Health is sexy. Have you heard this catch phrase before? Maybe from the same friend that posts “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” on their Facebook page (I’d argue there are a lot of things that taste better than sweating it out on the treadmill each night). They say it in an almost boastful way, using it to remind you that they’re healthy and you’re not. As annoying as it is, there is in fact some evidence that it’s actually true. That a healthy body really is a sexy one.

Is it superficial for a girl to ogle AFL players running round in their short shorts? How about for a guy to fall for a girl because she’s got a smoking hot body? You might well think so, but I argue that it’s just basic human biology.

Follow me on this…

From birth we all follow a simple rule of human biology. Under that rule we have just one goal in life, that goal is to pro-create. We are put on this earth to further our species by giving birth and protecting that child until it’s able to fend for itself, have its own offspring and repeat the cycle. And it’s not just humans that follow this pattern; every living creature seeks out this same goal of furthering their species. Just as nature intended.

So then why is health sexy? Given that our one life goal is to pro-create, we are naturally attracted to partners who will be best suited to make that happen. Males look for females with good birthing hips and females look for strong guys who can protect their off spring. The reason the muscle bound hunk looks attractive is simple: those muscles show he is strong enough off fend off predators.

Now these impulses are no longer relevant in a world where humans have no real predators. These basic instincts however are still hard-wired in our DNA. Just like how we are hard-wired to treat sugar as gold because it’s a great fuel source in times of famine.

Apart from a curvy physique and Arnie like muscle, how else does this basic biological rule serve us? Females who are overweight are on average less fertile that those of a healthy weight. So a female with less fat is a more attractive partner than those who are obese. You may be mistaken for assuming that this means ‘skinny is attractive’, but in fact it’s the healthy body that really turns us on; as they offer the best chances of producing off spring and furthering the species.

Those who believe that as humans we are deeper and more thoughtful than this may claim they chose their partner because “he is so caring…” or perhaps because “I was attracted to his intelligence”. And although I don’t question that had something to do with it, you may notice that a caring and intelligent man will likewise be well suited to a life of protecting their young. He is smart enough to ward off predators and will care for the infant as it grows. Hence furthering the species.

Skinny is not attractive, muscly isn’t attractive… Health is. Think about that the next time you’re skipping breakfast to lose weight or doing grueling runs on the treadmill. What are you really trying to achieve?

Keep an eye on part II of this blog where I’ll answer the question of how to become sexy (through being healthy of course). Funnily enough this has nothing to do with running on a treadmill or starving yourself thin.

Chris – Exercise Physiologist