The Dad bod is a new phenomenon taking over social media. The dad bod is all about promoting a less than firm tummy caused by overconsumption of alcohol and beer.
While I have already illustrated the potential health implications of the “dad bod” on the news (click to the media page to see the full story), this only takes into account the physiological changes that occur with this lifestyle, and does not address the emotional and mental effects of promoting any type of body as better than another.
From organizations like HAES, to new laws regarding acceptable Body Mass index for models, somehow society at large has adopted the idea that it is okay for you to have a DEFINITE and strong opinion on whether another person’s body is “right” or “wrong”. This train of thought has barreled through “good or bad” foods and is running right off the tracks with “good or bad” bodies.
In an episode of Sigma Nutrition, Yoni Freedhoff doctor and author of The Diet Fix expresses it best (find the full episode here http://sigmanutrition.com/episode66/). Paraphrasing his words, your best weight is the weight that you can maintain while living a happy and fulfilling life. If that means being twenty pounds above where society thinks you should be- so be it! Twenty pounds lighter- worse things have happened!
As Dr. Freedhoff so eloquently says, the goal is not the number, it’s not the BMI , and it’s not how close or far you are from having a #dadbod.
The goal is to engage in healthful activities and enjoy healthy food.
It’s time to pull this train over and reroute- because it seems we’ve lost track of what the destination is meant to be.
Rather than aiming for a number, or the right type of body, aim to enjoy a healthy diet and regular physical activity.
Aim to be the best you that you can be, because from “beach bod” to “dad bod”, society clearly can’t make up their minds with their standards!
