Having a body that is within the normal weight guidelines does not mean that you have a healthy or a fit body. Having a body that is underweight also is not an indicator of general fitness. Your body mass along with physical endurance determine your general fitness.

Media images of the perfect body undermine general fitness. Focus becomes on losing weight. While losing weight can be healthy, it is not the dominant factor in general fitness. A person that is slightly overweight and generally fit tends to be healthier then a person that is underweight and not fit. The weight factor then becomes the focus of being healthy instead of general fitness. Focus becomes on wearing clothing that makes you slimmer, purchasing anti-aging products to make you look younger and many other cosmetic focuses. The media's images change the focus from general fitness into products the consumer can purchase to get a closer looking perfect body.

General fitness requires work and determination. While there is a large market for fitness and nutrition products, the media bombards the public with images of perfect bodies. The market place is then for ways to achieve very fast and immediate results regardless of effort put into one's body. General fitness does not become the focus at all. Even on shows with weight loss, there is a focus on products such as sugar free desserts you can eat to satisfy your chocolate cravings without feeling guilty.

Even though we know that these perfect bodies have had trainers, plastic surgery and even personal cooks, our minds subconsciously compare ourselves and those around us with the perfection. In the US the majority of the society is overweight. Focus becomes on ways to hide our imperfections instead of loving the bodies we have and improving our general fitness as we strive to become healthier.

Learn more about this author, Joyce Priddy.
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