I Hate Abs! Out of Class Presentation

Just because someone has the "coveted" washboard abs does not mean they are fit.  Actually it is not very healthy at all.  I spoke to a small group of avid crossfitters about body image v.s. a healthy active body.  I chose this topic for several several reasons, but the main reason is health.  I see and hear about people doing crazy, not-so-healthy things to try and get those abs.

The information I presented revolved around understanding our body types, properly fueling our bodies, and loving the results you see (regardless of what you want to see).  All too often (I blame the media) people fall into comparing their body to those seen on T.V., movies, magazines, or on the internet.  This is a very dangerous game to play.  In an effort to look like someone else people will do very damaging things to their bodies.  One example of this would be a calorie deficient diet, some people also know this as starving yourself (eating less than what your body needs).  Some people will up the ante and add a dietary supplement known as a "fat burner" to the calorie deficient diet.  Both examples mentioned are very damaging to the body.
Our body needs fat. Yes we need fat.  If we have too little body fat there can be serious health problems.  For example, if women have less than 19% body fat they are now at risk of infertility, anemia, osteoporosis and many other adverse health problems.  I think it can go without having to be said that too much body fat is unhealthy, and adverse health problems exist.  There is an optimal body fat range for men and women, that range allows for optimal health and physical activity.  For women (I would argue) the range is 20%-30% body fat.  For men (I would again argue) the range is 10%-20% body fat.  If within those ranges your body type reveals abs then it shows abs.  If it doesn't, it doesn't, but  ABS DO NOT DEFINE FITNESS! Some of the most fit people I know do not have six packs, more like 2 or 4 packs.
I could go on and on about forgetting abs as the gauge to fitness.  If you want more info just let me know.

My call to action was to have people understand and value their body type.  To gauge fitness from what the body can do, not what it looks like.

It was very easy to present this information, as mentioned before I could go on and on about how I hate the obsession over abs.  The audience was receptive, they gobbled it up like it was their cheat meal (another bad "health habit" by the way).  The downside to the speech was the lack of feedback.  I spoke to such a selected group, on such a selected topic that the feedback I was looking for was minimal.  I received a lot of positive feedback, but if I do not know what I did wrong how can I correct it?  I had question upon question regarding diet or accepting their body type, which was an indicator of positive feedback.  Their questions showed that they were trying to act upon the information presented.
If I were to give this speech or one similar to it again, I would present it to an audience that is not overly obsessed with their fitness.  The group I presented to had an understanding of most of the things I presented.  If I were to present to a group who lacked understanding in most of my presentation I could then better gauge how well I adapted to my audience.  I would also have a larger margin to gauge the areas in which I could improve.