Tuesday, October 5, 2010

One sided view of health?

I am an avid blog reader.  I especially love blogs about living a healthy lifestyle and running.  Why?  Because I crave ideas for making the healthy living journey more interesting and fun - plus, seeing that there are others doing the exact same thing as me is motivation, pure and simple.  The big thing floating around the blog world right now is an article that appeared in Marie Claire.  I have read the article several times and feel like I need to provide my thoughts:
  • I don't read all the blogs of the "Big 6", as called by the writer (I have never heard these folks referred to as the "Big 6", that's news to me).  The ones I have read have provided me good information from food/recipe ideas, ways to change up a workout, and just good "ju ju".
  • It seems that the author went about this article opinion piece in the wrong way.  I would assume that she went to the blog writers with a completely different idea for her story, then chopped their responses to fit her needs.  This was wrong.  If you are going to write an article, you need to be sure it is an article - not a one-sided, rude, mean-spirited opinion piece.  The author does make some valid points about eating disorders, etc.  I think the approach was just wrong.  Because of her approach she has actually made her message even less important. 
  • Common sense and reality - period.  Yes, I sometimes become a little disappointed or discouraged with my progress in my running, healthy eating, etc. when I compare myself to these ladies.  But, each time I remind myself that we are all different - everything about each of us.  These differences should be celebrated and used to motivate.  All you have to do is use a little common sense when reading any blog and you will be just fine.
So, here's the final thing.  I hope that this one critical article doesn't keep people from writing about their healthy lifestyles.  I also hope it doesn't keep others from reading these blogs.  I genuinely believe that this article is an opportunity to inspire more folks to care more for their overall health and well-being.

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