One of the most misunderstood (or maybe misrepresented) concepts in body positivity and in health and fitness more generally is the Health At Every Size (HAES) movement.

It's common to assume that it promotes unhealthy lifestyles and ignoring weight in the context of health.

That is definitely not true - it is saying that people should feel empowered to pursue health regardless of their weight and acknowledges that while weight is one crucial health marker, it is not the only important one.

So I am going to talk about the critical principles of HAES, why it is important, my experience with it as someone trying to lose weight and as a personal trainer, and how it applies to men.

A written version of this episode is available here.

Other key references:

• 2014 study in the Journal of Obesity on a weight-neutral approach to treating patients at high risk of type 2 diabetes