Bad Body Image

Do you think anyone is happy at what they see when they look in the mirror? Not talking about your face scars, mismatched eyes, and unkept hair. They make lasers, contact lenses and personal stylists to help with those problems. I'm talking about what you see when your shirt is off, or when you're completely naked. Gross!

I've never had a problem with my weight, or so I thought. I've always said that my recent commitment to fitness was all about feeling better, not looking better. That's bullshit. We are all our own worst critic, but unfortunately we are also our own worst enemy when trying to solve the battle with flab (real or imagined)

First I want to talk about why you think you're fat... even if you're not. Mirrors aside, which can bend light in odd ways to make you look fatter or skinnier than you are, there is a fundamental problem with the way we look at ourselves. And that problem is that our heads are placed at the top of our bodies, and when you look down at that Double IPA spare tire, you're seeing it from an angle no other human being experiences when looking at you. It's a skewed perspective... and it's never pretty. Even if you're under 10% body fat, looking down your torso to examine what you have sitting at your waist, every ripple of the skin, or moldable fat pocket looks bigger and uglier than it actually is.

So where to go to get an honest assessment? Your partner won't tell you the truth... unless they're cold and heartless. Plastic Surgeons will give you more truth than you can handle. They get paid by the procedure people... sounds like a conflict of interest. BMI (body mass index) can be a good rule of thumb but is woefully inaccurate. See the article about how Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is technically obese according to BMI.

My solution: have an annoying younger sibling. They are never afraid to tell you how fat and old you've become. Believe me, I have two and they don't pull punches. So if you get into shape and even they are forced to say a kind word like: "Damn, I'm used to you carrying a totally different kind of six pack," you've pretty much won. So let yourself off the hook.

If you don't happen to have a younger sibling and the folks aren't rocking the bed enough these day to make one, consult your doctor. Get a yearly physical and trust the numbers to tell you how out of shape you are. Also request a body fat analysis in addition to the normal blood work and routine tests. We should be more concerned with how we feel than how we look. But until you figure out how to do that, hit the gym and do all those exercises that you really hate doing. Get really good at them and you'll notice the differences in how you feel and look. Fuck side planks... but they work!