This week we’re going to look at the relationship between health and aesthetics.
It’s an interesting topic because modern media would have us believe that aesthetics is the sign of good health.
Now the problem with that view of wellbeing is that people, understandably, struggle to meet aesthetic ideals. Our body shape, our commitments, our lifestyle and even our values all influence how we look.
And let’s face it, keeping a certain aesthetic as we go through various stages in life, is a task very few are able to master.
So let’s hear what Mother Nature has to say on the subject so we can gain some clarity, and maybe a little boost to our self confidence.
I hope you enjoy the show.
Chris: Welcome back to the show Mother Nature
Mother Nature: It’s great to be here Chris.
Chris: So this week I’d like to speak with you about where Aesthetics comes into health and wellbeing.
It’s rare for a client to come to me and ask if I can help them feel more energetic. Even for the ones that are clearly burnt out, they focus their attention on losing weight and getting fit, rather than balancing their energy.
So I wonder, Mother Nature, what are your thoughts on aesthetic goals?
Mother Nature: Well this question comes down to two separate areas of interest for me.
The first is one of Values. And the second being the relationship health has to aesthetics in the first place.
Where would you like to start?
Chris: Maybe let’s start with the latter and discuss the relationship health has to aesthetics. Then we can tackle Values after that.
Mother Nature: Ok, great.
First let’s make some clear definitions about health and aesthetics, so we’re talking the same language.
Chris: Okay.
Mother Nature: Aesthetics is all about how you look.
Health is all about how you feel.
This is a very important distinction that nature has. I’m not concerned about how things look. I’ve never made a creature with its looks in mind. Instead, I think about its function, how it can fulfil a niche and that it will thrive when doing so.
Its “looks” simply emerge naturally from this process.
Chris: So you don’t focus on aesthetics at all then. So why are humans so varied in how they look?
Mother Nature: Humans, over the millenia, evolved to thrive in many different environments. Therefore how a person looked tended to reflect the challenges of that environment.
Chris: Interesting. Can you explain a little more about how that relates to people today.
Mother Nature: Of course.
There are three broad body types of which everyone today is a mix of. These body types are the Mesomorph, the Ectomorph and Endomorph.
Are you aware of these classifications?
Chris: Yes, you mean the Somatotypes.
Mesomorphs tend to be broad shouldered and muscular. They put on muscle easily and lose excess body fat quickly too. Because of their athletic build, they tend to be what modern culture asks men to aspire to.
Ectomorphs tend to be tall and slender. They don’t put on muscle or fat very easily, so they can often eat lots and never seem to gain weight. Modern culture idealises this body type for women.
Then the Endomorphs tend to be shorter and stockier. They can put on muscle and/or fat very easily, finding it super hard to lose the latter. This body type tends to be villainized in modern culture, with people passing the most judgement over these body shapes as unhealthy.
Mother Nature: That’s correct Chris. These are the three main body shapes that are mixed together to make every person you see around you.
Now, you say the endomorph is judged for being unhealthy in modern culture. But that wasn’t always the case. In fact, your wild ancestors often held this body shape in great esteem.
If a woman for example was able to maintain muscle to be strong and at the same time store body fat easily, then they were much more likely to survive childbirth and feed that child through lean times.
So cultures that valued the resilience of a woman like this naturally became more dominant in that body shape, as her genes were more likely to survive than those of her more slender sisters.
Chris: And conversely, in areas of the world where food was abundant year round, but great distances were travelled regularly to gather it, then a more slender woman may have been better able to thrive.
Mother Nature: Precisely Chris. How a person looked emerged out of the demands of their environment. Short, tall, muscular. Slender or heavier set. It didn’t matter to your wild ancestors. What mattered was that you could thrive.
Chris: Wow. So now we’re a mixing pot of all these body types, what does that mean for us in terms of aesthetics?
Mother Nature: Excellent question Chris. Your environment has become one that is relatively equal across cultures. Survival is less about your physical makeup now.
This brings us back to our definitions around health and aesthetics.
If Aesthetics is about how we look. And how we look emerges as a result of our body type mix and our lifestyle. Then aesthetics is partially predetermined by our body type mix. And partially manipulatable through lifestyle.
Chris: Okay, that’s interesting. So someone with a shorter, stockier build that tends to put on weight easily is never going to look like a tall, slender, ectomorph. But through lifestyle changes there is a lot that can be done to change how they look. With hard work and dedication they can often get pretty close in slenderness in fact.
But I wonder. Does this equate to being healthy?
Mother Nature: Chris, this is why I enjoy talking to you. That’s exactly the right question.
