Long post ahead: I think people need to be healthy, period.
Yet, the way we view health as well as our overall condition is problematic in our society of extremes. We have actoresses who have gotten tinier and tinier, atheletes and body builders who have gotten larger, leaner and more muscular (and not without the aid of drug use, I might add). There are more diets, diet food, and gym memberships then ever before, yet in america as a whole we are more obese then we ever have been. And other countries are following suit - we just happend to be the leaders. Anyone want to know why?
I would love to know why myself. I am not an expert on the subject, but I have an informed opinion. If I had to guess, I would guess that the reason we are so unhealthy has to do with 3 things - toxicity, social-economics, and psychology.
Toxicity: We live in a more toxic environment then ever before. The air we breathe and the water we drink are filled with garbage. Food companies are allowed to put more toxins in our food then ever before, and the FDA rubberstamps all of it. Toxins that end up in our body are stored as adapose tissue. If it wasn't stored, then all that poison would float around wrecking havoc on our system, making us sick or possibly killing us. So, our body creates more fat to store toxins as a defense mechanism. Losing fat, then, becomes an uphill battle with the more toxins and garbage we expose ourselves too.
Social-economics: I don't know if this is the right term, but basically I am refering to lifestyle. However, I am not refering to mere lifestyle choices because our societal structure has limited our choices, or at least made them more difficult. Most households have 2 working parents instead of one, and people are kept busy, busy, busy. So, taking the time to have home cooked meals, and taking the time to walk more and exercise more is becoming less of an option for many people. People just don't have the time because our middle class is erroding, so people are busy trying to pay bills. THis means more processed foods and fast foods, and less exercise time. This means more toxins in our diet, and less time to buy fresh foods and prepare fresh meals. People try to combat this issue through fad diets and consumerism; buying supplements, pills, diet plans, exercise equipment, and gym memberships. However, it just doesn't give most people the results because there are no quick fixes. What is needed is a lifestyle change that is harder and harder for many people to do these days.
Psychology: We have a extremest consumerist mentality in our society. We can't just eat right and be healthy. We all want to have rippling muscles, lean bodies, washboard abs, etc. We all want to look like the cover of a magazine. And we all want it right now. Most people don't want to accept the fact that due to genetics and lifestyle situations, they are never going to have the body of a god or goddess, and therefore should just try to live healthy every day and forget about the magazines. Most people, usually after the holidays, crash diet and hit the gym and buy all kinds of crap to try to make themselves look really healthy really fast. Then, when they don't attain their unrealistic goals, they get unmotivated and life takes over. They get "busy." And, with our extremest consumerist mentality, we PAID for that diet plan and gym membership, so dammit we should be bathing suit ready in 8 weeks. Well, I did that, so now I am entitled to gorge myself with all kinds of garbage because I EARNED it by dieting and exercising all that time. They of course neglect to tally the 3 months of sedentary behavior followed by 2 months of holiday gorging in their entitlement to reaching perfection in 8 weeks.
Well, you get the idea. What is required is a lifestyle change. But instead, because of our mentality, people go through fustrated cycles of crash diets and exercise plans, followed by apathy and unhealthy habits due to unattained goals that were unrealistic in the first place. People seem to flip back and forth between these cycles until total fustration causes them stop caring, and to REALLY let themselves go.
Yet, where should we stand on this issue as self-defense advocates?
I think that we first of all should not fall victim to the superficiality of idolizing the drug users of the athletic world, putting them up on the pedistal as the physical criteria that we all need to achieve. This is unrealistic and part of the problem rather then the solution.
What we do need to do is advocate a healthy lifestyle. Keep in mind that there are a lot of people who may not look like they are in shape, but who may be all around very healthy. Unless someone has to be wheeled in the room on a gurney, it isn't always evident by looking at them that they are unhealthy. There are a lot of people out there who don't look the part, but who are in better condition then others that do. You can't judge a book by it's cover. I also think it would be arrogent to say that you couldn't learn a self-defense concept or skill from someone who doesn't "look" in shape.
That all said, as combatants and as self-defense instructors, we can't ignore the fact that the better shape we are in, the better off we will be in a fight. So, being in shape should be a part of our self-defense plan. The better fighting condition we are in, the more likely we are to survive a violent encounter. We need to know this for the sake of ourselves and anyone we teach.
Paul
that the fat martial artists that this thread started out about could be a metaphor for the American Republic. We are strong in the defense of our freedom from domination from other powers, but may not always do as much as others to develop ourselves, be it in physical fitness, art, literature, science, or whatever. 
what about differently-abled persons? How do these people protect themselves ... from themselves? And should they DARE to teach self-defense?
