A lot of people misunderstand the concept of fitness.
Especially in the Western world (and even more specifically, in the United States).
We tend to think of everything in terms of getting what we want right now, for the least amount of effort possible.
We want quick fad diets, we want instant results today, and we want to enjoy both sides of the coin…
We want our unhealthy habits, but we want to look and feel amazing in the process.
Obviously, this doesn’t describe everyone.
In fact, you may be reading this, and you may think to yourself:
“Yeah, I totally agree. That makes sense!”
But here’s the thing.
This generally wrong idea about dieting may also be affecting your health outcomes without you even knowing it.
And the reason is simply this:
In our culture, junk food and sedentary lifestyle habits have really become the acceptable norm.
And to a point, they’re so normal that it can be really hard not to follow them.
Nowadays, more and more people see grabbing fast food and sitting on the couch watching TV shows every night as ‘normal.’
Why do they see it as normal?
Because it IS normal.
And this is really part of the problem.
What Is The Solution To Lasting Fitness?
The solution is pretty simple.
If you want different fitness results than you’ve ever gotten—it stands to reason that you’re going to have to do things that you’ve never done before.
It means that you may need to stop thinking of certain common aspects of ‘the American way of life’ as ‘normal,’ and start thinking of them as unhealthy instead.
Just a few examples of this are:
- Eating fast food
- Drinking sugary energy drinks and soda
- Drinking alcohol
- Buying processed frozen foods that warm up in the oven or microwave
- Not engaging in some pretty rigorous aerobic exercise on a daily basis
- Not being really ‘in the know’ about exactly what your diet macros are, and what kinds of proteins, fats, and carbs you’re actually consuming on a daily basis
Now, with all of that being said—it’s also true that if you live a mostly healthy lifestyle, you can indulge in some of these luxuries from time to time without worrying about it destroying your health, wellness, or fitness.
But it’s also true that when we engage in these luxurious, sedentary-type activities on a daily basis—well, it’s little wonder that our health and wellness are going to get thrown out of whack.
So here are some habits that we probably should start treating as not just a ‘normal’ part of life—but perhaps even as mandatory daily habits.
If we were more set on the idea of taking these types of habits more seriously—we would all probably be looking at much better health and wellness outcomes.
- Eat whole foods (unprocessed meat, vegetables, and fruits)
- Drink water and drinks that don’t contain sugar (like coffee, tea, etc.)
- Only drink alcohol sparingly, and on special occasions
- Buy only whole foods to eat at home—not processed foods or frozen foods
- Make it a requirement, every day, to take part in some aerobic activity
- Make it a requirement to understand your diet and fitness plan (make a plan for calories, exercise, etc.)
Now, these aren’t necessarily easy habits to take seriously.
Why?
Because they fly in the face of everything we perceive as being ‘normal’ in everyday life in America.
But—if we get serious about them, and fix our wellness issues at the habit level… well, then we may actually be able to turn it around, take back control of our health and fitness, and skip the fad diets altogether.
