by Michael Rapson

We live in a toxic health and fitness environment.   What do I mean by this?  Most of the behaviors we adopt are a product of how we live. 

Social influences and how we think, plays major roles in this.  Our environment shapes the processes of how we live life.  This includes family, friends, home, work place, school, entertainment (television, radio, games, movies, social media, etc.), as well as communities and culture in general. 

From a young age, we observe what others do.  We learn from our parents, friends, family, and other influences.  We emulate the actions of others.  Most often, we emulate the ones we look up to or the ones we are around the most.  And their choices tend to shape our own. 

Now, this isn’t the case all of the time.  You do have choices.  But it’s often easier to do just do what others have done or are doing.  We gravitate to what’s easiest, and what feels good.  Even if it does us harm. 

You've probably been taught that eating healthy and moving is good for you.  Because it is.  Yet, we don’t always do it.  And it’s not all your fault.  The world has changed.   Some for the better, but often for the worst.  At least when it comes to our health. 

Think back to a hundred years ago.  How did they live?  Most people had manual jobs, were growing their own food, spending time outside, walking to where they needed to go, and had town social events where people gathered, danced and played.

Since then, technology has been on the rise.  We shifted from walking to where we wanted to go, to driving.  Jobs shifted from agricultural to more service oriented.  And technology started making things easier for us, and gave us entertainment.  This changed how we live. 

When was the last time you walked somewhere, or grew your own food?  If you have, I bet it’s not often.  Or you did it out of novelty, instead of necessity.

Among the leading causes of death in the United States, lack of physical activity and a poor diet is the culprit. 

Small movements that we once did, we no longer do anymore or have been reduced to make things easier and faster. 

Food is everywhere.  We no longer have to search for it, or grow it ourselves.  Companies spend millions of dollars each year to make it taste better, be more palatable, and reduce the amount it costs to produce to make more money. 

Let’s take a look at physical activity, or the lack thereof. 

Short trips are taken by car, when once they were riding a bike or walking.  This decreased our calorie expenditure by 50 to 300 calories per day. 

Push mowers switched to riding mowers, and reduced about 100 calories burned. 

Automatic car washes reduced another 100 calories. 

Hours spent on entertainment, like excessive television or movies, reduced another 200 or more calories. 

And then we get to computer and phone use, which could be upwards of another 50 to 300 calories per day not burned. 

Small movements add up too. 

Like using a button to roll car windows down instead of using a handle; doing dishes by dishwashers instead of by hand;  or getting out of the car to walk into a bank or restaurant instead of the drive through. 

When we used to get out of a car to ring the doorbell at a friend’s house to pick them up, now it’s turned into a text while we sit in the car.  Even modern day architecture reduces calorie expenditure, like use of escalators or elevators.  Our jobs have become more sedentary as well. 

Then we factor in our diet.  High caloric foods are easy to come by.  We put more on our plates, and the seemingly healthier foods we choose, have become less dense in nutrients because of mass depletion of our soil due to mass production.  Drinks have become high in sugar, making it easier to drink our calories.  Things like sodas, fruit juices, and even coffee.  It’s no wonder we are in trouble! 

You and I know that things won’t go back to the way they were.   People will find easier ways to do things, and streamline their efforts to become more productive in the things they want to concentrate on. 

Our society has changed.  There are problems we face, and it's up to you to understand why.  As things become easier, weight increases.  So, with a problem comes a solution. 

Gyms and health clubs were created to help people battle the sedentary lifestyles that have been created.  You see them everywhere.  All battling each other to get you to come into their facility or do their program. 

Science has gotten better to tackle these problems to create the best programs to battle weight gain.  Yet, even with these facilities and programs, you still have to go and do it.  You have to counter your lack of movement, by creating focused movement.  You have to counter a bad diet, with a good one. 

Well, for most people, this is hard.  Our environment is stacked against us.  

A reshape of your environment is now what's needed. 

Some things are out of your control. 

And yet, many things are within your control. 

How you move, what you eat, and how you spend your time, all are within your control. 

Because of this, you can decide to change how you do things.   Often though, when you decide to change, there becomes obstacles to overcome.  Mainly, the obstacles come from your own mind.  It’s what is decided to get done that matters, and the priorities that you put on them. 

This is the cycle most people go through when they decide to change their lives.

1. Contemplate exercise or diet
2. Realize the need for exercise and better diet
3. Consider fitness course and diet plan
4. Enroll in a fitness course and diet plan
5. Participate in exercise and eat better
6. Course ends
7. Stop exercising and eating well
8. Find excuses for not exercising or eating well

…..And then back to step one. 

