The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

Weighing in on fitness

Graphic by Julia Machado

Sometimes the number on the scale does not tell the full story.

According to physical educator Jennifer Mau, being “skinny” and being “fit” are not necessarily about how much you weigh, but about your body composition.

“Muscle and lean tissue is what is important,” said Mau. “If someone is too skinny…they might have all fat and not have any muscle to support their body, and that can cause problems with their growing and ability to do things.”
Pediatrician Bill Wittert said that a lot of the pressure to be skinny comes from modern media and standards set by others.

“I see normal weight people, and even slender people come in and obsess about a few pounds that they have to lose, and they really don’t,” said Wittert. “The goal should really be health rather than thinness because the two don’t go together all the time.”

Senior Valerie Bobart said that societal pressures can lead students to become confused about the differences between “being athletic vs. trying to be skinny.”
According to Wittert, giving into these pressures by trying to be too thin is not only unhealthy, but also dangerous.
“There’s mostly psychological dangers but also medical dangers,” said Wittert. “As people pursue thinness, they risk poor nutrition, and if severe like you might see in anorexia, it could be life threatening.”

Bobart stays fit by running and participating on the gymnastics team.

“As long as you work on feeling good about yourself and doing it for positive reasons, then you should be fine,” said Bobart. “Personally, if I don’t work out, I don’t feel as good.”

Wittert said that part of being fit “is maintaining a healthy weight.”

According to Mau, the pressure that the media puts on the public attitude toward body image is a factor in students, girls especially, striving to be skinny.

“There is a fine line between people thinking of being fit and healthy, and being skinny,” Mau said.

click to enlarge.