The US is in such a mess right now when it comes to health that I would almost prefer not to write about it and I’m sure that you would prefer not to read about it. Everyone knows that obesity is a problem, yet we tend to just sweep it under the carpet because we don’t understand why we the problem won’t go away. In theory, the solution is simple.. All we have to do is “eat less and workout more,” right? Well, yes, but the answer today seems to be more complicated than that. Harping on personal responsibility has done little to change the rapid increase in obesity and diabetes in the past few decades. The reason is that there are a number of different factors involved. As is the nature of this site, our first step should be to stop and look at where our culture has taken us.
We live in a country that idolizes perfection. In a material world, image is everything. In this kind of environment, nobody wants to be fat, never mind the fact that most people are (In America today, two out of three people are overweight and one of three people are obese1)! We are constantly bombarded by billboards and commercials that seem to preach perfection. They might as well say “if you are not under 10% body fat and have six pack abs then you are neither healthy nor attractive.” This results in 300 million Americans, 200 million of which are overweight, chasing an imaginary mirage of beauty. We envy the French ability to “eat whatever they want and not get fat” so much that we have created a term for it, “the French paradox.” On the other side of the spectrum we see an “American paradox” emerging where the harder we try to be healthy as a people, the further out of reach this goal becomes. We have become an unhealthy people obsessed by the idea of eating healthy and obsessing on the problem appears to cloud our ability to see the solution.
It is hard for us to make any progress in regards to our health for 3 main reasons:
- We are impatient – In America things are usually streamlined, efficient and fast. We are impatient because we are used to seeing results right away. You could almost call us the drive-thru society. If a new diet doesn’t produce results in under two weeks, we give up. There are many healthy weight loss programs that do work, they just take time. If you are hoping to lose 30 pounds in a week, you are only setting yourself up for failure. When you lose weight that fast, it is not fat that you are losing. Instead you lose mostly water and muscle; consequently the weight can come back as quickly as you lost it. Have realistic expectations. One to two pounds per week is a better goal. Such a goal will ensure that you lose mostly fat but also keep your motivation high which will help you stick with the program longer than 2 weeks.
- We are confused as to what we should eat.
- We are easily duped – being confused, impatient, and worried about our image turns out to be a bad combination. Our image is so important to us that we will fight against our expanding waistlines much like a young person fights off hair loss, in desperation. It makes it incredibly difficult to overcome a challenge when you are in a panic and can’t think rationally. In such a state we will try anything and are easily taken advantage of. We are taken advantage of by doctors and nutritionists and food companies all who have found out just how easy it is to sell us their revolutionary new diet or gimmick. Nowadays “a scientific study, a new government guideline, or a lone crackpot with a medical degree can alter this nation’s diet overnight.” This is the only explanation for the success of diets such as “the grape diet,” “the cabbage diet,” and “the brown rice diet.”
We have lost common sense when it comes to eating. In the US people seem to fall into one of two extremes: either we try to eat healthy out of an obsessive compulsion or we are apathetic towards what we eat and don’t differentiate at all between our food. I have found myself in both of these categories at different points in my life and neither are good. Try to find a balance somewhere in-between. We have somehow arrived at an age where we need a doctor or scientist or nutritionist to tell us what to eat. LU-DI-CROUS. Let’s bring back some common sense to one of the greatest sources of joy in this life.. Eating. Also let’s get moving. We weren’t made to be sedentary. Most things deteriorate rapidly without use and our bodies are no different; they are like a car and intended to be driven. In this section, I will also share workouts and different ways to get in shape that can fit into the busiest of schedules.