This becomes a vicious cycle, but choosing the right program that works for you can stop this.  In spite of the best intentions people have, they make unhealthy choices daily.  And that leads to barriers to making change happen. 

The most common reasons are:

• Procrastination – We tend to think that tomorrow, next week, or after the holidays is the best time to start.

Tip:  Ask yourself:  Why wait when you can start today?  Making the choice to start now, fast tracks the process.  Lack of motivation is usually a key factor in procrastination.

• Preconditioned cultural beliefs – We accept that we are product of our environment, and our cultural beliefs and physical surroundings play a big role in that barrier to change.  In some parts of the world, people use bikes or walk to do the things they do.  In the U.S., few people do this, unless they are children.  And even now, children are adopting sedentary behaviors.

Tip:  Find people that are like-minded that have healthy habits in place, or seek out help from a coach to support your need for change.  Finding people who are willing to go on your journey with you, can go a long way.

• Gratification – Most people prefer instant gratification to long-term benefits.  They will over-eat (instant pleasure) instead of using self-restraint to eat moderately to prevent weight gain (long-term satisfaction).  Another example of instant gratification:  They exercise, feel great during, and then reward themselves with unhealthy food after.

Tip:  Think ahead and ask yourself:  How did I feel the last time I did this behavior?  How did it affect me?  Did I really feel good about myself or the results I got from it?  Was it worth it?

• Risk complacency – Consequences of unhealthy actions often don’t come up until years later.  We can tell ourselves, “If something happens, I’ll deal with it later.  Even it’s heart disease.  For now, I’ll just eat, drink, and be awesome.”

Tip:  Ask yourself:  How long do I want to live?  What type of health do I really want?  What do I want to able to do later, when I’m 60, 70, or 80 years old?

• Complexity – We can think that the world or what we are trying to do is too complicated.  Things can seem too overwhelming.  Things like getting exercise, reducing calories, eating better, controlling use of substances like drugs or alcohol, managing stress, getting health check-ups, or working on spiritual, social, and emotional wellness.

Tip:  Take it one step at a time.  Work on one behavior at a time, instead of trying to take it all on at once.

• Indifference and helplessness – A defeatist thought process can often take over.  We may believe that the way we live won’t really have an impact on our health, or we have no control over our health, or our genes determine our outcome.

Tip:  The leading causes of death in the U.S. is preventable.  Only you can take control of your personal health and lifestyle habits that have an effect on your quality of life.  Implement strategies that change your behavior, or seek professional help to learn how.

• Rationalization – We may think that we are already practicing healthy behaviors.  We think that we exercise enough, or are eating well.  In reality, a lot of us aren’t getting sufficient exercise, aren’t eating well, don’t have good relationships, or think we don’t drink/smoke/get high often enough to have adverse effects on our health.

Tip:  Learn to recognize lifestyle habits.  Face the fact you may not be living the life you want, and that you have to face the problem and commit to change.  Analyze your behaviors through daily logs and see what can be done to minimize self-defeating practices.

• Illusions of invincibility – We can, at times, think unhealthy behaviors will not harm us.  We can do what we are doing now, and then change later to reverse the effects of what we have done.  When in fact, it all adds up.  The damage we have done to ourselves, may not be reversible.  Things like drinking, smoking, and drugs can take its toll on the body.  Even bad eating.  Cardiovascular disease is just one example.

Tip:  Start change now!  No one is immune to disease, sickness, and tragedy.  The younger you are, the better the chance of having a healthier life.  Even if you are older, you can still change and see benefits.  Initiating change now will help with your quality of life, and may help you live longer. 

Most of the clients I have had, come to me when they are middle aged.  They realize that what they did when they were younger is now affecting their lives or are frightened that if they don’t change, their quality life isn’t going to be good in the future. 

While some of us exercise for vanity purposes, that shouldn’t be the sole premise of why we should change.  Understand that a healthy life has more to do with how your body functions, how you feel, and the quality of life being healthy can bring you.

Your environment doesn’t have to dictate your outcome.  You can choose to change your life, take control over what you put into your body through diet, and choose to exercise for better health and vitality. 

Every small step adds up. 

So instead of thinking you are stuck in the environment you live in, choose to change to it.  You have the power to dictate how your life is going to be.  The question now becomes, what are you going to do change your life for the better?

References:  Hoeger, W. W., & Hoeger, S. A. (2008). Principles and Labs for Fitness and Wellness (Ninth ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

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