Weight loss VS Health

Through my consultations over the past year, I have met with over 60 members and non-member of my club who are seeking to make anywhere from a small healthy change in their lifestyle, to an extraordinary transformation (like those before and after which are now so popular on TV and the Internet).

I make it my personal goal to step inside their shoes and truly understand how they define the words: health and fitness, so that I can work with them in developing a personalized action plan that will help them reach their goals.

As I continue to meet with people I have noticed a worrisome pattern that I would like to address: in 90% of my consults people are choosing weight loss as their number 1 goal and health as their number 2 goal.

I can count with the fingers of one hand those whom I heard say: I want to feel better, I want to be healthier, I want to get stronger, I want to learn so that I can live a better life for me and those around me.

On the other hand have you taken a look around at our society lately? A lot of adults are willing to go to extreme lengths to lose weight, even if this jeopardizes their short and long term health. Our teens are obsessed with weight loss and unrealistically skinny models, our children under 10 are asking their parents if they think they are FAT and they are becoming aware of their weight and bodies in comparison to others at an age where they should be worried only about school and games.

With the already high demands of our working lives, is it worth adding having to stress about our appearances, starve ourselves into a slow metabolism and beat the calories out of our bodies until exhaustion to look good?

In the turmoil of social bombardment we are forgetting what the word HEALTH truly means.

What happened to working out because it feels good to move your body to the rhythm of a song?

What happened to working out and connect with how a muscle fiber stretches and squeezes and notice where you are feeling the muscle contraction, imagining that every rep shapes your body into what you want it to be?

What happened to working out and growing stronger so you can play better at your sport, carry your kids, run a charity 5k with your family?

A healthy body is usually inhabited by a healthy mind, a mind with the right reasons and thought patterns that drives the body to success. A healthy body speaks to you and tells you what feels right or wrong as far as workouts go, a healthy body tells you what are feel good foods and what are junk foods. A healthy body naturally balances itself out to its optimum weight, which might not necessarily mean a lean muscle machine.

However if your body has stopped talking to you, make sure you talk to the experts in the field: trainers, naturopaths, physiotherapists, etc. Use the mind to grow your knowledge and improve the health of your body.

Take a moment and find a worthier goal than weight loss that will get you thinking about your health and your long term goals. Why is it worth working out for as long as you can move those muscles?