Our environment is conspiring against us!

Everybody knows the basics of being healthy. Move your body. Exercise a few times a week and get a sweat on. Lift heavy things with good form. Eat healthily. Lots of vegetables and fruit. Avoid processed foods as much as possible. Anything with a million weird sounding ingredients is not going to be good for you. Drink plenty of water. Get a good nights sleep. Don’t smoke, don’t drink too much. There you go, easy right? Well, why are so many people overweight, weak and getting ill from lack of movement?

Well, one reason is the environment we live in. It is doing its damnedest to stop us from getting our bodies into tip-top shape. This even has a name, an Obesogenic Environment! Here environmental factors are influencing what we eat and how much physical activity we get. Count the number of burger or pizza places in your town as opposed to places specialising in salads or healthier foods. Our work life is now more sedentary than ever. Most people spend the majority of their time on their bums. We have filled our office buildings and shopping centres with lifts and escalators so we don’t have to climb stairs anymore. We all have cars so we can drive our kids to the school gates and then park as close as possible to work or wherever we’re heading. When you go to the supermarket, which parking spots are filled up first? Yes, the ones nearest the doors.

The health and fitness world helps to muddy the waters further. We are constantly overloaded with information and contradictions. Something is good one week and causes cancer the next. We are bombarded with images of the perfect body. Instagram is full of six packs and bootilicious bottoms! These results are so far off what most of us normal people can achieve and make us feel worse about ourselves. We’re also told we can get beach ready in 6 weeks! Get ripped and pile on the muscle with my bodybuilding 4 weeks 100% money back guaranteed Baywatch babe booty boot camp! AHHHH!

So what to do? Well, my best bit of advice is to just start. Start eating better one step at a time. Start standing for a bit longer. Start walking further. Then you need to make a plan. Why are you doing this? Write down the reasons. My doctor has told me to do it. I want to be healthy for my children. I want to do a 10k. I want to deadlift my bodyweight. It has to be personal to you. You need to keep this prize in mind. Put it on a post it note somewhere where you’ll see it everyday.

Realise now it’s going to take time. Maybe lots of time. But remember the effort you put in now, will give you that time back towards the end of your life when you are fitter and healthier than you would have been. Try out different forms of exercise. There are loads of different things out there. Dance classes, martial arts, running clubs and weightlifting. Find one you like and you’re more likely to stick with it. Learn about food and cooking. Learn you make foods that you like that are healthy.

Lastly, if in doubt ask for help. That coworker who used to be overweight but now runs marathons. Your doctor, nutritionist, fitness instructor, friend or partner. Talk to them. A problem shared is a problem solved.

You CAN do this so let’s get going!!!