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.
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.
Photo:
"Hiking in Scotland 0," by Ed and Eddie (Flickr.com)
* as an aside comment, the guy in the photo I used for this article is a good example of a dad bod. Holy crap, he's HIKING IN SCOTLAND.
* as an aside comment, the guy in the photo I used for this article is a good example of a dad bod. Holy crap, he's HIKING IN SCOTLAND.
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