Strong is the new thin?

[Barmacral]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/07/26/fit-new-skinny.html

 

Thoughts on this article? I think the very last line rings true.

[Mr.Blulite]

You know, I don't agree with, "giving women more goals" thing. It's good to be fit, fit is healthy, healthy people live longer.... have less stress, and are overall happier.

 

 It also shows me that a girl takes care of herself, and cares about her self as well. Also a good trait in a potential mate/life partner. I'm not saying they have to be a cross fit freak, or a power lifter. Just that they take care of them selves.

 

Most days, I work out twice a day. Cardio in the morning, or light lifting, and a cross fit-esq type work out in the afternoon. However, unlike most people on here, I'm pretty much a professional athlete, I get paid to be in shape and healthy. 

 

BUT, yes strong/fit is the new "skinny"... I like my lady to be a bit more than a twig, but thats me.

 

Spooky

[Vintage]

Like it says in the article, I think it largely depends on what part of"strong" people are focusing on. Is it purely appearance-based? Is it a specific strong body look (significant muscle, very low body fat)? Are women trying to look like a woman at a workout-themed photo shoot (full makeup, perfect tan, perfectly posed) or like a woman who's actually working her ass off and maybe red faced, sweaty and mid-grunt?

 

Or are people using it to refer to someone who pushes past mental and physical barriers, works hard, sets goals and achieves them, thinks about how to make her body healthier longer, etc.?

 

In other words, I don't think the premise is flawed necessarily. But I think a lot of women are still idealizing and working towards the wrong thing.

[deerskin]

You're always going to have the people that take a good thing, like getting stronger and more fit, and turn it into a destructive thing. That's just human nature. There's a balance between challenging yourself and loving yourself, and I think the new "strong" craze fits into that category. Mess up the balance and you either fall into the trap of being lazy and complacent or the trap of making fitness and appearance the (unhealthy) focus of your life.

[Waldo]

Mess up the balance and you either fall into the trap of being lazy and complacent or the trap of making fitness and appearance the (unhealthy) focus of your life.

Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.

[Vintage]

Except for when we're using that word to describe someone with thoughts about something that become constantly obtrusive, uncontrollable, anxiety producing and generally interfering with their quality of life. 

[Huntress]

Except for when we're using that word to describe someone with thoughts about something that become constantly obtrusive, uncontrollable, anxiety producing and generally interfering with their quality of life. 

 

Seconded.

'Strong is the new skinny' and 'fitsporation' are tied heavily to body image ideals. If it were just about strength we'd be getting bombarded with pictures of Cheryl Haworth and Holley Mangold instead of women with low body fat percentages, visible muscle and booty shorts. If people want to go for this look then go for it but not pretend it's not another beauty aesthetic when it pretty obviously is.

[Waldo]

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/07/26/fit-new-skinny.html

 

Thoughts on this article? I think the very last line rings true.

 

There is a lot of truth to it though.

Men in general find fit women more attractive than plain skinny women, and lots of women are waking up to this. But there is more to it than that; the topic of body composition is starting to be understod by a much broader audience, and unlike "losing weight", strength training often plays a central role in body recomposition efforts.

As the article alludes to, all forms of social media reflect this shift.

It seems the girls have finally figured out the guys secret; guys for eternity have seemingly always had it easier, really they just were working more effectively.

People like to think of NF as a special place where this is understood, and while people here may be a bit ahead of the curve, advising ladies to strength train ("lift heavy") is the norm everywhere there is peer to peer advice. The myfitnesspal forums are a much broader cross section of people losing weight, if anything it is encouraged by people there even more than here; virtually every female success story (some of which are jaw dropping) includes strength training.

You see it on Facebook. You see it in advertising. You see it in modern day workout videos. Strong is the new thin.

[McGurgel]

When it comes to physical appearance of a woman I absolutely prefer the strong ones.

Sounds superficial I know but imho strength training doesn’t only shape your body, but your mind too.

Strength(training) makes everybody strong and I like women who can care for themselves. Who can back me up, if I need someone.

 

For me, strong is the new sexy. Not only in case of appearance.

