As the body positive movement rises in popularity, and in some cases becomes divorced from its original intentions, the concept of Health At Every Size (HAES) is reaching more people. However, it is often misunderstood. Its opponents tend to believe that according to HAES, every single body is a healthy body, which is not the case.
What is HAES?
The core tenet of HAES is that actions which benefit physical and mental health can benefit anyone, at any size. This is in contrast with traditional medicine, which suggests that if your BMI qualifies as overweight or above, your priority is to lose weight and that actions which don’t lead to weight loss can be postponed or ignored until your body fat reduces. This includes actions which promote mental health.
In a nutshell, if a thin person wanted to take up yoga, they would probably be encouraged as it improves flexibility and balance while reducing stress. If a fat person wanted to take up yoga, they would probably be told it doesn’t burn enough calories and they should take up some kind of cardio instead.
HAES also takes into account social and cultural factors that affect health. If you’re facing daily oppression, this has a profound effect on your stress levels and overall health. If you’re struggling to pay the bills, you have no spare money for organic vegetables, supplements and gym membership. If you have limited cooking facilities in your home, you can’t rely on home-made meals. Health is not simply an individual responsibility, wider society has an impact.
HAES encourages people to take actions that can lead to improved health, that are achievable and that motivate people to make further changes. The beauty of HAES is that whatever your condition, right now, you can probably do something to help yourself, and it doesn’t need to be stressful or exhausting to bring you health benefits.
So, how can you apply a HAES mindset to your life?
You can’t see health
We’ve all heard of someone who was thin, ate and drank in moderation, exercised regularly and dropped dead of a cardiac arrest before they were 60. Traditional medicine wants us to think that if you do all the “right” things (eating vegetables, exercising) and avoid all the “wrong” things (smoking, drinking alcohol), then you’re guaranteed to be a healthy person, but that’s simply not true.
It also wants us to think that if you do choose the wrong things, it’ll show up on your body, which is also a lie. Think of the young man who went blind after years of eating only chips, crisps and white bread. Doctors didn’t focus on what he was eating, because he was thin.
Many studies show that fat people (e.g. with a BMI over 25) can have good health markers, with normal blood pressure and cholesterol, while thin people can have poor health markers.
Generally, level of fitness and activity is a better indicator of health than body size, and this also can’t be seen by looking alone – there are thin couch potatoes and fat triathletes.
Everything counts
Diet culture trains us to have an all-or-nothing attitude. There’s no point eating an apple if you already ate a pizza today. There’s no point walking for two minutes, you should walk for at least 10 minutes.
HAES teaches us that health benefits can come in the smallest of increments, and that taking some kind of action, however small, will usually benefit your health more than doing nothing. This includes adding healthy actions without removing unhealthy actions.
An apple contains vitamins and fibre, so eating it will give you a burst of nutrition, whatever else you’ve eaten that day. Walking for two minutes may not raise your heart rate significantly or burn a lot of calories, but it will benefit your body more than sitting for two minutes, particularly if you’ve already been sitting for an hour.
Small changes → habits → big changes
Imagine a fat person who currently finds it very difficult to exercise, having not exercised regularly for a number of years. Which would they find more manageable: 30 minutes of cardio three times a week, or walking for two minutes a day? If you guessed a two-minute walk, you’d be right.
Imagine this person being told to start thrice-weekly cardio from scratch. They probably struggle through the first session, feeling like their heart is ready to explode, thinking about how unfit they are and how their body compares to the class teacher’s.
The next day, they wake up and can hardly get out of bed, their muscles are so sore. They dread the next session but drag themself to it, and find it just as hard as the first. When they get home, they probably feel bad enough that they deserve a “reward”, which may well be something like fatty foods or alcohol (cancelling out the calorie-burning benefit they thought they got from the class).
The very first time they have an excuse, this person will skip the class, which will make it easier to skip the next one, and the one after that. At the end of a month, they don’t have an exercise habit and they’re telling themself they’re a failure, they have no willpower, they just can’t exercise, they’ll never lose weight.
Contrast this with being told to take a daily two-minute walk. Maybe it’s hard the first couple of times, but without being exhausting or painful. It’s short enough that this person always feels they have time to do it. After a week or a month, maybe they can walk for four minutes a day. Maybe after a while they decide to try walking the mile to the nearest shop, or school, or wherever they need to go. Just this small action, done every day, can change the way they feel about moving and the ease with which they move.
Manageable, easy-win changes are much more likely to lead to long-term benefits. You’ll still feel good about what you’ve achieved, but will be satisfied with a smaller “reward”, rather than feeling like you deserve something you’d normally deny yourself.
Do what you love
Following on from above, the chances are you’ll stick to a health habit if it’s something you enjoy. If running on an indoor treadmill is the most boring thing you can imagine, don’t make it a major part of your exercise routine – you could get your cardio from ballroom dancing, or joining a football team, or a range of other activities. Conversely, if you’re not a fan of team sports, and hate going out after dark, maybe an online zumba class at home is more your scene.
Whatever your health need, look for a way to fulfil it that matches both your likes and your lifestyle. If you don’t look forward to moving your body, that can be a sign that your routine needs a shake-up.
Perfect health is not the goal
Newsflash: most of us will never reach “perfect” health. For example, if you’re disabled, or have a chronic condition, your body may always have some limits. Likewise, if you work two jobs, take care of family and live in a food desert, your lifestyle may require some health compromises. And that’s ok. None of us owe it to others to be healthy. Having health conditions doesn’t mean you are less worthy of respect or care than healthy people, no matter what diet culture may suggest.
What action can you take today to look after yourself and your health?
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