As my X feed continues to populate with videos displaying the disgraceful behavior of pro-Hamas campus protesters across the country, I can’t help but notice how unattractive and unkempt they all seem to be.
In an era that celebrates obesity and poor health, I know these are not politically correct thoughts, but the uncomely appearance of student protestors is hard to ignore. Unsightly midriffs and unappealing piercings, which haven’t really been in vogue since the early ’90s, abound on these encampments. The masks don’t help.
I noticed this trend long before the protests littering college campuses. Many extreme activists — particularly those of the gender cult — seem to possess some sort of internal self-loathing, furious with a society that only acknowledges outer beauty.
I understand this anger and it’s not completely unjustified. As a fitness instructor who spent years in front of a camera, often wearing minimal clothing, I struggled with body dysmorphia for most of my life. I felt the constant pressure to lose just a few pounds. I always resented being directed to tell those working out with me at home that “this move will really whittle your waist” or that just a few more reps would help them “melt the fat away!” I hated the sales pitch of weight loss and the unrealistic standard of beauty pushed on women, particularly in Los Angeles where I lived.
My insecurities manifested on one side of the extreme, with endless exercise and food control. These protesters have landed on the opposite side of the spectrum. They have thrown in the towel altogether, displaying an utter disregard for their appearance or health. You don’t have to be a beauty queen to care about your appearance, but you should have more than an ounce of self-respect.
In her profound book, Love Thy Body, Nancy Pearcey outlines how pervasive hostility toward the body and biology fuels many leftist ideologies such as transgenderism, homosexuality, abortion, and euthanasia. She meticulously outlines how the mind-body split can drive activist behavior. Bringing the physical body in coherence with mental and spiritual bodies can help alleviate the discontent so many young people seem to feel today.
Physical Health Equals Mental Health
The link between physical and mental health is real. Studies have shown the positive effects on mental health that come with adopting a ketogenic diet, likely because healthy fats, as well as cholesterol, are the building blocks of hormones, key agents in mood regulation. Higher-protein diets have been linked to higher levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, brain chemicals that play a role in mood, motivation, and concentration. Extensive research has also determined that weightlifting can alleviate depression, particularly a feeling of worthlessness.
Undoubtedly, this is why many of these students are driven to activism. They have no sense of purpose. In an era when everything has been given to them and every comfort at their fingertips, they are desperate for meaning. Particularly the coddled children at an Ivy League school like Columbia that costs almost $70,000 a year before room and board, books and supplies, and other living expenses.
Some protestors demanded vegan food be delivered to their encampments. Diets that eliminate all animal products may be fine for some people who have time to prepare food with an eye toward proper food combinations that contain complete proteins.
But prepackaged highly processed vegan foods such as fake meat products, non-dairy ice cream, or any of the other vegan snacks are no healthier than their traditional counterparts. In fact, they are usually worse, filled with inflammatory ingredients such as seed oils and glucose-spiking carbohydrates, which can lead to unstable blood sugar and erratic moods.
A vegan donut is just as bad for you as a regular one. Slick marketers have simply convinced many that it isn’t. What these non-meat-eating children need is a good grass-fed burger, a set of heavy weights, and maybe a beer to help them lighten up.
In contrast, the young men at the University of North Carolina who prevented the American flag from falling to the ground, resurrecting it to its rightful place on the flagpole while singing the national anthem, all seemed to be relatively fit and, more importantly, joyful. Not every young man needs to be a frat boy or an Abercrombie and Fitch model, but physical and mental fitness contribute to a healthy sense of pride and something to aspire to, not disparage.
Health and Fitness Should Not Be Political
That doesn’t prevent corporate media from presenting working out as “far right” extremist behavior. “Physical fitness training, especially in combat sports, appeals to the far right for many reasons: fighters are trained to accept significant physical pain, to be ‘warriors,’ and to embrace messaging around solidarity, heroism, and brotherhood,” says MSNBC columnist Cynthia Miller-Idriss. Brotherhood and heroism. How awful! Yet a little bit of physical pain sounds exactly like what some of these so-called protestors need.
Health should be apolitical. Feeling strong and empowered is categorically good. Those who take steps to exercise sovereignty over their bodies tend to be less reliant on pharmaceutical drugs and less likely to become just another statistic in America’s “sick care” system.
According to one study, from 2007 to 2018-2019, the use of nearly all classes of psychiatric medications including SSRI’s, antianxiety medications, psychostimulants, and mood stabilizers roughly doubled among college-aged students. Post-lockdowns, we know these numbers have increased dramatically.
In an age of digital and information overload, the focus of health has morphed from the basics like eating nutritionally dense food and getting daily exercise to elaborate bio-hacking routines to optimize human potential. As a health nut, I’m into all the latest trends, but for most people, extreme measures are not necessary. Simply prioritizing the time needed to cook your food and treat your body like the gift that God intended it to be is enough. Put down the cream puff or the bagel with vegan cream cheese and pick up a couple of eggs and some weights.
Sadly, young bodies are filled with highly processed frankenfood and a cocktail of chemicals while their minds are filled with poisonous thoughts about colonialism and gender propaganda on social media. Along with new professors, they need a new diet and fitness routine.
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