It’s the same sell as the “American Dream” if you work hard then you too will be able to live this “Dream”.

Well, there’s a reason they call it a dream. Some may think it harsh to burst bubbles, but I just want to be honest with you so you can realize not everyone was made to be the same size. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll keep saying it; make YOUR body the best body it can be! There is no real One Size Fits ALL, and there never has been. We may have fads or fashions, but guess what, you DON’T have to follow them cause not all of them were made for you.

I loved when skinny jeans came into style, I could finally find jeans that fit, but I hated those low-rise jeans cause they never fit me properly no matter how expensive or if I bought a size bigger or smaller, they just weren’t made for my body type. To those who are in that group that were born skinny, don’t think it means you’re healthy. We call that Skinny Fat.

You are either skinny fat or you know at least one person who is. This person eats everything in sight, and never exercises but never gains a pound. You may have silently (or loudly) hated this person for their metabolism.

But let me tell you just because you don’t see the fat doesn’t mean it’s not there. Not all fat is created equal. I could dive deep into detail discussing visceral fat, but that would make half of you stop reading, so let me just break it down for you the way that it makes sense for me.

Visceral fat is the fat that sits in your stomach area and surrounds your internal organs. Subcutaneous fat is the fat under your skin, the most visible fat you see. Guess which one is worse? I’m sure most of you guessed it, Visceral fat.

Visceral fat is more likely to have a negative impact on health. In fact, excessive deposits of visceral fat are associated with many serious health problems including cardiovascular disease, types 2 diabetes, and increased blood pressure. But don’t be high-fiving your non-skinny self, while eating that poutine. We all have visceral fat especially those who are sedentary, chronically stressed, or maintain unhealthy diets. So please take care of what you are putting in your bodies and get active. But most importantly don’t judge someone’s health or physical fitness by their size or subcutaneous fat. It is much easier to lose and has less effect on your overall health if you have more subcutaneous fat than visceral fat.

Some of the fittest, strongest and healthiest people I know are not skinny; they don’t have an “athletic build”(whatever that means). If they were on a dating site they would most likely have to click “a few extra pounds”. You know how hard it was to find a picture to go with my article that didn’t have a man and woman with extremely low subcutaneous fat? You would think they didn’t exist! So let’s change our view of what fit is. It’s a lifestyle, it’s responsibility, and it’s self-love.

And this is why I dance in my underwear. (Stop it! I’m not showing a pic or video of it; those moments are strictly for me). This started when I took a course where we were encouraged to have a celebration dance party with ourselves and I found it so liberating and freeing that I started doing it on a regular basis. Because I was blasting music and dancing either pre or post shower it ended up being in my underwear. One day I was dancing around and I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. And I saw myself differently. I smiled and started to dance for my reflection.

You see, when you’re already in a positive frame of mind, where you’re dancing like you don’t care, its funny how you can see the real you, focusing on the good instead of the not-so-good. So get active. Your size does NOT matter, but your health surely does. Train for LIFE, train for the Love of your body and Train for your future… so you can share it with your loved ones!

In Health and Wellness,

Devon M.D. Jones

Personal Trainer Specialist
Certified Boot Camp Trainer
Herbalife Wellness Coach