Doing healthy stuff improves health REGARDLESS of weight
This excellent study has a great take home message; regardless of your BMI or weight, adopting healthy habits improves health.
The researchers looked at 4 healthy habits (smoking, alcohol use, eating fruit/veg, exercising) and found that the more healthy habits were adopted, the more mortality evened out across all the BMI bands including for those in heavier bodies!
I’m not advising that we should all adopt exactly these 4 healthy behaviours rigidly, like rules. Rather, if you’re in a heavier body (or a lighter one) please don’t give up or get overwhelmed by failed diets or well-meaning but misinformed advice to lose weight.
Everyone can be healthier by forgetting about weight and doing more healthy stuff! If this is something you want, moving more in a fun/joyful/ social way and adding variety to your diet with more fruit/veg might be good places to start.
(*seek individual advice, especially if you have an eating disorder)
(credit to Fiona Willer for highlighting this study)
