What is “healthy?” Our health standard has been fluctuating for years, and as of late we have been using it to describe our lifestyles and our body types…But we are using it all wrong.
How are we using the word healthy in the wrong way? Look at these pictures of these two woman for example. Which one would you say is more healthy?
Chances are, you picked the girl on the right. Why? Because she is smaller. Contrary to popular belief, the girl on the left is the most probable candidate for a model of health. She is Amanda Bingson, a professional Olympic athlete who trains regularly and remains on a strict diet to stay fit and strong. The other girl is me, and I can promise you I do not use any kind of special diet, or eat well enough on a regular basis. I’m actually striving to be as healthy as Amanda.
The problem with throwing around the term healthy is that we equate it to being skinny. We allow ourselves to label girls under 130 pounds as healthy, even if they have horrible diets and living habits. Yet at first glance, women like Amanda would never be automatically chosen to be considered the healthiest.
In no way am I skinny shaming. We are all built in a particular way and there is no right or wrong size. We need to simply separate the stigma that health always equates to size. Not all girls who are skinny are healthy, and if we keep leading them to believe that their weight is the only factor in their health, than there may be a problem in the long run.
This applies to the contrary as well. Strictly focusing on weight instead of healthy lifestyles is pointless and counterproductive. Believe it or not, losing weight as quickly as you can often times does more harm than good.
So what does healthy mean? Well, I’m no doctor, but being healthy means to take things in moderation and do what is best for your body. Eat well, exercise, and don’t poison your body with excess drinking and smoking.
Don’t just use your body weight as a comparison for how healthy you are! If you work to your body’s full potential,(which is different for everyone) you will truly be healthy and beautiful.
Featured image via Tim Samuel on Pexels
