Don’t Judge a Body By Its “Fit”ness

You know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”?

We know it metaphorically means that we shouldn’t make assumptions about who someone is on the inside based on how they look on the outside.

Similarly, when it comes to health and fitness, I’m saying: Don’t judge a body by its (perceived) fitness.

Here’s what I mean.

Just because someone looks fit on the outside, doesn’t mean they’re fit on the inside.

Let me add that it goes the other way as well too.

We’ve all seen a group fitness instructor or yoga teacher who might not seem “fit” on the outside, but they are very fit and healthy, not to mention full of energy and stamina.

But for today, let’s focus on the bodies that look fit on the outside, but maybe aren’t necessarily fit on the inside.

Now in our 20s, we might hear this and think, “I don’t care – I want to look good now…”

Because somehow we think we’re going to be in our 20s forever, right?

So then to get that perfect summer bod, gals go on crash diets; they binge, they purge; they detox, they cleanse.

Dudes walk out of GNC double-fisting humongous containers of protein powder and muscle-building supplements.

But what does this mean for their bodies in both the short and long-term?

Sure, they may help you look the way you want to look on the outside, but all that crash dieting, pill-popping, and protein consuming has consequences.

And hey, maybe you partook in those things too; not just dieting, but maybe you even used to spend most summer days at the beach sun-bathing with no more protection than shiny baby oil coated over your fully exposed skin.

Look, I understand. I did this stuff too.

I could care less about future sunspots, let alone skin cancer in my teens and 20s.

I also remember in my early days as a personal trainer, you live in the gym for most of the day evaluating bodies, including your own.

It’s not easy to be surrounded by mirrors all day, every day.

I remember buying in to the pressures of “looking” like a trainer, because the trainer with the best body gets the most clients, right?

Or so I thought at the time…

So I too pounded protein shakes, milk, and steaks.

I could care less about what all that whey, dairy, and red meat was doing to my system, because nothing was more important than how I looked “today.”

But with age comes wisdom.

And with time comes research.

We know more about the long-term effects of all this dairy and meat consumption.

What’s more, I believe we’re starting to understand how we don’t need as much protein as we’ve been sold to think.

And of course, we’re understanding more and more about how damaging the sun really is.

And maybe you too, like myself, knowingly or unknowingly, used to sacrifice “tomorrow” for “today” in the past, but my hope is that you continue or at least begin to think more about what’s going on on the inside of your body than the outside.

That you focus on your body’s performance more than its appearance.

Look, we can’t take back the mistakes we made long ago, but we can make decisions today that will lead to a healthier and happier body tomorrow and for the years to come.

So the next time you find yourself mistaking a “fit-looking” body for a healthy one, remember to not judge a body by its “fit”ness – there might be a lot going on underneath the surface that you surely wouldn’t hope for yourself.

Now, I feel like I need to clear a few things up before I sign off.

First, it is very possible to look fit on the outside and be super-healthy on the inside.

I know many people like this. They are the ones who are uber-disciplined, rarely splurge, and spend hours a week at the gym.

They’ve truly “earned” their fitness on both the outside and inside. Respect to these people.

What I shared with you today are extreme examples of sacrificing inner health for outer gain.

With that said, I must also make it clear that I don’t necessarily think there’s anything “wrong” with dieting or pounding meat or protein shakes to look a certain way.

I believe we own our bodies and can do whatever we want with them, and at different times of our lives what’s important to us and what we want to do with our bodies change, and I believe that’s none of our business.

In other words, what was important to you at 20, was likely much different than at 50.

My take-home message is simply that not all bodies that are fit, and thin, and trim are healthy; just like not all bodies that are slightly overweight are necessarily unhealthy.

I believe in midlife, if your focus is more on performance than appearance and the long-term more than the short-term, you’re going to live a healthier and happier life both now and into your later years.

So keep working out, keep eating healthy, keep your stress down, and get the right amount of sleep – you do these things and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be satisfied with both how you look on the outside and feel on the inside.

It’s your turn to take care of you,

 

 

 

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