Every day we are fed a diet of what we are led to believe is the body beautiful. Women without an inch of fat on them parade in bikinis to plug cars. Men with the 'classic' 'Y' shape upper body promote holidays. We are then brain washed into believing that if we want the good things in life, then we need to have similar body shapes. How ridiculous!

Don't get me wrong. I am 100% in favor of maintaining a healthy fitness regime. We should all follow an exercise program, ditch the car whenever possible in favor of walking or cycling. And it is crucial that we eat a healthy diet - bin the burgers and make sure you have your five pieces of fruit and vegetables every day. Less fat, more natural food - we are, after all, what we eat.

If you do these two things, you should have a pretty good body - and a body that functions properly. So, why do we reckon we have to emulate the models and actors we see on our TV screens, in the cinema and in newspapers and magazines? It is all about conditioning. They are portrayed as successful - no money worries, fit and healthy, the ones who get the best men or women. For some crazy reason, we believe it. But life isn't like that. These paragons of appearance are no different than the rest of us. They have their good days and their bad days. They have their problems. They also have self doubt. And it is a huge struggle to maintain the body shapes they work hard to achieve.

What we also have to realize is that trucks are used to portray these 'perfect' people. Ever heard of airbrushing? Someone has an imperfect mole on their cheek, so that is removed. A bit of fat on the tummy goes. Cellulite miraculously disappears. Hours are spent in make up before the photo shoot to get that just right look. And what about surgical or plastic enhancement? The whole thing is so false.

Historically, fat people were seen as attractive. That is still true today in certain cultures. Being obese was a sign of wealth, which was something people hankered after. Today the conception is that being fat is a sign of slovenly, lower classness. We have also come to realize the health risks of being overweight. But it just goes to show that looks are not and have not been related to health.

We should listen to nature when it comes to our bodies. When we are young, the body is telling us to run around and get fit. As we get older, of course we slow down. But we should still exercise our muscles - use it or lose it. Nature takes its course as our bodies give in to the force of gravity. We all put on a little weight, but that is only nature protecting our bodies. We go south a bit and our posture gets worse. But at least that is what nature intends.

Learn more about this author, Phil Hill.
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