Bulging biceps and 6-pack abs are no longer in – now it’s all about the dad bod! “What is a Dad bod”, you ask? Are they only relevant if you’re actually a dad? Many people don’t know whether it’s an insult or a compliment; or is it something else completely? Let’s find out.
Fact: we all want to look ‘good’, but who decides what ‘good’ means? This usually depends on where you live, and what the popular opinion of the current times is. Up until recently, bulging biceps, 6-pack abs and a tight waist has been the popular idea of what a man should look like.
But this popular opinion can change at any time, depending on many different factors: introducing the “dad bod”. This idea of what a man should look like has men everywhere cancelling their gym contracts and buying more cases of booze – but what does this mean in terms of health?
The dad bod breakdown
The article: Why Girls Love the Dad Bod, by Mackenzie Pearson, brought this idea to mainstream attention and says that the Dad bod is a body that is:
- “A balance between a beer gut and working out.”
- The dad bod says, “I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time.” It’s not an overweight guy, but it isn’t one with washboard abs, either.”
At first glance, this sounds pretty good for men. They no longer have to spend hours in the gym trying to look like Channing Tatum! Instead they can rather relax and have a few extra drinks with their buddies.
In moderation, this may not be a big problem, but if it’s taken too far this trend could signal the tip of the iceberg of a health crisis.
The dad bod gone wrong
Even if you don’t want to look like you’ve been sculpted out of stone, you still need to live an active, healthy life to keep your body working effectively. Drinking too much alcohol and becoming a couch potato can lead to:
- Obesity – and you don’t need to be monstrously overweight to be in the danger zone!
- Slowing down of your metabolism – setting you up for a range of lifestyle illnesses
- Liver and kidney problems
- Diabetes
- Heart conditions
- Hypertension
None of these sound attractive. All the media coverage has turned this into a new “must-have” and that’s not what it’s about.
The actual dad bod
It’s been documented that new fathers will put on some weight – mainly due a necessary changes in lifestyle. Once you have children to look after, your priorities change. You may find yourself less active, because you can’t spend the same amount of time working out; you could also lose some muslce tone, as your activities change from lifting dumbells, to lifting your 5-year old. That doesn’t mean you’re definitely going to be unhealthy.
What you need to know:
The hidden message in the Dad Bod rage is simple: when men spend 4 hours a day looking massively ripped and only eating egg-whites, it puts pressure on women to diet dangerously in order to stay attractive. Somewhere in the middle of all this lies a healthy medium for everyone.
The bottom line? The “Dad Bod” should only refer to men who are actually dads! A 21-year-old drinking and doing no exercise because he believes that this is what women want, is causing long-term damage to his health. Stick to regular exercise, healthy eating and smart drinking – maybe just lighten up on the weights?