Chris: Well of course it is! But, erm, why?
Mother Nature: Well how you look is only a small part of how healthy you feel. The bigger part is linked to your values.
The person you describe that is determined to have the aesthetic of an ectomorph needs to work much, much harder than the naturally slim body type person. So if she doesn’t really value that aesthetic, deep in her core, then the sacrifices she will have to make are likely to lead her far from what is truly healthy for her.
Chris: Ah! I’m getting it. Reaching a specific aesthetic goal should be something you truly value. Something that brings you joy to pursue. If that’s the case then chasing aesthetics could be very healthy for you.
But if you’re doing it because you feel you have to, or you have social pressure, or simply because you think that’s what you’re supposed to do, then the sacrifices you make are likely to be the things that would have brought true joy in your life.
Mother Nature: Exactly!
If how you look is a deep core value to you, then chasing an aesthetic goal can be very rewarding. Any of the body shape combinations can look slim or athletic if you eat, sleep and exercise in a way that promotes this shape to emerge.
This may meet your modern culture’s expectations of a man or a woman, but it is only healthy to achieve an aesthetic goal if doing so is a deep core value of yours.
You can be very healthy following my five guidelines of living slowly and sleeping deeply. Eating from nature’s plate. Exercising as if living in nature. Socialising in the physical company of others. And being kind to yourself. Yet not have ‘aesthetic perfection’.
If you follow my guidelines within your personal values, a healthy body shape will emerge and you’ll feel great too.
Chris: So I guess we really needed to ask the question “Do we truly value chasing aesthetics?”
And we may well answer “No” for some people.
Mother Nature: That’s correct Chris. When humans learn to follow their own values, rather than adhering to the values of others, you’ll finally learn to be healthy.
Chris: You’re so right. Physical and mental wellbeing require us to trust in ourselves and do what makes us feel good.
Okay, thanks for this insight today Mother Nature. I think it’s time for me to do a quick recap.
Mother Nature: Sure. Let’s see what you have today?
Chris: We started by asking Mother Nature what her thoughts were on Aesthetic goals. And, as usual, we didn’t get a superficial answer.
She said that Nature doesn’t care about aesthetics. Only humans do. How anything looks in nature is simply a product that emerges from thriving in an environment.
Our ancestors thrived in many environments. Many of them favoured people that could easily store excess calories as fat. In fact, if that is similar to your body type, then you are from a lineage of people that revered your genetics. We should celebrate that.
Now, these ancestors were healthy regardless, not because being overweight is healthy, but because they followed nature’s five rules AND they each focussed on how they felt, not how they looked.
Today the same should be true. Health is about how you feel, not how you look. If you want to feel good, then following nature’s five rules is a great starting point. But living by your values, which is all about being kind to yourself, is a key component.
So if you truly value how you look, and working on your aesthetics only makes you feel great about yourself, then I’d encourage you to keep doing so.
But if vibrant physical and mental health is all you really seek, and how you look is not a joy filled value of yours, then follow nature’s five rules and allow your natural aesthetic emerge. Because that’s what Mother Nature intended for you.
Mother Nature: Very nice Chris. And you make an excellent point.
How you look is a byproduct of how you feel. I made you so that you could thrive physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Socially. Environmentally and Spiritually.
If you live by what you value in each of these domains, then THAT is your true nature. Your aesthetic will simply be whatever mirrors those values.
That is what I intended for you.
Chris: Amazing!
Thank you so much for this conversation Mother Nature. Yet again I’ve enjoyed listening to your perspective. I look forward to speaking with you again soon.
Mother Nature: Me too. Bye for now.
What I hope you get from this conversation is a sense that however you look is just perfect in Mother Nature’s eyes.
If you’ve become overweight and your health is suffering, you don’t have to focus on aesthetics or try to look like anyone else. All nature asks of you, for better health to emerge, is that you follow her simple rules.
Live slowly and sleep deeply. Eat from Nature’s Plate. Exercise as if living in nature. Socialise in the physical company of others. And most importantly, be kind to yourself.
If you’re new to the show, then we’ve delved into each of these guidelines one by one in previous episodes. I’d encourage you to go back and listen to Mother Nature explaining each of them. The episodes are 15-20 minutes long, so it won’t take long to catch up.
If you want to learn more about developing your own health and wellbeing, we have other free resources available on our website at EmergentWellbeing.co.uk
We also provide 1-2-1 and group coaching services if you’re looking for a more personal touch.
Have a great week ahead and until next time remember, health emerges quite naturally when you allow Mother Nature to guide you.
