With summer rapidly approaching, the topic of staying skinny has resurfaced in popular media, leading to responses from Upper School students.

A private Facebook group, “Abs for Laguna,” created by seniors in preparation for the annual senior class trip to Laguna Beach in May, has gained popularity on campus, reflecting an increased concern about health and size on campus as well.

Daniela Lee (12), the starter of the group, believes that exercising is key to morale.

“It’s all for self-confidence, we want to feel good about ourselves and if our insides are working well our outsides will look beautiful, and we’ll be healthy,” Daniela said, specifying that health is the end goal, not becoming skinny.

The emphasis on fitness often triggers controversy when popular media equates beauty to physique. To Jessica Susai (9), although staying fit is important for one’s health, simply being slim is overrated.

“Today, in the media, ‘skinny’ is considered a lot more beautiful, which isn’t true at all,” Jessica said.

To combat the often media-set expectations a certain body shape, many organizations have started “Body Loving” campaigns, such as the Dove Real Beauty Campaign; however, the program is almost solely dedicated to “listening to women,” as their website states.

Both Daniela and Jessica point out that exercising is critical to staying healthy. In fact, fitness can stave off diseases, such as diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), a sedentary lifestyle combined with consumption of high levels of sugar can lead to Type II diabetes, a condition in which the pancreas cannot secrete enough insulin to stabilize blood glucose levels. The ADA reported in 2012 that 29.1 million Americans had diabetes, with 1.7 million new cases per year.

Obesity, which can is a common side effect of poor exercise and diet, affected 20.5 percent of youths between 12 and 19 years old in 2012, according to Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. The study classified an individual as obese when the person’s body mass index (BMI) fell in the 95th percentile of sex-specific CDC BMI-for-age growth charts.

Physically beneficial, exercise can also have key mental benefits. Basketball player Abhay Varmaraja (10) claimed that staying in shape through practice and offseason weight training improves self-esteem.

“[Working out] definitely improves [confidence],” Abhay said. “The fact that you can work out and lift weights helps you feel like you can do more. The social image just comes as a side benefit.”

Methods of staying fit vary among the students at the Upper School. While some students participate in school sports and activities to remain in condition, others exercise at the gym regularly.

Sophomore lacrosse player Alayna Richmond frequently integrates her team practice routine with frequent workouts at the gym.

Those surveyed believed that, while many pursue fitness for the social benefits, the health benefits are more meaningful.

“It’s not just about looking fit, but being fit and able to run really fast or [being] strong,” Samyu Yagati (12) said. “I exercise because it’s fun and it makes me feel more ‘chirpy.’ I eat healthy because it’s a good life habit.”

Counting calories has also become a popular trend in dieting and watching weight. Ashir Bansal (12) watches how many grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat he eats every day.

“I’m currently trying to lower my body fat [to watch his weight], so I’m working out, and I’m also eating a certain calorie intake a day,” he said. “I aim for about 2000 calories a day, which is 300 more than what I would eat just to survive.”

Processed foods, altered for convenience, can contain added sugars, salts and fat. Some students actively attempted to remove such foods from their diets. Soccer player Kedar Gupta (10) viewed staying healthy as a combination of sleep and diet.

“I’m sort of a naturalist in the sense that [I believe] you shouldn’t eat too much processed food or sleep super late because that’s not what your body’s used to,” Kedar said. “I feel like eating is only half the battle; it’s only one way to keep you healthy.”

Several students in the “Abs for Laguna” group recently adopted the military diet, a three day diet that claims to be “a fast way to lose up to 10 pounds a week,” according to its website. Its regimen details specific meals to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the course of the three days. Exercising caution, they are trying the diet to shed some weight.

While the movement to slim down for summer carries social implications, another movement to encourage body positivity and exercise caution with dieting is catching steam.

This piece was originally published in the Winged Post on April 22nd.

Additional reporting by Maya Kumar.