And as if the whole self-esteem, lack of respect and lack
of physical attractiveness to the opposite sex wasn’t bad enough, being
too skinny is bad for your health, too. As we discussed in the first chapter,
you are a skinny guy living in a fat world so most of the media attention about
weight related health issues is geared towards people who are overweight. In
fact, most people assume that being skinny is healthy…well certainly it
has to be healthier than being fat, right? Wrong! Being too skinny has just
as many health risks as being too fat and unfortunately not enough media attention
for the skinny guy to know about it.
For starters, even though you would like to believe that you are too skinny
exclusively because of genetics, the fact is that you probably aren’t
eating enough which means your body isn’t getting enough nutrients to
maintain proper cellular function. This coincides with a lowered immune system
which opens the door for being susceptible to a myriad of viruses and other
illness and taking longer to heal than most people.
Next on the list is the risk of osteoporosis which is a condition of thin, porous
bones. As you age and muscle tone decreases, your bones will become particularly
vulnerable to breaking because they are too thin and do not have adequate support
from your muscles to protect them. It is important to increase your calcium,
vitamin D and magnesium intake as well as increase weight bearing exercise in
order to prevent and counteract osteoporosis and maintain strong, healthy bones
throughout your life including in your old age. You don’t want to spend
your final days in and out of the hospital, wearing casts and/or sitting in
a wheel chair, do you? Anemia is another common health problem in those who
are underweight. Its main cause is not eating a healthy balanced diet that is
rich in iron (lean red meat, fortified cereals and green leafy vegetables are
your best sources).
Anemia is characterized by decreased blood cells and symptoms
may include: shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. Please check with
a doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing any of these symptoms and
be sure to include more of the foods listed above in your diet. The iron naturally
occurring in food is more easily assimilated in the body than iron in a vitamin
pill, so keep that in mind.
Other health risks associated with being underweight
are varied. Most hormones in your body, including sex hormones and those necessary
for proper brain function, need fat to be properly transported throughout your
system. Even though your main goal is adding lots of hard muscle to your body,
chances are that your body fat is also very low and may need to be improved
as well (don’t worry, you won’t be “getting fat”, the
muscle will all that anyone notices). Bodybuilders love to sculpt down to a
4% body fat (which is about the bare minimum for survival), but they usually
only do this for competition because having a little more fat on your body is
actually much healthier. Also, you will have a difficult time adding muscle
to your frame if you are starting out with a body fat percentage this low (more
info in the next chapter). You should strive for a range of 6 to 17%, especially
if you intend to increase your physical activity level.
