On March 30, 2015, Mackenzie Pearson wrote “
Why Girls Love The DadBod,”
and it sparked a strange flame war across the online world. On one
side, you had people who hailed it as the new “average” that
people should aspire to, so as not to have “excellence” issues.
For others, it was the nadir of self-imagery, that people would be
content with just, well, a dad bod.
I personally have the
equivalent of a dad bod myself, being a former Judo varsity player in
college, who then went on to have utterly no regular physical fitness
regimen until late last year, when my 40-year-old body decided to
surprise me with Type-2 diabetes. Since then, I've removed thirty
pounds from my then-200-pound 5'3” frame, and have since been more
or less on a regular exercise regimen. I've gained about five to ten
pounds back, but this time as healthy muscle mass.
Even with
all that, 175 pounds at my height still makes me look the better part
of chubby and dad-bod-ish.
So, it makes sense that I should
be happy that my sort of body type is becoming sexy, right?
Well,
not really.
My issue with this whole Dad Bod thing is that I
am all for it being touted as natural, but I am not all for it being
used as an excuse for slacking off from basic fitness. In my case, I
have to be a bit more careful with my exercise routine, as my health
concerns can be a problem. But for people who have the time and
resources to have a better-then-average physique, then I say, go for
it!
For those who know that they only have enough time to
remain reasonably healthy and have a pleasant-looking Dad Bod, all I
can say is: I feel you guys.
But that does not mean we should
be content with the Dad Bod. If anything, it should be a reminder
that while we shouldn't shame people for being out of shape, there is
always the challenge of becoming better than what you are now.
If
you guys are wondering, my current physical trainer, good friend, and
taskmaster is Jay Lopez, and he runs RX Strength, over at the
Athlete's Lab in Liberty Center, Shaw Boulevard.
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