Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Be You

Today I would like to talk to you about the term healthy. If you are American, and probably if you are not American, you are probably sick of people talking about fat people and what is a healthy size. I know that I for one could go a life time without ever hearing people rant about this subject until they are blue in the face and be perfectly happy. That isn't going to happen though so lets just talk about the elephant in the room.

Whether we like it or not, and whether it is right or not (spoiler it is not) our society judges people and bases their worth off of their size. Media has trained us that thin is both pretty and healthy. If you were to go out and ask anyone what a healthy person looked like I guarantee you that almost everyone would say thin.

They would be wrong.

I am not going to deny that being overweight is bad for your health, it really can be. However healthy and skinny are not the same thing anymore than unhealthy and fat are the same thing. These things are not mutually exclusive and never have been. You can be thin and unhealthy, and shocker, you can be fat and healthy.

First let us take the BMI and throw it out the window. Anyone who references a persons BMI as any indicator on what they should weigh and their health is going to be ignored because you are working off faulty logic and science. The BMI was never designed to be used on an individual level, and was never really scientifically sound for being used on a large scale. Let us all right here and now agree that the BMI is complete and total bunk.

No seriously it is a bunch of bullshit. Don't believe me? Ok let me elaborate. Going by the BMI pretty much every professional athlete is at least obese if not morbidly so. Turns out lean muscle weighs more than fat, so incredibly muscular people can't meet their BMI. Also anyone with a high bone density is screwed when it comes to BMI. Most of them would have to remove a femur to meet their BMI.

Ok now that that is out of the way let us move on.

So if fat isn't unhealthy what is? Well you should probably go consult a physician about that one. Your doctor can tell you if you are healthy or not. I know it is a total shocker, they went to school for this, and can actually tell you these things.

If you go to your doctor and they tell you are fat and need to lose weight without running any tests on you,  you might consider finding another doctor. I have been to doctors who will blame everything on my weight and won't even entertain the idea that there is something else wrong with me. I am sorry but I am not coughing because I am fat, please check me for the flu you idiot.

It is possible that you might have some issues because of your weight. You could have heart issues, joint issues, cholesterol issues, blood pressure issues, diabetes, or a number of other things. Then again, you may not.If you have issues and your doctor thinks you need to lose weight because of it, then you should do that so you can  be healthy. If your doctor is not concerned, then you can decide if you want to lose weight or not. It is up to you.

That is the thing, you can not tell by looking at a persons size if they are healthy or not.  You can tell if they are fat or not, but that doesn't tell you if they are healthy. Unless you are their doctor you have absolutely no idea if they are healthy.

I dare anyone to look at me and tell me I am unhealthy. I dare you to tell me to my fat face that I am unhealthy. Do it and you may learn how well I can throw a right cross and will most certainly learn the true sharpness of my tongue.

First off it is most likely none of your business what state of health I am in.
Secondly, IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS WHAT STATE OF HEALTH I AM IN!

Am I healthy? Yes actually I am. According to my doctor, who went to school for many years to learn stuff about people and their health, I am healthy. I have perfect cholesterol, and blood pressure, and have no signs of being or becoming diabetic, and my heart is in above average shape. Anything that might be wrong with me is in no way associated with my weight.

I am healthy and I am fat. Get over it.

Am I in shape? No, I really am not, but being in shape is not an indicator of being in good health. I can make it up three flights of stairs and not want to curl up on the ground and die, so I count that as a win. My best friend, the mighty B, is probably one of the most in shape humans I know, and she is on the chubby side. Again fitness does not equal healthy or skinny. I know people who are rail thin that can't take three flights of stairs without wanting to puke, so shove off.

Basically, stop judging people. Just stop.

A skinny person is not automatically healthy, and a fat person is not automatically unhealthy.

Unless you are a persons doctor and have run tests on them, YOU CAN NOT JUDGE THEIR LEVEL OF HEALTH.
If you are not a persons personal trainer YOU CAN NOT JUDGE THEIR LEVEL OF FITNESS.
Most importantly, unless you are that person YOU CAN NOT JUDGE THEM!

Go mind your own business. Worry about your own health, and size, and fitness. Go be happy with yourself. Go care about yourself. Judging other people only makes you an asshat. It puts nothing negative energy back into the world, and seriously the world is shitty enough already without adding more trolls to it.

Skinny women are beautiful.
Fat women are beautiful.
Women who fall between these two extremes are beautiful.
Women with muscles are beautiful.
Women with rolls are beautiful.
All women are beautiful.
All women are real women, stick thin and flat as a board or curves for days, you are real women and you are as beautiful as you let yourself believe you are because no one can determine your worth and beauty but you.

Be happy, and be healthy, and be yourself whatever that is. Thick or thin, just be you, even if you could be Batman instead, because Batman is already Batman, and that has been done before. Be something better than Batman, because you can.