Re-Defining Health

Health looks like all shapes and sizes

What do you associate with health? Usually when I ask this question, the response ends up being healthy weight or weight loss. For many, this has to do with the result people want when they work with health professionals and dietitians.

So what is health? I think of cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar ranges, resting heart rate, other laboratory tests, just to name a few. Oh yes- also social connections, stress management, body movement, mental health and feeling happy (these are not numerical measures but obviously they're extremely important and showing equal or more significance in social science research).

These health measures do not inherently change by weight loss, even though most people associate weight with health.

Weight loss can be a side effect of fixing a health-related issue and it can feel good to see such a change. But the goal of getting healthier is to feel better, live well and live longer.

Let’s check out a few studies that talk about helping us live healthier and live longer.

An NHANES study looked at life expectancy of different weight ranges: normal, overweight and obese. People in the study were categorized by 0 to 4 healthy lifestyle habits:

(1)Eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables daily, (2)exercising regularly, (3)consuming alcohol in moderation, and (4)not smoking. These healthy habits sound familiar, don't they?

The study showed that weight had little to do with risk of death. Instead, lifestyle habits were great predictors of health and lowering risk of death. Just 1 healthy lifestyle habit reduced risk for early death. And just to bring it home, people who did all 4 healthy habits had the same significant improvement in life expectancy regardless of body size. (1) That means, we can focus on changing how we live in order to become healthier no matter our body size.

Here's a different research review looking at life expectancy and exercise.

A group of studies observed people with different weight categories and fitness levels. They compared people in overweight and obese categories with those of normal weight. People who were normal, overweight and obese that had the same level of cardiovascular fitness had the same positive health outcomes. This means weight did not contribute to life expectancy, rather fitness measures were all that mattered. On the other hand, all weight groups with low fitness levels showed they were more at risk for early death. And so, people who were normal weight or higher weight groups had the same risk. Again, this means weight did not contribute to life expectancy. Overall, physical fitness was more important than weight across all weight categories. (2)

This message is about making lifestyle changes and debunking our magical belief in weight loss. There are many problems with weight loss, including the restriction, frustration and shame we push on ourselves.

What would happen if we removed weight from the equation?

Would it change anything in you?

Could it change your self-talk/judgement about yourself or the pressure of making changes?

Could you feel less critical and more actionable?

Could you feel more capable of making and sustaining healthy changes?

Would your actions follow your new beliefs, that you are able to live healthy now not later when your weight is "just right"?

Health and improving chances of a long life can happen at any shape or size. There is no need to wait until you reach a certain weight goal or time in your life to be at your best health. More importantly, weight and size have nothing to do with being healthy or unhealthy. It's about the sum of what you do and not the sum of the scale.

If finding room for new healthy habits is difficult for you, email me to ask questions. You may decide to commit to one change, either by adding a new habit in or taking an old habit out.

Whatever way you practice health, I support you and wish you well!

1 Eric M. Matheson, Dana E. King and Charles J. Everett. NHANES Healthy Lifestyle Habits and Mortality in Overweight and Obese Individuals. J Am Board Fam Med. Jan 2012, 25 (1) 9-15; DOI: <https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2012.01.110164>.

2 Barry et al, 2014. Fitness vs. Fatness on All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-Analysis. Jan–Feb 2014. Vol. 56 (4) 382-390. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2013.09.002>.