Men's Fitness: How Does He Feel About His Body?

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

27 Oct 2006 02:30 PM

There are a lot of differences between men and women starting with our biology and stretching to our forms of communication and our perspectives. How men feel about their bodies and how women feel about theirs are different in some ways and alike in others.

For women, when it comes to their body type and shape - the presence of body fat is a huge thing. But for men, it's about more than the body fat - it's about muscle. A man can feel unfit if he has a lack of bulk muscle, even if he is high in lean muscle mass.

For all those people who think that poor body image is a woman's province and that it can lead to unhealthy self-esteem behaviors including anorexia and bulimia - I would point out steroid abuse as an example of poor self-esteem issues in men. Think back to those advertisements in old magazines and comic books about the skinny wimp getting sand kicked in his face until he became more like the Atlas man - a figure of cut and well-developed musculature.

Are we seeing a pattern here?

Self-Esteem and Body Shape Issues In Men

• While women get more press, men do experience negative self-image about their bodies
• In men, dissatisfaction with their body image can lead to low self-esteem and self-respect
• Men are far more likely to use steroids to bulk up their muscle mass
• Men are just as likely as women to engage in bad eating habits when concerned about their body image
• Men are more likely than women to sustain serious injuries from overdoing it in an effort to improve their self-image
• Men are also more likely to 'push' past pain of a muscle injury and risk tearing a muscle or worsening the injury

So don't dismiss male concerns about their body image, they can be just as affected as women by depression and poor body image.

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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