their own special range to be in. For males the range is healthy between 10-22%, whereas females who need a little higher body fat are healthy between 20-32% for the average population.  This is different in youth and aging, but after adolescence and before becoming “long in the teeth”, these are great numbers to shoot for.  This means that we have enough bodyfat for proper function- padding, insulation, neural pathway maintenance, etc. but not so much that it is giving is increased risk of diabetes, cancer, cardiac disease, and so on.  Another reason BMI should never be used is because you can appear thin, but still be in a risk category for bodyfat percentage and have similar risk factors to someone who appears overweight with the same body fat percentage- BMI will still show that you’re healthy when it is not true.

     Here is my story of weight acceptance, body issues, and health:  When I graduated from high school I was 6’2 and 112 lbs. I was so thin.  I was made fun of relentlessly- by schoolmates, family, strangers- in the South it is considered better to be an overweight male than underweight. But also I was tired, weak, slept a lot, couldn’t complete my activities of daily life with ease- by all metrics I was thin but unhealthy.  Then into my early twenties when I actually started gaining some weight I panicked- I tried to keep thin!  Thin was all I knew.  I didn’t accept that I needed to gain weight to be healthy.  Now I am on the other side.  No matter how much weight I gain I will always see that skinny kid that got made fun of, the weakling.  I know now that I am much healthier.  I am in proper body composition, and I check off all metrics of being physically fit: muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, range of motion, and body composition.  However, I got made fun of so much for being thin- and still do- that I have to convince myself that I’m ok where I’m at.  Again, for some reason we feel it is ok to tell someone “oh, you make me sick you eat everything and don’t gain a pound” when if it were reversed the entire world would turn upside down.  Watch your words- you don’t know the struggle that we are all going through to accept our own bodies, and how hard we are trying.  And this is the bridge of body positivity and body composition.

     I often get the question: what do you know about weight loss when you’ve been skinny your whole life?  How are you going to help me?  Well, that answer is simple- I understand body positivity and composition.  I studied this in school, and I have my story of my personal journey that might not be the same but is relatable. We must all work on our body composition for physical health, and our body positivity for mental health.  Bodies of all shapes and sizes deserve respect and kindness.  Body acceptance is great and necessary however we cannot ignore the metrics of health within that.  You can accept your body along its route to health and wellness, and try not to judge yourself along the way.  Accept your body in its stages- its metamorphosis if you will- as you work on health. Once you achieve your metrics of health, understand that your body will have its own unique shape that should be celebrated also.  Not everyone is healthy thin, not everyone is unhealthy thick, and it’s important to respect and understand how mental and physical positivity are necessary in our health.