Size Does Matter

Size Does Matter

            Did you ever wonder why there are ideal height to weight averages for men and women? The amount of weight you should be carrying around also depends on your skeletal structure or frame size. Our bodies are only meant to carry around so much weight on it. Why is that? Is it because the government wants us to stop eating so much food, so that everybody in this country has enough to eat? Is it because everybody should look the same? No, to the above questions, it’s because our frames are only supposed to carry so much weight or we will start having chronic health problems in the future. Our bodies can carry excess weight for an extended period of time because they are highly adaptable to all the stresses we put upon them. The only problem with this scenario is that the body can only adapt for so long before something bad happens to your health.

Let’s say your body is a house. You have a house that has two floors. The house has a certain size air conditioning and heating unit for that size house. All of a sudden, you decide you want to expand the house by putting an extra floor on top of it. Now you have a house with three floors instead of just two floors. However, your air conditioning and heating unit is the same size as the two floor house and you didn’t change the supporting structures below on the first floor. The house becomes very uncomfortable to live in, especially on the third floor. Not only is it uncomfortable to be on the third floor of the house, but the air conditioning unit and heating unit are running non-stop because it can’t keep up with the demands of the bigger house. The house’s first floor frame below starts to creak and make funny cracking sounds. The air conditioning and heating unit eventually break down from not being able to adapt. Then the third floor needs to be taken off, so the house is safe to live in again.

When somebody puts on extra weight there aren’t  any consequences right away because their bodies are able to adapt to the extra stress. As they get older, their body is unable to adapt to these stresses. All of a sudden out of nowhere they start having health problems that involve the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, etc. They start having knee problems, hip problems, foot problems, and other skeletal problems.  This may take years, but all of these health problems could have been prevented if they didn’t add that extra floor or weight to their limited frame size. The heart has to pump faster and longer to circulate the blood around a larger body. The lungs become overworked because the person needs more oxygen to carry a heavier load. The hips, knees, and feet start to hurt because of the heavier load on the skeletal structure that was meant only for a certain size frame. One pound of extra weight on the stomach equals five pounds of extra stress on the lower back. All of these things that I just described can be handled quickly by drugs or surgery, but the side effects of certain drugs can cause even more health problems. Once somebody has surgery there is no going back. Change in structure always changes function. There are no do overs when the surgery comes out less than optimal. I am not saying drugs and surgeries are unnecessary, but anybody with a health problem should consider downsizing first before resorting to those options. Losing weight and staying in shape might not be an overnight solution, but over an extended period of time it can bring a much fuller life of health and wellness. There are no quick fixes when keeping your body the right size for your frame. It is a life-long habit of always staying active and watching what you eat. Remember size does matter.

Healing Journeys Book Cover