There is an ignorant and pompous assumption that is going round that I keep trying to correct. It recently came to a head with the death of a popular pastor...and people just going ...oh see his size, of course it was bound to happen.

Like, seriously?

See...your size isn’t a sole determinant of whether you're liable for a heart attack or stroke. Please stop it.

Stop feeding into the commercialization of body weight!

I am not obese. I was skinny. I was active. Yet... I suffered hypertension. I went into a coma. I could have died. I could have become a vegetable. But...I only lost my memory.

On the surface, because of my size...nobody would have believed I was unhealthy. If I had died, it would have been a case of ahhh...she was so young and full of life. God save us from wicked people.

It's not village people or the devil. It was me. The poor relationship I had with stress. My lack of understanding of what my body was about or what it could do. My inability to master myself and circumstances.  My ignorant willingness to be controlled by external forces. It was all me...and psssssst...had NOTHING to do with my weight.

That's like putting the cart before the horse.

See...everybody is a candidate for hypertension, heart attacks or strokes. EVERYBODY!
You can cast and bind all you want. The "angels" will just be watching you with amusement. It's more to do with your lifestyle. Your habits. The things you do or don’t do. That's what matters.

It’s NOT your weight.

If you don’t understand your body. If you can’t interpret or you choose to ignore signals...it’s up to you.

Stop body shaming people.

It takes the focus from what is key.

Which is taking care of yourself...regardless of your size.

I didn’t. I didn’t even know I needed to. I felt I was healthy for days, so I didn’t care and it reflected in my lifestyle. And my body couldn’t take the abuse anymore...it shut down, to keep me alive.

I am grateful for that. For second chances. Woe betide me if I misuse it.

But, a lot of you here are dangerously toeing that path.
You need to be careful.

We all aren't meant to be slim. Some of us are meant to be plus size. Just make sure you are the healthy version of whatever size you are.

Because you are slim or skinny or thin...you feel you are automatically healthy...or healthier?
Lookachuuuuuu shaming another because they're plus size. Judging them.

Just lookachuuuuuu. I laugh at your tomfoolery.

Don’t be deceived by your size, by wellness fads or even by your religious rantings. Do right by yourself ...for you and your loved ones.

The same God you pray to...gave you a brain and an intelligent body equipped with tools to keep you alive and well. Don’t be unfortunate...use what you have been given. Wisely. Eishhhhhh

#wellnessboss

Kris Ero writes from The Wellness Interactive Network Lagos, Nigeria