Good Health Vs Good Looks
Lately I’ve taken interest in the concept of ‘good health’ vs. ‘good looks.’ My own curiosity and experiences combined with those of my clients (plus a hint of social media) inspired me to explore this topic a bit.
When I first meet with a new client, I ask their top three health and fitness goals. They typically provide at least one health-related goal and one looks-related goal. As we meet and progress through our sessions, their goals tend to shift more heavily towards either end of the spectrum.
Which is More Important, Looks or Health?
If you answered health, you’re correct! Plain and simple. Health takes the cake, ironically, every time. But, when did that become your truth? Was there ever a time you placed more value in your looks than your health?
Our levels of confidence shift as we grow and mature, as does the importance we place on physical appearance. Maybe in middle school a friend made a distasteful joke or in high school your crush said something that stuck with you for years. Maybe your college coach remarked that you needed to lose or gain weight in order to keep your standing on the team.
At what age do we shift our focus to health over looks? Do we ever? Finding the true and full answers to these questions would require substantial evidence and scientific process. Due to my lack of knowledge in this field, I took to social media for some answers instead. Because Instagram pales in comparison to true research, I used the data as thought provokers rather than hard facts.
Social Media Poll Results
Question 1: Which is more important to you?
a) 0% answered ‘Good looks.’
b) 52% answered ‘Good health.’
c) 48% answered ‘They’re equally important to me.’
I wasn’t too shocked by these answers but I was happy that every person regarded health as important! Let’s keep going.
Question 2: ‘Have you ever compromised your health for your looks?’
a) 67% answered ‘Yes.’
b) 33% answered ‘No.’
Sixty seven percent of people reported compromising their health for their looks. Of this 67%, there were coaches and athletes, males and females, young adults and middle-aged alike.
Due to the stress society places on our looks, the results of this question, unfortunately, didn’t surprise me. I’ve personally struggled with this issue before and I’ve had to stop clients from heading down this slippery slope.
In Question 1, more people emphasized health over looks which leads me to believe that, of the 67% in Question 2, most have learned from their mistakes. While there is a bit of wishful thinking involved in this postulation, I would like to believe it holds true for most.
Question 3: ‘What are your current goals mostly based on?’
a) 35% answered ‘My health.’
b) 7% answered ‘My looks.’
c) 58% answered ‘A little bit of both.’
It’s worth noting that everyone who answered ‘My looks’ is currently preparing for body-building/physique competitions. Although I can’t condone sacrificing health for looks, I do recognize it frequently comes with the nature of this sport. Again, I’m not here to judge, I’m just thinking out loud. What do you think is more important? Are your current goals in line with your values?
Health and Looks: Confusing the Two
While most people place value in their own health, I frequently witness the judgment of others based solely on looks. We tend to assume someone’s looks are a direct result of his or her health. We believe ‘skinny’ means ‘healthy’ and ‘overweight’ means ‘unhealthy.’ However, this is frequently not the case.
Let’s try something – what body type first comes to mind when you picture a runner? Perhaps tall and slender? Now, think of at least five people you personally know who run. How many fit this description? How many do not?
Try replacing ‘runner’ with ‘weight-lifter,’ ‘swimmer,’ ‘athlete,’ etc. How do your answers change? Do your immediate answers align with your own truth and experiences? Rather than blame or call out, I hope to shine a light on this misconception and bring awareness to our biases. Our health can not be judged solely on our looks.
Take Away
The purpose of this blog wasn’t to delve into a scientific study, but rather spike curiosity. While the importance of health-related goals seems to be understood, setting these goals can pose some challenges. Rather than asking ourselves how we can get better, we often look to others for help. We may set goals like ‘I want to look like him,’ or ‘I want to be as strong as her.’ While there is nothing wrong with emulating others, your personal goals should be just that – personal.
Remember to always keep your physical and mental health in mind when setting and working towards goals. The moment your health takes a back seat is the moment you need to reevaluate. Set goals that will make you better. I challenge you to, at some point today, set a meaningful, health-oriented goal. Think you can do it? I know you can. Happy goal setting!