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Negative Body Image Essay

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Approximately ⅓ of all Americans are unfit. Being unfit causes a poor body image, health issues, and a lower amount of activity, which can result in obesity. Being fit helps people have a positive body image, health benefits, and higher amounts of activity. Whether you're fit or not, both can greatly affect you. Being fit and unfit differs in many ways such as; body image, health, and the amount of activity each person does. Body image is defined as the subjective picture or mental image of one's own body, which greatly differs among fit and unfit individuals. Body image has a powerful affect on all. “Negative body image has grown to almost epidemic proportions in the past 20 years, with as many as 60 percent of adults in national …show more content…

Exercise can improve your body image. “People who say they have high body dissatisfaction tend to exercise the least” (Hausenblas). Exercise is proven to improve your body image and self esteem, it also gives you more energy. Exercise tones your body, strengthens your bones and muscles, and provides many health benefits. Body image can be perceived in many ways, and you can control it. Being fit provides more health benefits, rather than being unfit, which causes more health issues. Some of the many health issues that are increased by being unfit include; development of heart disease, increased risk of blood clots, diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, and depression. Some people who are unfit don’t connect health issues to their problem, because everything seems fine externally. But, their internal organs are most likely struggling to keep them healthy. These people suffer from many conditions including high cholesterol and angina. “There are many other disadvantages of being unfit; while most are health reasons your mental and psychological well-being will suffer as well” (Haskell). Being fit comes with a plethora of benefits. When you are fit, and live a healthy lifestyle there are more health benefits. Some of the benefits include; more vitality, your body is in better shape, better mental health, can manage stress better, have more self esteem. Being fit also

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