A Size Healthy AND Happy!

-By Mindy Irish

I know my stats-what I weigh, my body mass index (BMI), my pants size, and my body fat percentage.  I also know what they USED to be, too!  Sitting at a meal with a group of people recently, one person says to me, "You've lost so much weight, you're going to blow away!"  My thoughts, "Yeah, yeah, thanks for the compliment on all the hard work and by the way, you used that line last time I saw you."  What I actually said, "No worries, I'm in a very healthy range, actually."  End of conversation!

Here's my message.  It is all about YOU.  But, it's not about how you look compared to others.  It's not about how much you weigh up against someone else.  It's also not about your pants size.  It's all about what's healthy for your build and body composition according to scientific health standards, such as the body mass index, (BMI).

Remember, we all come in different packages.  For me, I'm actually about 20 pounds heavier than I look because of my build and body content and that keeps my "package" in healthy ranges.  I may look very small relative to the general public, but in all honesty, we've got an obesity epidemic on our hands and our perspectives of "normal" are quite altered in the wrong direction.

Side note: It actually shocks me how okay it is for heavier people to speak down to smaller people with "concern" for their new size.  But turn the tables and if I were to speak up about an obese or overweight person's recent weight gain or eating habits, I'm thinking there wouldn't be many good feelings sitting around!  Something to think about!

It's all about being a size healthy AND a size happy for YOU.  Not for comparison's sake, but for you and what your ideal is, all within healthy ranges.  Set your goals, work your plan, and know your stats at all times!  Healthy AND happy are a perfect duo!