The 21st century body: being thin is fashionable, but not always necessary

The expert of “Championship” wellness coach Andrei Semeshov – about what you need to be ready for on the way to six cubes of abs.

When fat is out of fashion

The fashion for thinness is a very recent phenomenon by the standards of human civilization. Up until, conditionally, yesterday, among wealthy citizens was valued healthy fullness, which was associated with the availability of resources. First of all, it is about a lot and tasty to eat.

But when calories became dramatically cheaper, the less financially successful segments of the population were able to “afford” fullness. Accordingly, to stand out from the crowd, today you need to be slim. And not to be mistaken for sure – to painful thinness. So appeared the cult of fighting with extra pounds, fashion for fitness and other PP with fat-free products and gluten free.

As a result, today many girls go on a diet almost from the end of elementary school. The industry of weight loss teas and themed online and offline magazines has billions of dollars in sales. And even in the most modest grocery store near the house will certainly find a shelf with “diet products”.

This attack on the mass consciousness leads to the fact that the idea to reduce body weight (often by some wild methods such as “cabbage diet”) become obsessed with even those who do not have extra pounds. So, imagine, it happens – there is fat in the body, but it is not superfluous, but the most vital.

In the Mayo Clinic in 2011 conducted a study among people who survived heart attacks. So, the highest percentage of mortality (15%) for three years was noted among the thinnest. The best rates (only 2%) were among those who had a high percentage of body fat (more than 34 and 25 for women and men, respectively), as well as sufficient amounts of muscle mass. The scientists concluded that in the face of severe illness, our bodies use adipose tissue as an additional tool in the fight against disease.

So does it turn out that losing weight is harmful? When it comes to health, current fitness standards are outright overkill. A mesh of veins under the skin, an extremely low percentage of subcutaneous fat – none of this has anything to do with healthy longevity. Plus, we mustn’t forget that even though we are very similar, everyone is unique. This includes the amount of fat that your body considers normal. And strives to maintain it.

Use common sense

When people ask me for advice on how to lose weight, I always ask: why? After all, losing weight is, frankly speaking, not the most exciting adventure in life. Ranevskaya also aptly noted that on diets, faces become “smaller but sadder”. Therefore, getting into this story, you need to have a very strong motivation. Otherwise, it will be worse, and you will add to the sad statistics. Statistically, 9 out of 10 weight losers gain pounds back, most often with excess.

This phenomenon is named in honor of the toy that always returns to the hand – the “yo-yo effect”. And on the body such swings have an even more devastating effect than just maintaining body weight, albeit excessive.

So what, not to lose weight at all?

If you are not absolutely sure that living in the same body is no longer an option for you, it is better not to get involved. With one, but very important caveat. Take an ordinary stretching meter and determine the size of the waist. For men, the upper limit is 94 cm, for women – 80. If you are within the norms, then there is no cause for concern. You can safely unsubscribe from all blogs about weight loss and the struggle for relief.

If the numbers are higher, then there is a high probability of visceral obesity, in the long run leading to the development of, for example, type 2 diabetes and other equally unpleasant consequences. And in this case it makes sense to deal not so much with beauty and forms, but in the truest sense of the word your health: clean your diet, increase physical activity. And there is no need to throw yourself into all the hard work, following the advice of social communities. Be guided by common sense. Even before the invention of Instagram, you knew that fried pork ribs with french fries are delicious, but not very, to put it mildly, useful. And that there are foods like cottage cheese, rice, white meat and fish, vegetables and fruits. To understand whether your lifestyle is mobile enough, your smartphone, which probably has a built-in pedometer app, will help. Take a look at the numbers: the target you need to reach as soon as possible is 10-12 thousand steps EVERY day. It’s good if you can find your sport, which will not be perceived as a daily torment, but on the contrary, each session will bring joy.

And if you need “like in Instagram?”

But what to do when you lack six cubes for life harmony? Well, here you voluntarily condemn yourself to a very difficult path. Since the drawn abs for you is still only a dream, it is obvious that the body is not located to maintain such a low percentage of fat layer. Yes, there are naturally skinny lucky people who maintain an enviable condition without visible effort. But they are still a minority.

For us, not so genetically gifted, this appearance, of course, is also quite achievable. It is enough to choose an adequate diet and exercise regimen (it is unlikely to do without strength training and cardio) and have a lot of motivation. Believe me, not once, not twice and not three times you will be visited by thoughts: “Why do I need it? I can’t do anything. Why do I make such a mockery of myself”.

And the most unpleasant thing is that even after getting the cherished dream figure, you will not be able to relax and enjoy life, forgetting about the rigid regime and closing the membership in the fitness club. In a very short time, your body will gain the amount of fat it is used to. This is the so-called set-point.

There is evidence that systematic overeating causes it to shift towards more fat, which it tends to maintain. But the correction in the opposite direction is very, very slow. It takes not months, but years to get your body to believe that a low fat percentage is the norm that it is comfortable with.

That’s why, even with a proven “drying” methodology (no secrets or miracles – just eat less and move more, but – sensibly), I’m not in a hurry to offer it to people. In reality, such fitness bodies are more about Instagram than about real life. But if you really want it, anything is possible. It’s just a matter of desire.