The Fine Line Between Physical and Mental Health

Look great, feel great, be healthy. In today's culture, is it really possible to balance all three? Perhaps. But digesting the conflicting messages that are fed to us on a daily basis is often quite challenging and overwhelming.

I joined a health club a few months after my college graduation. My goal was to take up a new hobby and get in shape. Knowing that the health benefits of regular exercise were numerous, I viewed working out as an enjoyable way to take care of my body and overall well-being. I received positive reinforcement from my friends, the trainers at the gym, television ads, and magazine articles with messages that fitness was an ideal that everyone should aspire to.

Having always been happy with my physical appearance, it had never occurred to me to lose weight until I started to read so-called "health" magazines which equated good nutrition with low fat, low calories meals. Additionally, a personal trainer at my health club informed me that weight loss would be necessary to reach an "healthy" body fat percentage. I began to notice how many of my friends and co-workers were conscious of what they ate in effort to control their weight. I therefore began my pursuit of weight loss. The American Dream: lose weight, feel great! Even though I was already at a healthy weight, the preponderance of these messages made me believe that fitness and weight loss were symbols of determination, control, and ultimately success.