Countless TV reports, news and medical magazines are reporting that too many Americans are dramatically overweight. Some statistics quote figures as high as 50% of the population can be classified as obese. It’s generally accepted, by the medical profession, that a person may be classified as obese if he/she is more than 30lb overweight and that extra weight is primarily due to excess body fat.
The same TV programs and magazines also decry the latest Hollywood image of the human body. The stars and starlettes are being accused of being ultra-thin (i.e. Calista Flockheart, Courtney Cox, etc…).
For once I have to side with Hollywood. Yes Hollywood has always portraid an idealistic view of the male and female body. The actors in Hollywood are not usually a reflection of the average American - though I have seen some very above average Americans outside of Hollywood… but I digress…
It’s a medically agreed upon fact that high fat content in the body plays a major roll in many serious, often life threatening diseases. Though there is little to admire Hollywood for, the thin trend (highlighted as of late) is influencing at least some young people to shed excess pounds. What remains to be debated is if that’s a good or bad thing.
In my opinion it is mostly good. Most stars (as much as I’ve seen/heard) openly and actively support healthy lifestyles (while on camera at least). They, almost all without exception, have personal trainers and dietitians who assist them with their health programs. They push various diet products and exercise videos. Primarily to fatten their bank accounts (natch!) but to some degree to help the wretched masses shed excess pounds and improve their overall health.
Putting hollywood aside for the moment… there is some fairly recent research done on lab animals that report increases in life spans between 20% and 75% (depending on the species being tested) for animals that have been fed enough of the right foods simply to support their normal metabolic functions and average daily activity.
The speculation by many nutritionists and doctors is that similar gains may be realized by most humans if they simply learned to forgo that greasy hamburger, fries and sugar laden soda.
In fact, if humans reduced their caloric intake to a level just above starvation and adjusted their eating habits to maximize the nutritional value of every meal, exercise would be far less necessary to maintain a healthy and thriving body. Every day activities of walking and perhaps simple resistance exercises would be sufficient to maintain optimal health throughout a potentially longer lifetime.
So is the latest Hollywood body image largely a good example or a great detriment to us and our highly impressionable kids?