[ailrox]

That last line is definitely the most important one. I almost don't want women to be getting stronger because 'strong is the new thin'. I want them to be getting stronger because they want to be stronger. This trend is sort of setting a new 'standard' for women that they might feel pressured into conforming with. What if a woman doesn't want to be muscular? What if she is more comfortable just being healthy? 

 

Of course, I am probably overanalysing.

[Huntress]

That last line is definitely the most important one. I almost don't want women to be getting stronger because 'strong is the new thin'. I want them to be getting stronger because they want to be stronger. This trend is sort of setting a new 'standard' for women that they might feel pressured into conforming with. What if a woman doesn't want to be muscular? What if she is more comfortable just being healthy? 

 

Of course, I am probably overanalysing.

 

Yup, exactly. The idea behind 'strong is the new skinny' was originally that women should stop worrying about whether they were thin or not and start to focus on being healthy and strong. But, as some of the comments here show, people interpret it to mean that women should strive to be lean and muscular because it's the new way to be 'hot'.

[Waldo]

 

But, as some of the comments here show, people interpret it to mean that women should strive to be lean and muscular because it's the new way to be 'hot'.

Its always been that way.

This general idea though is helping to mend the disconnect between what is an attractive physique and the means of getting it. Men have always known endlessly losing weight will not get you there. Women have not known this.

Take it as you will, either a different iteration of the fat acceptance POV, or as a significantly more effective means of achieving your physique goals. When you see how it has seeped into the mainstream fitness industrial complex, it is all about physique.

Heck its pretty well known that Miss America is into squatting and deadlifting as part of her exercise program.

[I-Jo]

I think it's incorrect to assume 'men have always know this.' they aren't born with some natural knowledge. It's what media feeds us all

There are plenty of guys here and on mfp... That have no idea what they are doing. It just so happens the male figure in media idea always been far more fit... It dint think it's some big secret they gave had inherently from birth.

[Vixen68]

Like it says in the article, I think it largely depends on what part of"strong" people are focusing on. Is it purely appearance-based? Is it a specific strong body look (significant muscle, very low body fat)? Are women trying to look like a woman at a workout-themed photo shoot (full makeup, perfect tan, perfectly posed) or like a woman who's actually working her ass off and maybe red faced, sweaty and mid-grunt?

 

Or are people using it to refer to someone who pushes past mental and physical barriers, works hard, sets goals and achieves them, thinks about how to make her body healthier longer, etc.?

 

In other words, I don't think the premise is flawed necessarily. But I think a lot of women are still idealizing and working towards the wrong thing.

 

I can definitely agree that some people may take this all the wrong way and set unhealthy goals for themselves. But i have to say that my new goals to 'get strong' have had a huge positive influence on how i see food and exercise. Before, i was part of the Eat less, exercise more club and would always feel guilty for being less then perfect with my diet etc - while i wasnt in the realm of an ED, i definitely had an unhealthy relationship with what I ate and how i treated my body. Since starting strength training I have been focused on my performance, and how best to fuel my body to get there.

 

I am now eating to exercise, rather than exercising to eat and that is a huge turnaround for me! I really agree with everyone that the last line really rings true!

[Waldo]

I think it's incorrect to assume 'men have always know this.' they aren't born with some natural knowledge. It's what media feeds us all

There are plenty of guys here and on mfp... That have no idea what they are doing. It just so happens the male figure in media idea always been far more fit... It dint think it's some big secret they gave had inherently from birth.

True.

But most guys realize that your typical male wow body includes a hefty bit of strength training and some time spent bulking up.

Too small is a very real concept for most guys, it really is no better than too fat, in some ways its even worse.

[MissMormie]

It seems the girls have finally figured out the guys secret; guys for eternity have seemingly always had it easier, really they just were working more effectively.

Even when doing the same thing guys still have it easier. Due to testosterone levels they builduscle way faster and easier. They burn a higher amount of calories on a daily basis. There are and have been plenty of men losing weight by cutting calories and almost all loose weight faster than women.

[Raikas]

I always raise an eyebrow at the attractiveness discussions that frame it as "fit vs. skinny" - attractiveness (in general) is more about shape, no?  Big or small, hard or soft, outside of distinct preferences, isn't it often more about proportions than anything else?

 

 

 

It seems the girls have finally figured out the guys secret; guys for eternity have seemingly always had it easier, really they just were working more effectively.
 

