The State of Men’s Health

Author: Demi Published on: June 19, 2020 Published in: Health and Wellbeing

Health and Performance are More Than Just Visible Abs

We need to change the conversation of Men’s Health into something so much bigger.

The first part of this is to stop presenting numbers of mass or extremely low body fat % as the epitome of health and sporting performance.

At what cost?

The truth is, achieving those things is often done at the COST of health and often at the COST of performance.

The introduction of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in a desperate attempt to achieve a body composition that is otherwise impossible to maintain. A leanness that leaves an obsession over food, suppressed mood, irritability and low sex drive. A restriction that can impact occasions and relationships.

When only 3% of males are managing to eat enough fruits and veggies; when every 3 out of 4 suicides are male; when there is a 50% chance of cancer by 85yrs; and when 4 out of 5 aren’t reaching minimum goals for movement – we need to make the progress toward health simpler and more enticing.

We need to create an environment and a social movement that uses fewer scare tactics & guilt messages.

We owe it to everyone to show the image of men’s health with diversity (all bodies, all ages, all ethnicities) – because we cannot be who we cannot see.

Their definition of ‘Health’

Let’s share with proliferation that achieving your definition of health doesn’t equal extreme loss, expensive supplements, or a lifetime of chicken & broccoli.

Health is becoming your highest-performing self. I will tell you now, our clients are rarely performing their best when at 4-5% body fat. Instead, they are opening themselves up to the world of disordered eating, body image concerns, and low energy availability which we know has many impacts on health and performance.

It’s getting through the day filled with energy; achieving an ongoing improvement in strength; increased concentration and productivity in the workplace, or having the mental and physical capacity to play with patience and presence with your kids.

So, before enabling your client’s journey to embark on a quest to shred or bulk, I really encourage you to ask the question of why. Not because a change in body composition is bad, but rather to ensure that their ‘why’ and ‘how’ line up with them becoming and sustaining the best version of themself in all areas of life.