Fitness Challenges And The Illusion Of Health
Hi everyone, happy new year, and happy new semester!
Every January 1st, people set off with intentions to better themselves in the new year. They vow to eat healthier, swear off junk food and take out, and sometimes take on fitness challenges. I was at the gym in my hometown over break and overheard one of the personal trainers discussing with another how she’ll be doing the 75 Hard Challenge starting this month. 75 Hard is a challenge that lasts for that many days, and consists of dieting, trying not to have cheat meals, working out twice a day, drinking a gallon of water daily, reading nonfiction, and some other self-improvement activities. At face value, there’s nothing all that questionable in this challenge, but – like many other “fitness challenges” – 75 Hard is imperfect.
The first concern for me is that the creator of 75 Hard, Andy Rosella, is not a certified personal trainer or dietician (Vincent). Additionally, it’s a pretty vague challenge, encouraging participants to “diet” but not elaborating on what that diet could mean, and challenging them to two 45-minute workouts a day – also not elaborating on what kind of workouts to try. A combination of a caloric deficit diet and two intense workouts a day does not constitute “fitness” or good health.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to challenge yourself to have a healthier mindset in the new year; I am in your corner if you’re working on taking better care of your health this year! But I do want to encourage you to find a sustainable approach to health, which many “challenges” do not take.
There are two common mistakes that I’ve seen people make when it comes to how they view health. Keep in mind that I am not an expert of anything; these are just my observations and personal thoughts.
- Misunderstanding what it means to eat “healthy”
The first mistake so many of us tend to make is seeing “thin” and “healthy” as synonymous, and “fat loss” and “fitness” to be the same things. We glorify the “disciplined” people who never eat a “cheat meal,” and, in doing so, reinforce the idea that good health can only be obtained through restrictive diets.
Being healthy does not mean you have to be miserable. It does not mean you have to stop eating your favorite foods or counting calories, painstakingly measuring every teaspoon of ketchup you use. If you’re out with friends and want to get pizza or ice cream or a burger with them, I encourage you not to see that as a cheat meal. Instead, see it as food, something that will nourish your body, make you happy, and see it as an opportunity to have fun with your friends. That food will fuel your next walk, workout, bedroom dance party. Eating healthy does not equate to restricting foods.
For some food inspiration and more on having a healthy relationship with food and fitness, I’d recommend the following blogs and Instagram pages!:
You must be logged in to post a comment.