We all have often heard of women and young girls going to extreme measures in order to achieve that perfect body but now it seems young boys are getting in the action. Have you heard of Adonis Complex? According to New York Times article, Muscular Body Image Lures Boys Into Gym, and Obsession, “…more than 40 percent of boys in middle school and high school said they regularly exercised with the goal of increasing muscle mass. Thirty-eight percent said they used protein supplements, and nearly 6 percent said they had experimented with steroids.” The article goes on to describe how the use of supplements and steroids can stunt the young boys growth but it seems many young people are not heeding the warning. With so many media attention on body image and what the opposite sex consider attractive there is even more pressure for boys as well as girls to do whatever it takes to be fit and that includes diet, excercise and supplements. Even the idea of a perfect woman has shifted from bodacious and voluptuous skinny but fit.”The model of feminine beauty is now more toned and fit and sculpted than it was a generation ago,” said Marla Eisenberg, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota. It seems both sexes are willing to push their bodies to extreme in order to be perfect for each other. To read more of the article you can visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/19/health/teenage-boys-worried-about-body-image-take-risks.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=health.
Tag Archives: diet
Exploitation of People Desperate to Loose Weight
The new year has just started but we are already being bombarded with commercials by Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, Medifast, and many more diet companies,reminding us to get our fat ass off the couch and get going on our New Year’s resolution! For some of us procrastinators, we don’t even want to turn on the TV because we know there is going to be a weight loss commercial making us feel guilty about devouring that piece of stuffed crust pizza or that greasy leg of chicken. The bottom line is while the TV world is ready for us to lose weight, we are still trying to persuade ourselves that today is the DAY where we will put down that pizza or chicken leg and take up that free weight peeking out from under the TV stand. And it doesn’t help that there are so many diet companies ready to take advantage of our desperation to drop that love handle we lovingly call our “side kicks”!
I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about diet fads considering I have been guilty of falling victim to so many that I have lost count. I have tried the 17 day diet, Atkins diet, cabbage soup diet, the 7 day cleanse diet and the list goes on. I have jumped on so many diet bandwagon that I am a regular customer at the front of that line. The conductor knows me by my name! You get the point.
Besides trying out the different diet fads, I have coupled it with several workouts from cardiokickboxing to Pilates to Yoga to cycling to weightlifting to Zumba to Tae Bo! The point is I’m still trying to find that right combo of diet and exercise that will help me get fit and make good on that New Year’s resolution! In the meanwhile, I will try to not fall prey to those diet companies out to exploit my desire to be fit and cute again! Hopefully, one day I can shout, “Eureka!” once I find that right diet and exercise combo!
It's about you! 