This is a really important question and its significance cannot be underestimated. This is because many people have had to deal with being defined, categorized, or labeled with these two words in particular.

I would go a step further and say that it has been a contributing factor to why most people have self image and/or “body dislike” issues.

Alot of us have zero control with respect to the body we have, that’s the bottom line. We all fall into 3 different body types: endomorph, ectomorph, and mesomorph.

Ectomorphs, endomorphs and mesomorphs. It’s what nature has given us through our parents. All 3 body type are different from one another but each one has a great advantage over the other. What I teach to clients on my  are the advantages and gifts they possess with their specific body type and how they can accentuate those great qualities while improving the qualities they naturally don’t have.

*** So it’s not fair to call someone a name or categorize them into a non-positive class because of something they can’t control.

In my opinion, these words are often used to body shame, insult, belittle and put someone in a category that isn’t often positive.

Some people might say that they do not say these words to others to be mean or negative but the fact is that no one takes being called fat or chubby as a compliment.

Yes, some people are fat and their health, lifestyle, and wellness might be in jeopardy so it is necessary to address it. But I am sure we all can agree that most people with weight challenges know they have them. Some are just stuck and need support, encouragement, and positivity.

When we put classifications, categories, or names onto people’s bodies that are deameaning and negative even if we think we are doing the right thing, it forces a mentality of “me (or us) against them”.

It’s one thing when some clients say to me, “I hate being fat and I want to change that”, but often they also follow up with a comment like, “I have always been chubby” or “I was a chubby kid and people made fun of me all the time”. It makes me sad for them because they have gone through a significant part of their lives feeling less than everyone else.

And it was absolutely unnecessary because those two words are different.

***Chubby is not often fat.

Chubby is defined as having a naturally high capacity for fat cells within the body while maintaining a normal human shape; usually resulting in a round face, curvy figure, and a softer, thicker body.

***Fat is not necessarily chubby.

Different from chubby, “fat” refers to the number of fat cells within the body that exceed the body’s natural carrying capacity, thus forming cellulite, rolls, etc. as the body no longer has space to store accumulated lipids.

(As defined by The Urban Dictionary and my experience as a health and fitness expert for 26 years.)

What if we start to consciously avoid these names and call people by their body types instead of through body appearances. In my view, this is judgement and none of us appreciate being judged.

If we learn about all the body types including our own, we might be able to understand why someone has a body that is different from ours and maybe we can see them more for the great qualities their body possesses, rather than use it as a judgment of what society has said is not popular.

Is it possible that squats are the cause?

Yes.

What??

True or false: Squats make your butt or booty bigger and firmer.

False. Squats will make your thighs bigger and your butt wider.

If your goal is wider, not firm and fuller, then squat away. But if your goals are to make your butt firmer, lifted, toned and fuller to compliment the type of body you have, please consider this:

1. Imagine – If you apply pressure to the top of a balloon, do the sides expand? Yes.
2. Visualize – If you go into a squat position and you place your palms on your butt, is your butt being pushed upwards or outwards?
3. Visualize – If you sit on the toilet, does the skin and flesh attached to you buttocks expand and stretch?
4. Thinking further – Do you believe that stretched skin can retract? Will it lose its ability to retract because collagen and elastin fibers become damaged from over-stretching? What effects might this have on bone density?
5. Thinking further – Bone density starts to diminish in women and men from the age of 30. If bone density loss occurs with age, what will happen over time to the skin around the bones when there is consistent weight being imposed on the area? How might the skin around the bones be effected around the butt, the area of the body that holds the most fat?
6. Connecting the dots – If fat pockets or cellulite are a result of the interaction between the connective tissue that lies just under the skin and the layer of fat just below it, is it possible for us to be unintentionally pushing the fat cells into a layer of the skin by doing squats?
7. Connecting the dots – In women, the fat cells and connective tissue are lined up vertically, while in men they are in a crisscross pattern. If you spread out or stretch a vertical line does it stay vertical?

When it comes to squats, these are some questions to consider and I encourage you to continue to do your own individual research on. Ultimately, my answer to many of these questions are based on the fact that there are more maybes to the question than absolute nos. There have not been any concrete studies in this area to dig more deeply into some of these initial questions. However, this does not mean that it is not possible that squats might be a cause of fat pockets or cellulite. We know that we can get stretch marks from lifting weights, so it might not be so far-fetched to think that it is also a possibility that we can get cellulite from some of the common exercises that we do.