 

 

Eh, virutally all the "men have it easier" comments I hear (and read about) are from couples making diet changes together.  It's usually something like they both give up wine or soft drinks and the male ends up dropping twice what the female does.  That's pretty clearly not about extercising effectively.

[Waldo]

Eh, virutally all the "men have it easier" comments I hear (and read about) are from couples making diet changes together. It's usually something like they both give up wine or soft drinks and the male ends up dropping twice what the female does. That's pretty clearly not about extercising effectively.

Its pretty normal for men to focus on strength and women on cardio when couples start working out together.

For some reason there is this thing with women that you do cardio and watch the scale until you reach your goal weight, then you start lifting weights or a bit to tone up. A majority of noob females seem to come from that POV, yet I'm not sure I've ever seen questions from a noob male coming from that POV. Did they teach that to girls in those classes in middle school where the boys and girls separate?

[Misugrrl]

I don't like the mantra strong is the new skinny, because I do tend to feel that its just setting up another 'standard' of what women are expected to look like.  Fitness isn't about appearance. One of the girls in the video was quoted in the article as saying, the physique becomes a side effect of the performance.  But sometimes, that may not always be the case. And that's ok. Its about goals.

 

I'm working on shifting my thinking from "starve, eat tiny bits of food, and do cardio lots".  I gained a lot of weight after a back injury and subsequent surgery, and through changing my eating habits, I've slowly lost 84 lbs over the course of about 3 years. No exercising until recently, I started at the end of June with my little membership to planet fitness.  I've slowly worked my way up from pushing myself through back pain doing things like walking 20 minutes on the treadmill, to now going 70 minutes on the elliptical without stopping. Over the last couple of weeks, I've introduced strength training, because I understand that for my body to heal, I have to build up strength, and the guy I'm dating is helping me with this (he's a body builder / strong man competitor).

 

We are a terribly obsessive culture, and I am incredibly obsessive about my weight. I am still a big girl, but I have to admit, shifting my thinking from weight to getting stronger, has been a relief.  It really has.  I'll never weigh 110 lbs. And that's ok.  I just want to be healthy. Health can be achieved through a strong body, perhaps at a higher weight than most women my height (a towering 5'3"), but I'll be better than the old me, and I'll be strong and healthy. And that's ok.  I just don't want it to become another 'disorder'. I've already got a close friend worried I'm OCD about this.

[I-Jo]

Its pretty normal for men to focus on strength and women on cardio when couples start working out together.

For some reason there is this thing with women that you do cardio and watch the scale until you reach your goal weight, then you start lifting weights or a bit to tone up. A majority of noob females seem to come from that POV, yet I'm not sure I've ever seen questions from a noob male coming from that POV. Did they teach that to girls in those classes in middle school where the boys and girls separate?

no but I would wager- more women read stupid ass dumb cosmo magazines than men do... and it's I (would think) obvious that men who are in shape- look like they train- strength- whereas women are constantly given the "softer- toned" version. Still comes from weights- but you just don't see shredded women in the media- and if you do- they get ragged on a LOT for being "bulky"  (seriously- jessica biel? bulky?? DAFUK)

 

I don't like the mantra strong is the new skinny, because I do tend to feel that its just setting up another 'standard' of what women are expected to look like.  Fitness isn't about appearance. One of the girls in the video was quoted in the article as saying, the physique becomes a side effect of the performance.  But sometimes, that may not always be the case. And that's ok. Its about goals.

 

but strength doesn't LOOK like any one thing for any one person- that's the difference.

I don't mind it- I'm wildly annoyed by it because people are raging about it like it's a new fad and rest of us who have been doing it for years feel insulted like "that's what we have been trying to tell you" BUT- I'm glad it's a shift.  it's a BETTER shift than a strictly appearance driven one. 

[Huntress]

I'm working on shifting my thinking from "starve, eat tiny bits of food, and do cardio lots".  I gained a lot of weight after a back injury and subsequent surgery, and through changing my eating habits, I've slowly lost 84 lbs over the course of about 3 years. No exercising until recently, I started at the end of June with my little membership to planet fitness.  I've slowly worked my way up from pushing myself through back pain doing things like walking 20 minutes on the treadmill, to now going 70 minutes on the elliptical without stopping. Over the last couple of weeks, I've introduced strength training, because I understand that for my body to heal, I have to build up strength, and the guy I'm dating is helping me with this (he's a body builder / strong man competitor).

