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Myth 'she's so lucky' - body image misconceptions vs health risks
Let’s admit it, we’ve all been sitting at a café, drinking a low fat decaf latte, when a trimmer, younger version of ourselves has walked by and we’ve thought “I wish I looked like that’. Well, let’s all be careful about what we wish for, because that trimmer you, may not necessarily be a healthier you. After all, do we really know what does constitute a healthy body?
With all the information out there, how can I get the correct answers? In a world fixed on body image, most of us assume a thin person is healthy. However that myth is not necessarily true and a person who eat’s poorly and doesn’t exercise enough, but still manages to fit into the same clothes they wore in high school can be one of the unhealthiest demographics of all. Regardless of your size, there are some basic rules to maintaining good overall health.
Essential steps to a healthier you;
• Exercise – Move at every, and any, opportunity you can, at least 30 minutes a day. Fit obese individuals are five times more likely to have a reduced risk of heart disease than those that are unfit and skinny.
• Be aware of diabetes – Overeating and not exercising are major contributors to becoming a diabetic, irrespective of your size and walking off a meal can assist metabolize over 50% of your blood sugar alone. So get moving, because the effect of diabetes on health is equal to ageing 15 years.
• Limit animal fats - The type of fat found in animal products, saturated fat is typically solid at room temperature and is not good for you. It raises both the total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, one of the main risk factors for heart disease. When doctors say you need to eat less fat to lower your cholesterol level, it’s the saturated type they are talking about. That means choosing reduced fat dairy products, buying lean cuts of meat and trimming any visible fat, removing skin from chicken and avoid fats such as lard and butter.
• Avoid Trans fats - These are produced when a liquid vegetable oil undergoes a process known as hydrogenation, as occurs in the manufacturing of margarine. Trans fats act like saturated fats, increasing blood cholesterol levels and recent research suggests they are the most detrimental to our health.
• Are you a pear or an apple? The World Health Organisation has determined that your waist/hip measurement can determine your cardiovascular risk and ultimate longevity, so if you are an apple shape regardless of your overall size and weight, look out, start thinking about becoming a pear.
• Do the 2 & 5 – Over 86% of the population do not consume the recommended daily intake of two serves of fruit and five of vegetables a day, lending itself to ill health and 3% of the total burden of disease in Australia.
So it is possible to appear thin by virtue of fortunate genetics, but be very unhealthy if you don’t follow some of the simple essential tips above. So what’s stopping you, get up and start moving and think about popping an apple or two in your briefcase on your way to work.