Whether you’re shaped like an apple, a pear, or an hourglass, here’s your reminder that body shape does not equate to health
While slimmer hourglass figures have long been the ideal beauty standard across the world, the pressure to fit this mold has only intensified. Though there has been talk on social media about getting rid of unhealthy body ideals, many more contend that slimmer bodies are still automatically healthier than bigger ones. When so many people equate being healthy and in shape to being thin, these same people might eat less food than their body actually needs and develop metabolic disorders.
So, if a thin body doesn’t necessarily mean a healthy one, what does body shape actually say about health?
The simple answer is that any body shape can technically be a healthy one. This may come as a shock to those that have always heard that having an “apple body shape” is outright unhealthy. There is truth to this, as research shows that excess weight around the midsection or abdominal obesity is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality.
And yet, the first statement holds true still because a person’s body shape does not automatically tell you whether they are healthy or not. A person with an apple body shape can still be metabolically healthy, which means that they have ideal levels of blood sugar, waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Meanwhile, someone else with a conventionally slim body could develop metabolic disorders like Type 1 diabetes, which is not dependent on weight. The bottom line is that regardless of how thin you are, you can just as easily develop metabolic disorders from a nutrient-deficient diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
RELATED: Custom Wellness is the Future of Medicine—But What is it?
Rather than going off of body shape, more people should cut through the noise online by getting regular medical check-ups. Assessing things like your medical history and body composition are the precise ways to determine whether you’re healthy or not. Only when more people understand this can there be fewer misconceptions about body shapes and health.
Our main takeaway is that we should not just exercise and diet to merely achieve a “healthy hourglass figure.” Health itself should be the goal, and medical professionals can point you towards the right direction. If, at the end of the day, your genetics determine that healthy looks like an apple, a pear, a rectangle, or a triangle, let it be.
Featured Image from HERAH INNERWEAR (via Instagram)
