The concept of “Body Positivity” has been around for some time now and it continues to grow in popularity. I admittedly was not aware of the concept until the EXTREMELY talented and relevant musical artist Lizzo put it on the map for me. Conversely, the ascension of the Body Positivity movement comes at a time that the developed world’s population is tipping the scales, literally, in terms of weight (We have NEVER been fatter). This so-called movement essentially promotes the acceptance of one’s body at any/every size.
The question is, can the concept of Body Positivity coincide with Promoting Physical Activity? This ain’t about what society, T.V., magazines or the movies thinks about what a “good body” is. This is about what science and the numbers continue to warn us of.
All bodies may be good bodies, but all bodies are not HEALTHY bodies.
First, I want to say LOVE YOURSELF! All of you! Nobody is going to love you like you can love you! Embrace your body’s uniqueness. In addition to that I would also proclaim that you should never settle for a less healthier YOU or embrace unhealthy behaviors.
Not So Fun Fact: America continues to get FAT! The rate of obesity in America continues to increase. Now, I am not about to bog you down with statistics here. That is not the purpose of ACTIVE-DAD.com or this post. HOWEVER, there is no escaping the number 20.
TWENTY PERCENT!!!
The first 20 represents a percent, as in 20%. This percentage accounts for the increase of calories we are eating. “The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that the average American ate almost 20% more calories in the year 2000 than they did in 1983…”.
This percentage also represents the decrease of jobs that involve manual labor. Jobs requiring moderate physical activity, which accounted for 50 percent of the labor market in 1960, have plummeted to just 20 percent.
Last, and most definitely not least, only 20 percent of adults are meeting the overall physical activity recommendations.
Why We Should Embrace Body Positivity With An Equal Helping Of Physical Activity.
My body tells me when I am getting out of control, whether it be lack of physical activity or more likely eating more than I should. My body tells me when need I need to tighten up. I imagine the same goes for other ACTIVE-DADs out there. Do not ignore that feedback! That would be the easy way out. Instead, tune in, lock in and do something about it before you are digging yourself out of a hole that keeps getting deeper. Love yourself enough to listen to it.
What I am saying is, love yourself, love your body that God gave you, AND PRIORITIZE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. It is about your health. If anything, you should love yourself and your body SO MUCH, you want to take care of it by PRIORITIZING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. There is no contradiction there, that is what body positivity should be all about!
The Cool Down
Whether you are a “Fat runner“, a medium sized runner or a slim and slender runner…DO IT FOR YOUR HEALTH!
Tell us what you think about Body Positivity…the general concept, it’s implications, how you view yourself and how you would like others to view you. All of that. Leave a comment, reach out, add, contribute.
LET’S GROW TOGETHER!