The Balancing Act: Body Positivity and the Pursuit of Wellness

Welcome back to the Daily Dumbbell, where we bravely don our armor and lace up our Jordans to fight the good fight on Twitter each and every day. We battle the trolls so you don’t have to!

It’s Twitter Tuesday! And the Tweet also doubles as our feature. It’s a short one today so we hope you breeze through it.

Let’s dive in!

Twitter Tuesday

Picture this: a person loving their body, embracing every curve and imperfection, while still aiming to shed a few pounds for better health.

Do these two ideas have to be locked in a mortal combat? 🤜💥🤛

This tweet, like an echo in a canyon, resounds through the online blogo-spheres. And guess what? The answer is like a neon YES sign flashing in Times Square.

Not only can you do both, you absolutely should. For some, there will be no success without it. Why? Because despite what many people think, shame is not a powerful motivator. It is a devastating enemy that threatens to send you careening off course at every turn.

It is also an insidious cancer spreading through our healthcare system, threatening the literal lives of the people who need help the most. But before we can explain why this is so important, we need to explain how we got here.

The Body Positivity Roller Coaster 🎢

Body positivity isn’t some mystical chant; it’s an essential ingredient in the recipe for mental and physical health. Kicking fat-shaming to the curb isn’t just an act of kindness; it’s like changing the oil in the car of progress. Healthcare, daily life, you name it – without it, the engine's gonna seize.

But as with every topic in this day and age, polarization erupts. On one side, some folks look like they want to make Obesity the new “fetch” while the other side grabs a megaphone to scream “You’re fat and that’s bad!” to anybody who will listen.

How did this happen?

The Prodigal Sin: The Biggest Loser 📺

To understand this cluster-what of confusion, let’s rewind to the worst thing to happen to American health and wellness since lobotomies; “The Biggest Loser.” This reality TV show was like a Jedi mind trick gone wrong, convincing millions that starvation and torturous workouts were the keys to weight loss.

The show not only set people up for failure, it also ruined millions of people’s relationship with fitness as well as food. Contrary to what Jillian Michaels would have you believe, you do not need to suffer in order to lose weight and get healthier.

In fact, the more extreme the measures you take, the less likely you are to keep that weight off in the long run.

Enter Body Positivity, Stage Left 🌟

But from the ashes of “The Biggest Loser” carnage, a phoenix emerged. Body positivity, intuitive eating, and fat acceptance stepped into the spotlight. It was like someone finally handed out umbrellas in a downpour. A collective sigh of relief: you can love yourself and want better for yourself. Wild, right?

In fact, many pushed back against weight loss as a goal at all. Why? Because nearly everyone who tries eventually fails. Look no further than The Biggest Loser study from 2016 to see what happens when you approach things this way.

Taking an approach that is agnostic towards weight isn’t just touchy feely, it is the evidence based approach. After all, your weight is a symptom of your lifestyle. Not the other way around.

The Golden Balance ⚖️

Here’s where the plot gets spicy: body positivity and the quest for health are not on a collision course. They’re two peas in a pod, the salt and pepper of wellness. Embrace the chub, love the flab, and work towards health without self-loathing.

Obesity isn’t the new kale; nobody’s sipping on obesity smoothies. The movement is about shedding the guilt, the social shackles, and saying, “I am more than my weight.” It’s about the freedom to pursue health without being weighed down (pun intended) by the pressure of perfection.

NOT celebrating unhealthy lifestyles. It’s about celebrating healthy choices whether or not they lead to weight loss. Workout because it’s good for you. Add more fruits and veg because you’ll feel better, not just because it might lower that number on the scale.

It’s not about extremes; it’s about finding your balance on the tightrope of life.

And remember, the path to wellness doesn’t have to be a war against yourself. It’s a journey. You can choose to be miserable along the way or to enjoy it. We recommend the latter.

We hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter! Come back tomorrow for an exciting Wellness Wednesday and our long awaited return to Whoop Wednesday!