The American Council on Exercise (ACE) put out an article entitled “America Needs An Attitude Adjustment”. In this article they discuss the misconception that we as Americans are living under-an obsession with our weight will equal health, happiness, and being thin.

Throughout the last 20 years, Americans have seen a dramatic decrease in health and healthy weight measurements despite the always increasing production of fitness gadgets and fad diets. But believe it or not, a shift is taking place! ACE talks about the ‘new weight paradigm’ that is currently being introduced to us. It’s a paradigm that focuses on “things other than weight loss: healthy eating, regular exercise, positive self-esteem and, perhaps most importantly, self-acceptance.”

Reality - This new paradigm may be a stretch for some of us. How can we choose healthy food and purposeful work-outs over the obsession of ‘six-pack abs’ and ripped arms? Can we really eat organic natural occurring sugars in place of Splenda or other processed junk, AND feel okay about it? My thoughts are: yes! It may not happen over night, but I think we can get there. I think we can: choose healthy, natural food choices, exercise at the intensity and difficulty level that’s appropriate for our body, get plenty of sleep, take more preventative health measures, and simply just chill out a bit!

If you are someone who prides yourself on your looks, awesome! The key would be to start making sure you’re dedicating the same amount of energy to caring about what goes on inside your body, as you do the outside. Let’s not forget, there are millions of people who look great on the outside but feel depressed, tired, and stressed on the inside. And there are also a large handful of people with genes that allow them to look great for many years while suffering from high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or other life-threatening diseases.

Here’s a few old assumptions and new solutions they speak of:

Old: Restricting calories is the best way to lose weight.

New: Healthy, relaxed eating in response to hunger and satiety cues is the key to developing a comfortable relationship with food and avoiding eating disorders.

Old: Exercise is necessary to lose and keep weight off.

New: Exercise is an excellent way to improve one's health and enhance quality of life.

Old: People need to be thin in order to be healthy and happy.

New: People naturally have different body shapes and sizes, and need to accept themselves for what they are.

In conclusion, we need to stop obsessing and get real. Enjoy your life, enjoy your work-outs, enjoy your meals, and enjoy your family and friends! Listen to your body and you’ll end up looking and feeling better than ever before. Cheers to a new paradigm of ‘you’!

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