Hi Reader
Welcome back to 1UP,
my weekly newsletter where I share all things health and mindsets to help you get stronger, feel younger and live longer.
I am talking about the dadbod...
Maybe it's because the movie industry floods us with images of beautiful people, whose physiques and faces seem unattainable,
that there seems to be a wide acceptance, and even a preference (?), for squishy men, belly hanging over a bathing suit that can't find where to sit exactly, rocking love-handles to grab unto.
And don't even get me started on the witch craft of celebrities who don't age...
But why are we told that the dadbod is "real", "approachable", "endearing" and praising a physique that not only screams "I love eating pizza on my couch" but also is in fact the embodiment of giving up on yourself?
Please know that if you're someone who is looking comfortably soft in the middle, or have a bulging belly, I am not judging you, but I want to tell you the truth, in love.
Man, or woman. We may have a million good reasons why we got there.
Most people are unaware of what causes belly fat.
We just think it comes with age.
For a dad who works the kind of job that makes the world go round, long days, away from his family a lot, having to stay in hotel rooms without a kitchen, it's almost impossible to eat well. Exhausted after a physical day at work, the idea of going to the gym is laughable.
For a mom, every waking minute is a minute working, serving. There is no day off when you're a mom, not a night we're not available to our children, not a moment we think about what everyone need from us. Taking care of ourselves is the last thing on our mind.
So I know we have good reasons for putting on soft layers.
But, ever since I have learned that every 4 inches on our waist over 35 inches in women and 40 inches in men is associated to an extra 11% risk of death, I just can't stop but looking at people with a belly and seeing walking ticking time-bombs.
When belly fat is visceral fat, it's a threat to our lives.
I wish I could tell them that while in the elevator.
I wish I could tell them how much their lives are worth at the grocery store.
I wish I could tell them that they are called to more at church.
Because I know that when we set high expectations for ourselves, everyone and everything around us is lifted up.
Because life is do much more fun, rich and easy, when we're invested in our fitness and building our bodies.
The dadbod does not turn men into adorable teddy bears that insecure people can squish to feel better about themselves.
The dadbod is a picture of someone trending down hill and letting themselves go.
Yes, it's true that when you're a parent, hard at work, paying a mortgage and even sometimes caring for aging parents, health gets on the back burner.
But it will back lash.
Caring about our body is not vain, it's good stewardship.
And it doesn't take much to turn things around.
It starts with awareness, and gathering the data. What is measured gets managed.
The dadbod is not a picture of a confident man.
The dadbod is deadly.
Every 4 extra inches on our waistline brings us 10% closer to death.
Is it possible that the praises for the dadbod are part of a cultural effort to erode masculinity?
I believe so.
What do you think? Let me know by replying.
With love,
Jihane