Skinny doesn't equal healthy
We need to re-think what healthy looks like.
Lemme drop some science real quick ~ ooh she’s smart like that ~
According to a Norwegian study, elite athletes demonstrate significantly higher rates of EDs compared to population controls. In one study, 20% of elite female athletes met the criteria for having an ED, compared to 9% of female controls. In men, 8% of elite male athletes met the criteria for having an ED, compared to 0.5% of male controls.
We see athletes, “fit people”, and skinny people as beacons of health and that needs to stop. Skinny doesn’t equal healthy, just because you see someone with a six-pack it doesn’t mean they’re healthy.
source
I used to be a competitive long-distance runner; I would run/workout six times a week while existing off a HEAVILY restricted diet. I wasn’t giving my body anywhere close to the food it needed - but I was still praised as being “so healthy” because I was the one always eating salads and going on runs.
We need to stop looking at health from a vanity view-point and look at it from every aspect; your physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual health (if you’re into that stuff, if not you good). Sure, I looked “fit” to some people but I was isolated, depressed, and so not okay physically that my doctors had to force me to stop running so my heart wouldn’t give out.
Let’s normalize NORMAL bodies - the key takeaway being that a normal body looks like whatever the f*ck it needs to look like for you to be taking care of yourself.
Also…I started a recovery/mental health-focused Instagram account!
Follow if you want…
Share my OWN recovery journey so people feel less isolated
Education about eating disorders/tools for recovery
Inspirational (but mainly) funny recovery memes because dark humour works