I have been fascinated by this latest season of the Biggest Loser. Those who don’t know what this is – GOOD! It’s a US TV show where obese people compete to lose the biggest amount of weight in a limited amount of time. The one who wins is called the Biggest Loser and walks away with lots of cash. It’s full of tears and melodrama and people who are overweight – why do I watch it???
True, a strong influencing factor is that it seems to be on just after I’ve put my one year old to bed – my brain and body feel numb and all I want to do is veg out on the sofa watching trash. This seems to be the only thing on at that time but of course it isn’t – I could watch the news, or the House of Commons enquiry into phone hacking, or I could practise my Chinese by watching a cheesy soap opera set in ancient China (the kind of one where strong men with accentuated jawlines shout at each other in front of women with pretty painted faces… probably something about honour? My Chinese doesn’t stretch that far yet :-)).
No. I choose the Biggest Loser. I guess it’s a form of voyeurism and because as humans we are drawn to the power of transformation? I get moved to see people who were lost recover their inner strength and reconnect with their bodies.
As a Nutritional Therapist this is of course all I want people to do – connect with their bodies and acknowledge what’s going on inside. Rather than feed their body trash they should respect it enough to give it the nutrients it needs to thrive. Should I do the same with my brain though? I also do Reiki and there you are told that what you nourish your soul with is as important as the food you feed your cells – should I not watch the Biggest Loser every night and do something useful and constructive instead?
I tell you (and myself) just this – nobody can be useful and constructively engaged ALL of the time… 🙂