World Health Esteem Month

The concept of Health Esteem received a standing ovation when we revealed it at a Leadership Conference in 2021.

While it’s hardly revolutionary, the idea that loving yourself at the same time you work toward your health and fitness goals runs counter to the fitness and diet industry and toxic social media judgment that rely on self-dissatisfaction to drive sales.

But when you realize that you can actually feel good about yourself exactly as you are while still pursuing extraordinary life-changing results, it’s a breakthrough. A bright ray of sunshine in a world overcast by the shadow of ongoing health decay — the result of years of diet and fitness neglect.

The facts are pretty scary

People are getting sicker, and the advent of prescription weight-loss solutions without lifestyle change poses an additional threat to their true well-being.

Sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition are contributing to the decline in quality of life in the U.S., according to the Social Progress Index report.*

But equally alarming, the rise of lifestyle diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, sleep apnea, and some cancers threatens more people than ever.

Over the past two decades, Americans have gained weight at such a rate that almost 42% of adults have obesity. Obesity rates are also increasing among children and adolescents, with nearly 20% of U.S. children aged 2 to 19 having obesity according to 2017–2020 NHANES data. These rates have more than tripled since the mid-1970s.

Not only does it lead to less enjoyment of life, but even moderate obesity can reduce life expectancy by three years, according to a study by Oxford University.**

And severe obesity can take 10 years off your life — equal to the consequences of a lifelong smoking habit! For many, this is truly a life-or-death situation.

Health Esteem can change everything

World Health Esteem Month is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of lifestyle change. But it also helps people everywhere discover how much better life can be with even the smallest proactive alteration.

While every year the parade of New Year’s resolutions is cut short as people lose their motivation and fall back into old habits, this year could be different.

According to Forbes, the number one resolution people will make for 2024 will be to improve their fitness, and it's our mission at BODi to help them succeed by incorporating Health Esteem into the strategy.

There's still no magic pill

Of course, the rise of weight-loss pharmaceuticals is earning global headlines: "The holy grail of weight loss with no effort."

But we need to read the fine print: The consequences of these drugs could be devastating to the muscularity of people who don't combine them with lifestyle changes.

Calorie restriction without appropriate nutritional support and ongoing exercise can actually be counterproductive to your quality of life. According to the NIH, building muscle can keep your bones healthy and improve the way your body processes food to help prevent diabetes and related diseases.

"Regular strength training is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases,” says Dr. Joseph Ciccolo, an exercise researcher at Columbia University.

But the main benefit of strength training is that it makes your muscle cells stronger. "That benefit is unique to strength training," says Dr. Roger Fielding, who studies the benefits of exercise at Tufts University.

You cannot buy muscle. You have to work it, and you have to feed it.

Experts recommend that children and teens do muscle-strengthening activities at least three days a week. For adults, they encourage strength training for the major muscle groups on two or more days a week.

And this is the theme of the 2nd Annual World Health Esteem Month: helping people understand and pursue healthy habits without beating themselves up about it.

Exercise is about enhancing your quality of life, not punishing yourself. There's no guilt, shame, or blame with Health Esteem.

It’s about helping people feel great about themselves on every step of the journey, and that's why BODi is making this unprecedented offer to new annual subscribers.

World Health Esteem Month is about helping people get started in January. And with this special offer, BODi is helping people keep going so they achieve extraordinary lifestyle transformations and feel great for the long term.

*Announcing the 2020 Social Progress Index – See the World Differently

**Moderate obesity takes years off life expectancy | University of Oxford