Bigorexia... What is it??

Have you heard of this thing that guys and possibly some girls have in the gym?

Bigorexia or Muscle Dysmorphia is a serious case, not just one of those stupid sayings it's real... When the BBC did a post on it i decided to look a little more into it. The only way I came across their piece was while I was typically being a female and getting myself ready while my other half was still in bed reading articles on the internet. He played it out loud so I could listen while he watched, I suddenly became all geeky again a started to google cases and subjects, believe me I have come across a few in my time. Even when I was back training harder for that time I said I would compete but became riddled with injuries I suffered from it, I thought my muscles weren't becoming more defined and more aesthetically pleasing to myself, it became a daily struggle until I pushed it too far and had to take 6 weeks out in which I lost a lot of motivation the spark went away. 

Back onto the subject when people generally suffer form this "disease" they are more likely to turn to steroid use or other substance abuse. This I have seen in my gym, some people are very open about their desire for that BIG body and BIG muscles. but the other thing I had to laugh at (seriously I laughed) their training was well out of the window, even if they were or weren't using steroids their shape was not changing at all... (I wonder why??? Diet?!) 

So those guys that do a rep and check out their views in the mirror or worry about how big they are or how small they are, ever thought about how much damage you are doing to your mental attitude on your body. 1 in 10 gym going males suffer from this, that's quite astounding really if you think of how many guys go to your gym... 

Those with Bigorexia have been known to suffer with depression and other mental illnesses, in another study it was shown that steroid use has increased over the years and is becoming more and more viable and easier to get a hold of. (There's always that one guy in the gym?! Right?!) But on another note Muscle Dysmorphia is another form of Body Dysmorphia. 
To read more on the subject check out the BBC's Newsbeat video from the 21st of September 2015. 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34307044/muscle-dysmorphia-one-in-10-men-in-gyms-believed-to-have-bigorexia

Body Dysmorphia is more commonly found in women, (See my last post.) as women have become more oppressed by society and how more women are being told that they are out of proportion and larger. With the country becoming "larger" in general this may be either a better thing as I'm hoping more and more campaigns will go on for larger sizes and models will be changed. Which in a tech savvy generation is all you see on commercials and apps, out of proportioned women that have stupidly larger butts and skinny tiny waists that are so impossible to achieve without either dying or being seriously ill. Yes I'm talking about that one called Kim K, I have a a lot of things to say about her but let's not dwell on her fake butt. When women are being told to conform to "socially acceptable" sizes it becomes more prominent and can be detrimental to health and well being. Don't get me wrong if you need to lose a few pounds go for it but know your limit.

 I've seen stupid amounts of girls striving to achieve bodies that are complete opposite to their bone structure and shape, yes I'm a typical hourglass and I find it easy to lose weight but I will always have that little bit on my stomach I hate (oh well). You will always see a girl with her inspirations to be a size 4 model but simply if you aren't designed to be that shape rethink and be more responsible. Recent campaigns that have caught the media's attention have been very interesting to see the effect it has on society and how we behave when posed with those questions of "Are you beach body ready??" "Get that beach body with our 4 week plan!" 4 weeks... hmmm?! In comparison to seeing before and after shots of a clients steady progress, people will aspire to be as thin as they can be in the quickest amount possible. 

Society itself actually rebelled against these campaigns with such things and internet campaigns and graffiti on the tube lines. This was the campaign by Protein World and their Weight Loss Collection for summer 2015.

Sourced from Proteinworld.com Summer campaign 2015

From the campaign all hell broke loose across the UK, with back handed comments and Facebook petitions to remove all of the branding. This was simply due to the nature of the campaign in some eyes it was seen to be saying that if you didn't look a certain way your weren't "beach ready" or worthy as other people said. Which don't get me wrong it's great marketing and a great question but it also created a unrealistic goal for young women between the ages of 18-30 due to their branding and age bracket that they aimed at. If I could look like that yes I would be strutting my stuff on the beach in a tiny bikini but sadly I do not haver the predisposition of having a small frame and being able to get the skinny without looking ill or being ill. I would also have a great modelling contract and probably be strutting runways instead of being on the tube lines for every male and his girlfriend to obsess with. 

Dove then gave a good comeback to this and used the same kind of branding and stated that everybody is beach body ready no matter what size. 

Sourced from Dove's combat campaign Summer 2015

Which is something I totally agree with, in my job I see all sorts of people going on holiday or not. The majority of them just want to feel good in themselves and be healthier. Yes don't get me wrong the vast majority want to lose weight for some reason but it's not all about size and looks. Something I even have to tell myself daily. 

But in all honesty I believe that the media and everything else that we deal with in this day and age isn't good for the majority's mental stability and health. We all set ourselves on high ideals which can sometimes become unattainable. Once we realise this society should hopefully no longer be so false and advertising will be softer and less demeaning to the vast and ever changing majority of people. 

So don that bikini or shorts whether you're a size 0, size 6 or a size 22, (or guys a XS, M or a XXXL if you're comfortable in it and love your body as much as you should, then GO FOR IT, what's stopping you. 

That's enough of my ramblings. 

Cheers then, See ya. 

Beth xoxo