What is health?

Due to some changes in business practices, I’m leaving the studio I’m currently training in and will be going to Bally Total Fitness in DC. I’ve heard some awful things about Bally, but I have also heard some positive changes taking place after being sued, going through Chapter 11, blah blah blah. Anyway, I hope that this will be somewhat easier than working at a studio since I won’t have to stand outside every Saturday morning handing out flyers to people who aren’t interested just to try to get them into the door. At least I’ll be exposed to people who obviously care about their health since they are in the gym in the first place.

Making this move, particularly the interview yesterday, has given me the opportunity to reflect on my fitness philosophies and practices.

Last night, I stumbled upon the C.H.E.K Institute website, which has a unique perspective and approach to fitness, which includes the spiritual aspect of health. This led me to think about what health is.

What is health? At my old studio, it was a weight, a number, a percentage of fat. Sure, we emphasized feeling better, more energized, and happier. But I could only wonder if we focused too much on the numbers.

There are healthy weights, I totally believe that. I do believe that people with a certain percentage of fat should work to lose that fat because of the health risks associated with fat carried on the body. It is possible to be considered overweight, but not be fat or unhealthy. Take athletes for example. My teammate would be considered technically overweight, close to obese, due to her height and age. However, because she carries very little fat and a lot of muscle (which we all knows weighs more than fat), her weight is not an issue and doesn’t mean that she’s unhealthy.

Losing weight is not necessarily the answer to becoming “healthy,” but losing fat should be the focus of a program where becoming healthy is the goal.

So why do we focus so much on what we weigh? The way we determine health is often through weight. You can’t assume that because you weigh a certain amount that you are unhealthy. You have to look at the composition of that weight.

When I begin to approach people at Bally, I will ask them what they are working on today, what their goals are, and why. I want to know what makes people focus only on losing weight instead of losing fat and building muscle. You can still lose weight, and feel happy about reaching that goal, but still carry too much fat. Lose fat, build muscle. I don’t really care about what the scale says, just as long as your body composition improved to more muscle and less fat. I’m more concerned about getting you to be able to walk flights of stairs without getting out of breath. I want you to be able to toss your baby or toddler up in the air and catch them without difficulty and injuring yourself. I want you to be able to determine what a good food choice is. I want you to embrace the lifestyle that has given myself, and so many other people, the ability to enjoy life to the fullest.

So I guess I have examined my role as a personal trainer, and have accepted the fact that I am an educator. I personally help people change their habits and teach them how to live a healthy lifestyle. My focus will not be on weight, but on overall changes in health.

Converting the Non-Converted

A short discussion with DR yesterday prompted me to think about how we, as fitness enthusiasts, can influence others to adopt the healthy lifestyle. You can’t force someone to change their habits, but how can you get into their psyche enough to make them want to change?

Everyone knows that living healthy saves money in the long run (read this interesting article from MSN about what if everyone were healthy) and makes you happier (endorphins anyone?). The media has been feeding Americans the benefits of healthy living, the dangerous side of bad food choices, you name it. Obviously just knowing these facts is not enough to warrant a change in people’s lives. What makes people so resistant to adopting healthy habits? Why do people buy into the “quick fixes” instead of sticking with what is proven to work (discipline, diet, and exercise).

I’ve been an athlete my entire live, so it’s difficult for me to understand why people don’t just work hard and make the changes that they know are necessary, but I’m working hard to try to understand. I’m not a psychology major, so I’m interested in hearing why people make unhealthy decisions and don’t buy fresh fruits, vegetables, and other foods that we all know are a lot healthier than McDonald’s.

What are your thoughts about this? My guess is that the number one answer given by most of you will be laziness; but there is something deeper than just that. How can we help others make positive changes in their lives? I’m interested in hearing what others think so please leave comments.