Does Weight Loss Matter? Part 1
Oct 21, 2020"My doctor told me I need to lose weight for my health."
"If I wasn't this heavy, my knees wouldn't hurt."
"I just want to lose weight and get more toned."
"I hate my body. I'm just so fat."
"I'd be healthier if I'd just lose the extra weight."
There are a lot of reasons people come to see us as personal trainers and health coaches ... back pain, better athletic performance, balance and longevity ...
but they say "WEIGHT LOSS"in a different tone of voice.
Quietly, with eyes turned away in shame.
With malice, as their jaw tightens.
With resolve, as if this statement will finally turn a tide.
We live in a culture that has decided it is neither accepting of bodies, nor of the desire to change them. On one hand, we're told that our bodies are beautiful as they are and we should accept them (otherwise, we don't love ourselves enough.) On the other hand, "fat" is used as a dirty word... leaving "toned" and "lean" the nicer things to say about a person. There are studies that say that being fat isn't necessarily unhealthy. There are other studies that say it's worse than smoking.
So where does that leave us? Does weight loss really matter?
The best answer we've come up with is : SOMETIMES, because the real answer is, "Lifestyle changes that create better mental health and physical longevity sometimes result in a natural experience of weight loss."
This is summed up in my favorite health quote comes from Michael Pollan : "Be the kind of person who takes vitamins." Taking vitamins doesn't necessarily mean you're a healthier individual. But people who have habits in place like regularly taking vitamins ARE generally healthier people!
In the next couple of weeks, we're going to dig into what it really means when we - as a culture - seek out "WEIGHT LOSS" as a goal. So I want to start with this:
NO ONE CARES ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS.
Yep. You read that correctly. When someone seeks out weight loss, they're talking about the HOW they want to reach an end goal, not WHAT they actually want. Losing fat is simply a means to an end! You, me, our clients... we're all actually asking for (often longing and begging for) confidence, strength, a different sense of self, energy, a longer life, less pain, better relationships, physical comfort in daily life, and acceptance, aliveness and presence in this body we walk around in.
We'll check back in with this next week, and I want to share a bit more of my story, but for now ...
WEEK 1 HOMEWORK :
Find out WHAT you want. What physical, emotional or mental experiences or changes are you looking for via your "weight loss" or "lean mass" goal? Email us your WHAT if you want to share it. We can't wait to hear about it! Because we're going places together, friends!
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