Lean Mean Machine

As I was lacing up my running shoes for my regular 5K pre-breakfast run my sister's Indonesian maid commented: "Udah kurus ni...lagi ngapain mau lari?" (Why run when you're already skinny?) If I have a dime for all the comments I get about my "skinny" physique I'd be a thousandaire by now! The people at my office made similar remarks too. Even Kak Amnah, the HR person in my department, told me how concerned she was of how I looked and asked me if I had any personal problems I wanted to share (this happened about two months ago). On a separate occasion, her assistant, Dila, went even further and said that I looked much better with a bit more fat on me!

I believe this misconception on what constitutes as "looking healthy" can be chalked up to cultural perception and norms. Whenever I met with my American/European friends I've been told how "ripped" or "fit" or "lean" I looked. "Ripped" was the exact word used by my former professor, who's an American, when I saw him in KL a few months ago. The prevailing perception within most Asian societies is that one's girth positively correlates to one's wealth and status in the society (up to a certain point). In other words, the well-to-dos lead a much better life with more than enough resources i.e. food to survive; ergo, a robust body circumference. Poor people are skinny simply for the fact that they cannot afford to consume as much, which it's true to some extent.

This perception was pervasive in the West for centuries. A cursory look at the old Renaissance paintings would bear out the fact that the rich back then were simply overweight because they led such a good life i.e. idleness and debauchery. There's a reason the word "Rubenesque" is used in the English language as an apt description of this particular cultural phenomenon. As if one needs more proof of Renaissance-age food orgy one can look no further than the infamous polygamous fat slob Henry VIII.

It seems like the West in general has moved past this cultural stereotype as its societies are now comfortably esconced in the post-industrial/post-material world. Sadly this perception still persists here in most parts of the East. I've seen little kids being fed all kinds of junk food so they would fatten up and "look healthy" and befitting their family's social status. Even my dad told my sister once that either she's not feeding my nephew enough or he's not eating enough that he looks like a skinny kid from a poor family. He's obviously eating enough with a robust health to match; only that he's a hyperactive kid, which explains his lean physique.

Back to the people's comments on how I look all I can say in return is that I do a heck a lot of exercises, which is why I look the way I look now. For example, I burn about 1200 calories on an average 10K run. Also I eat healthy and balance diet (most of the time) that also helps in maintaining my lean physique at currently about 9 percent body fat. If I feel a bit charitable I'd try to explain to them the differences between being athletically lean and unhealthily skinny. Honestly, there's a alarming level of ignorance and misinformation out there, especially in Malaysia, when it comes to knowledge about healthy living and diet. Alas, there's still a lot more to do!

p/s: The Star had a front-page headline a few days ago that screamed "We Overeat." The "We" being Malaysians, of course. One interesting bit buried in the feature article was the recent figures from the Ministry of Health that reported 30 percent of Malaysians are obese, while another 30 percent are overweight. If it's true then this certainly counts as a national emergency! 60 percent of Malaysians have the BMI over 25? Scary thought, isn't it?