Many women would trade a year of life to be thin. ~ Personal Trainer Mark Hebert

This news article caught my eye this morning and really I don’t think it came as a surprise. Basically the item was a small survey of women and being thin, “Many women would trade a year of their life to be thin”. You might say no big deal, but to me it’s disturbing. Just think about this for a minute, we’re talking about life, you’d give up something as precious as a year of your life to change your body. Does that make sense to you? Maybe when you’re young, giving up something at the end of your life is no big deal. But to me, it’s a bigger problem that won’t go away.

No matter how emotionally healthy you are, some of you will still obsess about your weight. What woman doesn’t want to lose body fat? How many of you would buy endless products to lose weight? Weight matters, especially to women. In fact, 75% of women think they are too fat.

Why are we so obsessed with weight? And I’m not talking about healthy weight. The issue here is healthy women trying to be “super lean” not ripped, but un-healthy levels. Yes the media doesn’t help. Everywhere you turn, the emphasis is on being thin. We are bombarded by images of glamour and beauty constantly-TV, movies, magazines, and advertisements. What do you see when you’re standing in line at the grocery store? If someone is not breaking up, it’s the latest diet craze and celebrity diet secrets and ads promising to melt away all your body fat.

Have you ever seen a model in a Fitness magazine or the annual swimsuit issue in Sports Illustrated? That’s a super-small percentage of women, it’s so unrealistic. But that’s the stuff that’s thrown in our faces.

With all our emphasis on thinness, 34 million Americans are overweight and 11 million suffer from eating disorders. The average American woman is five feet four inches tall, 144 pounds and a size 12. Compare that to the average model, five feet eight inches tall, 110 pounds and a size two. When you look at the model and then in the mirror, it’s easy to be depressed.

With that being said, do you blame girls for being pressured? How about a little plastic surgery? That’s an entirely different subject, but you see how this all ties in. Girls and women are highly influenced by media images and the media knows this.

Will the media stop this insanity? What do you think? No chance, it sells.

What can you do?

· First off, remember media pictures are often airbrushed and computer altered.

· Stop waiting to be thin. Work on the total person now.

· Determine to be healthy. Focus on exercise, good eating habits and nutrition.

While it's perfectly alright to always be striving to improve your body's appearance, do it the right way. Be the best YOU CAN BE. Do it for the right reasons, it’s for YOU not anyone else. In your pursuit always keep the bigger picture in mind. Don’t just focus in on your minor flaws at the expense of letting go of the things that really matter. What has your body done for you in your life time? If we’re healthy and carry a healthy weight, don’t you think we should be appreciating everything it's given us? What if you weren’t physically able to work out? Take the time to appreciate the simple fact you don't have limitations like that. So you’re not a size 2, big deal, but you’re able to get up every morning and workout, run, ride, if you choose. That in itself is going to be more important in creating an overall healthy lifestyle than a number on the scale.