 

Congrats on your hard work on changing your mindset and and recovering from injury. That's fantastic, and I wish you all the best with it.

[Waldo]

I don't like the mantra strong is the new skinny, because I do tend to feel that its just setting up another 'standard' of what women are expected to look like.

There have been and will always be physique ideals. This is unavoidable and it will never go away. Replacing emaciated with strong isn't a bad thing.

 

I'll never weigh 110 lbs. And that's ok. I just want to be healthy. Health can be achieved through a strong body, perhaps at a higher weight than most women my height (a towering 5'3"), but I'll be better than the old me, and I'll be strong and healthy. And that's ok. I just don't want it to become another 'disorder'. I've already got a close friend worried I'm OCD about this.

Why so defeatest?

Pretty much everybody can look like a fitness model. Its not even hard to do. It takes a good plan and consistency sticking to that plan for a long time. Overly harsh plans are not good plans.

 

no but I would wager- more women read stupid ass dumb cosmo magazines than men do... and it's I (would think) obvious that men who are in shape- look like they train- strength- whereas women are constantly given the "softer- toned" version. Still comes from weights-

Yes, this is the big point.  This isn't all about ditching the scale and not caring about how you look, just being healthier.  Virtually everybody that does this weight loss thing does so to look better; it may not be the only reason, but it is always a reason.  Women are starting to big time come around to the fact that strength training is about the most potent tool in the physique toolbox.

 

Cosmo needs to run an few articles explaining that most people have a natural body fat "setpoint", without strength training once you reach this setpoint you will cease to lose body fat as a percentage despite continued weight loss, the pounds will come off but you will not appear less fat.  Strength training will preserve your existing muscle mass alllowing you to dip to a much lower body fat level than you could without it.  Where this setpoint is is largely genetics, strength training makes it go away pretty much completely. 

 

More and more people understanding this is why things are changing so rapidly.

 

but you just don't see shredded women in the media- and if you do- they get ragged on a LOT for being "bulky" (seriously- jessica biel? bulky?? DAFUK]

 

I guess it depends on who you are listening to. That is one nice thing about modern media, its so fragmented that its not hard to totally avoid worldviews you don't agree with. Its made politics downright insane, but for most subjects (incluing the subject of this topic) its a good thing. Lots and lots of people think Jessica Biel is lookin fine, she's definitely in the top 5 when it comes to celebrity goal bodies for women (if not #1).

*********************

What attracted a large % of people to NF in the first place is Spezzy's story. I can't count how many times I've seen it linked elsewhere as an example of how women can achieve a dream body by lifting heavy. But I am starting to see it linked to less and less. This isn't a reflection of a shift away from strength training, quite the opposite, there are now tons of Spezzy's stories out there and lots of dramatic transformations.

[Huntress]

Ok, but we're not replacing emaciated with 'strong', because 'strong' isn't actually a look per se. Strength is about what you can do, not how you look. The strongest women in the world, in absolute terms, are heavyweight lifters who don't at all look like the standard fitsporation eyecandy that is popping up all over twitter. What we're actually talking about is replacing 'skinny' with 'lean with visible muscles', usually with a side of heavy tan. It seems closer to doing weights for bodybuilding than it does to really just angling for strength. 

I don't think anyone can look like a fitness model. How can I look like a fitness model? I'm 5'3, which is shorter than most models. I'm slender, but my frame is built so I have a smaller bust than most models and bigger thighs / ass than them too. I'm much paler than most models I see, because I have a family history of skin cancer and keep myself protected. And finally I don't have the face of any kind of model. I'm happy with myself and I like the fact that I'm looking like a fitter version of me as I pursue powerlifting. But I ain't never gon look like any kind of model.

[Waldo]

Fitness model =/= fashion model. Height doesn't matter and muscular legs are a plus.

Luke: I don't believe it

Yoda: That is why you failed

[Huntress]

Yeah, I think you and I just disagree fundamentally about this.