During the past few years I have occasionally mentioned the concept of a healthy robust person as one way to assess yourself and your wellness habits. I have presented this concept as a rebuttal to the overwhelming amount of information that is disseminated regarding wellness, much of it incorrect as well as irrelevant. I have argued that excessive attention to one’s state of health may actually be unhealthy, that this immoderate focus on health has created a society that Barsky calls “The Worried Well.” Wellness encompasses many aspects of life but body weight and diet are always part of the discussion.
Regarding body weight, it is frequently linked with mortality. The truth is that body weight is only linked to mortality at the extremes; this means that very low or very high weight is related to mortality. The vast majority of the population is in the middle, losing or gaining moderate amounts of weight will not make you live longer, you just need to buy new clothes. Regarding food, it is important to know that nutrition is a new science. As late as the beginning of the 20th Century, scientists were uncertain what caused scurvy, that it was simple Vitamin C deficiency. There is still much to learn.
One misuse of body weight measurements is the body mass index (BMI). This measure was developed in the 1830’s as a way to determine the “average man.” BMI has long been proven irrelevant because it does not represent an individual’s composition. Two individuals having the same weight and height have the same BMI. What the BMI doesn’t tell us is the composition of that weight; they may be drastically different. Every time I go to my cardiologist my report records my BMI. Worse yet, many school children have their BMI reported on their school record. How many school children or their parents see this and are misinformed? Let’s be clear, the BMI was designed to predict weight for populations, not individuals. The score may be appropriate if one were to measure the BMI of the population of Massachusetts, but not for me or any other single individual.
There’s way more written about diet than weight. The NY Times is rampant with little articles that are downright silly. Several articles have asked the question whether a particular food is healthy? Are sweet potatoes healthy? What about watermelon? Most know that sweet potatoes are a great carbohydrate, providing energy, vitamins A and C, and fiber. So why ask the question — to make people worried, not even able to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner? And who is really going to ask whether watermelon is healthy? Certainly not those people who are never more than five feet from their water bottle. One article asked the earthshaking question, “When should you salt your eggs?” I don’t have to read this one to find the answer — before you eat them. And what about, “Should you brush your teeth before breakfast?” Really? Want that food between your teeth all morning?
One article that really hit me was, “Should you eat your veggies before carbs?” The first thing I noticed about this article was that the author cannot have much nutrition knowledge. Veggies and carbs are both carbohydrates, just varying in the kind of carbohydrate. I think the author meant to distinguish between vegetables and starches. Both have fiber, both have nutrients, and neither are bad for you. Sure, if you’re really into carbohydrates, you may want to eat more vegetables, but the sequence of eating one or the other is meaningless. Imagine yourself having worked in the yard all day; you are ravenous as you sit down for the evening meal. On the plate is a chicken breast, broccoli, and a baked potato. Trust me; eat it all in any sequence.
The healthy robust ignore such silly little questions in the Times like — when is the best time to exercise, how to exercise in the morning, and what is the best exercise? There is no best time to exercise; set your alarm to exercise in the morning and the best exercise is the one you will do. There is no best exercise or when to do it.
The healthy robust trust in their own intuition; they are not afraid of food, anguishing over each calorie as if mortality is on the line. They take pleasure in eating a good meal, but they don’t overeat. The healthy robust know they are fit, not fragile; they have developed a sense of hardiness.
Jim Johnson is a retired professor of exercise and sport science after teaching 52 years at Smith College and Washington University in St. Louis. He comments about sport, exercise, and sports medicine. He can be reached at jjohnson@smith.edu.