Thigh Gap

On one of my most recent training sessions I was working with a client that has been struggling with body image and we've been progressing pretty nicely. In the squat rack, she stood getting ready to rack the bar and simply said, "Still not even close to that long desired thigh gap.", and of course if you know me, I'm not one to hide my emotions, she read the look on my face and realized this comment isn't the kind of talk I allow. Quickly she tried to back track and state, "Well, you know if your body fat is low enough you'd have a thigh gap and be healthier, that's just what I've always wanted since high school." This mere comment invoked so many feelings that washed over me for that entire day.  Everything from sadness, to remorse, to anger.

I'm here to tell you what I told her, a thigh gap is NOT a determinant of health- like not even a little bit. I feel this is the BIGGEST falsehood that diet culture has told us. We associate body size and physique to health. I have worked with body builders who compete and the nutrition they consume for the 12-16 weeks prior to their shows are starvation diets, they dehydrate themselves, they restrict, and most develop disordered eating patterns from this- BUT look at them. Would you be able to tell that these individuals health is suffering during this time and can be greatly impacted after for years? Their high amounts of protein can impact their bone health, leading to osteoporosis in their later years... this being just one example, just scraping the surface of this. There are many negative health consequences of restrictive eating habits that neglect certain nutrient groups and overall total energy intake.

These are things we don't think of, and yes I mean WE. I was that person only a few short years ago. I associated the way individuals looked with their health, which simply couldn't be further from the truth. On the flip side, I've worked with individuals who, according to their BMI were overweight, ahem to include myself, that are some of the healthiest people I know. I may not look as "fit" as I did a few years ago, but let me tell you how much better I sleep, how much better my hormones are balanced, how much my mental health has increased, and how I have improved my relationship with food. But comparing my body to what it looked like only a short 2 years ago, most I'm sure would prefer the then, not the now.

This is what diet culture does to us, it sells us the concept that we are not good enough till we have X, Y, & Z or until we have that flat tummy, the ideal "beach body", or turn heads in a bathing suit. No wonder we spend hours, yes HOURS scrolling and comparing our appearance wanting something other than what we actually have been BLESSED with.  It's everywhere, being shoved down our throats in some completely subtle ways and other quite blatant ones. All of these things are lies, they are not the things life should be about. Moving away from a place where you constantly pick apart your body and instead running like hell toward a place where the current state of your body dictates your ability to live the fullest if possible and it's fucking what this life is made of. All bodies are GOOD bodies!

But I am making the choice to say hard pass to diet culture and the fitness industry. This body is so amazing and capable of so many things even without a 6 pack, without my veins popping out (yes I strived for this), and without a thigh gap. That being said, I am in no way vilifying a thigh gap, our bodies are all so different and diverse, I celebrate them all, but only emphasizing that this is not a way to validate one's health. There is never a point I think where someone is completely exempt from diet culture and free of insecurity, however I'm making me way there the best I can- day by day.