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A client brought this story to my attention this morning. I immediately knew this was going to become a blog post; Not only because it frustrates the HELL out of me that we're having these same conversations 20+ years later, but because it speaks to my direction in coaching and my own personal health in recent years.
The story that was shared with me to get me going this morning, was that of, Ilona Maher (USA women's rugby player) who was being trolled online due to her BMI of nearly 30 (29.3), which classifies her as obese. Look at this woman ...
Let me say, I have ZERO clue what to believe online anymore. Often things get blown up WAY out of context, proportion or just are completely false. But here's an opportunity to discuss body image, stereotyping and flat out ridiculousness that we (some people - usually a small minority) "feel the need to share with the world online".
I'm sorry, but have you ever seen rugby???
Rugby players, male or female, are absolute machines. They need the fitness and athleticism of soccer players (especially for rugby 7s, whoa!), the power and strength of american football players and no fear mixed in. They HAVE to have a higher proportion of muscle mass and levels of conditioning for protection from the collisions and stress on their bodies that this physical game brings. Without it, their careers would be VERY short, not to mention they would never be competing at the top levels.
Body Mass Index History and why it makes this Statement so Ridiculous
As (many) of you are aware; BMI is the relationship between a persons height and weight. It's calculated as your weight (kg) divided by your height in meters squared. From there you get a category ranging from "unhealthy" at the low end to "obese" (in three categories) at the higher end.
-Body Mass Index, on the whole, began to first be looked at back in 1832. That's right - 1832.
-In the 1950's it was actually a life insurance company statistician that first brought this forward to a greater extent, as more and more claims seemed to be coming from their obese policy holders. Though they didn't classify by age group, they did then begin to classify into categories of "small", "medium" and "large".
-In 1972 (this is still going back a long time now isn't it?) "Body Mass Index" was presented from a study which analyzed 12 samples of just under 7,500 "healthy" men.
-In 1997, the World Health Organization formally recognized obesity as a global epidemic. BMI since has been used in almost all electronic medical records as a factor in assessing various disease risks.
At the time of this post, 1997 was 27 years ago. NEARLY 3-decades! We've learned alot in that time (so I thought). BMI on it's own is NOT a good indicator of overall health. Here's why:
-It ONLY takes into account height and weight.
-It does NOT take into account ANY other physical factor of our anatomy
-It does NOT take into account your lifestyle practices and choices (drugs/alcohol use, smoking, exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress etc)
-It does NOT take into account your family history of diseases and/or conditions
-It does NOT take into account what you DO (in sport, in your job, in your life)
BMI is no different than the number on the scale in that sense. One number on it's own is NOT a good indicator of health. Just as our health is NOT ONE thing, it's complex - so is "measuring" our overall health and wellbeing. Modern doctors, health and wellness professionals, nurses etc are all taught that BMI alone, is NOT an indicator of health. BMI along with other apsects of health can be. (Personally, I'll argue it's long outdated and only spreads false fear, false sense of body image, stereotyping etc... as we see from the topic of this post )
Look at Ilona's Picture Again and Tell me if you see "Obese"
I'm sorry - I see a rugby player!! She looks fit, friggin' strong and down right intimidating to play against I'm sure! Her comment back to her troll was absolutely PERFECT;
"I think you were trying to roast me, but this is actually fact — I do have a BMI of 30. Well, 29.3 (to be) more exact. I am considered overweight. But alas, I’m going to the Olympics, and you’re not."
Woo!!! Preach it, Ilona!!!
I'm not sure if it's true or not, but it sounds right based on her picture - Ilona's body fat is 15%. Now wait a minute... HOLD THE PHONE!! 15% body fat for a female athlete is VERY much in the perfect range for a female athlete. But... But... Her BMI is pointed out as classifying her as "overweight" / "obese"... as an Olympic athlete.... and THAT is what this person felt the need to point out???!!! Unbelievable.
*Major eye roll happening*
I'm hoping this person then is also taking his/her spare time to troll other athletes such as strongmen, olympic weightlifters, body builders, fitness competitors, crossfit athletes etc... because their BMI's will also put them in the same category. Once again reminding us that this means of gauging health, fitness and longevity is poor.
Ok, Moving on from the Rant Portion of this Post...
Once again, human beings have taken an incredibly complex aspect of life (nature / our physiology) and dumbed it down to a number, from a human devised calculation, to "classify" health and how we "should" look.
Absolute nonsense that NEEDS to stop.
This is why I have been able to rekindle my love for my work (after truly losing the passion for my career not long ago). The intuitive eating, intuitive movement and deep health approach has re-invigorated my love for helping myself and others be our best selves inside and out. It's taken the focus that society has placed on numbers, negative feedback loops and oversimplification of being human, and put the focus back onto ourselves and nature;
-What we feel inside and out
-What we discover works and does not work
-What we love to do and don't love to do
-What we want to do and don't want to do
-What is realistic for ourselves, right now, in our daily lives, where we're at
-Re-learning how to listen to our own body, instead of ads, apps, other people or machines/technology
-Understanding that health is a lifelong commitment, a practice... not a destination or goal that ends
This has really brought to light how our approach and mindset over the past 2-3 DECADES hasn't worked!! When the WHO declares obesity as an epidemic in 1997 and it hasn't improved, sedentary lifestyles have increased, nutrition (and health) confusion has only become much worse ... Clearly what we've BEEN doing IS NOT WORKING.
Wow - I Just Kinda Carried on That Rant in a Different way eh? LOL
Overall, I'll say it again - I admire Ilona's response to this nonsense. I also (forgive me) had to post about it, as I'm SO TIRED of the focus on body image (at all sizes). Body shaming is brutal and completely NOT helping (at any size):
Let's look at WHO the person is as a PERSON, NOT a number.
Let's put MORE emphasis on a person's wellbeing than look.
Let's STOP defining a person (and ourselves) by a NUMBER.
Let's care about the person's STORY and GOALS rather than judging a book by it's cover.
Let's start putting the pieces of the puzzle together in regards to WHAT THE PERSON DOES with their body (activity, sport, job...)
Let's start emphasizing what a person DOES for his/her health and wellbeing instead of judging because of how they look.
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A few hours after writing this post, I came across this post from the Obesity Action Coalition: https://www.obesityaction.org/why-body-shaming-has-no-place-in-the-olympics/
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