We Are a Sick Lot

Our modern lifestyles are sedentary compared to those of our ancestors whose lives were full of hard physical activity just to meet the daily demands of living. These physical demands where replaced by automation and our lifestyles now are mostly devoid of anything that resembles physical labor or ‘work’.

It is ironic that this vigorous physical movement that has always been present in the lives of humans up until the 20th Century is what we need to stay strong and healthy. Now that it has been removed the mechanism that stimulates the hormones (the chemical messengers) is no longer there to instruct every cell, organ, system and process in the human body to renew, rebuild, repair, or replace themselves.

This means we are exposed to disease and illness along with rigors of aging and degeneration much sooner than we should. It is unlikely that any of us would really want it this way, and it is not something that we would want to pass on to the future generations. But already it has been predicted that children being born now will have a shortened life span of 20-30 years.

It is also a fact that every second person on this planet has a chronic ‘lifestyle’ disease or illness and many of those have multiple conditions that are making their lives a misery. Two thirds of us are overweight and many more obese. Others lack energy, feel listless and unmotivated to become more active But the very worst part is nobody really is talking about it least of all the medical profession or especially the food industry.

Could it be that these businesses are motivated financially to keep the supply of sick people coming as what do they have to gain if people suddenly started to become well and healthy? How could we let ourselves become so unhealthy?

It isn’t as if we don’t know about the importance of proper exercise and its role in keeping us healthy. Now that we have removed the ‘work’ we need to replace it with something similar and strength maintaining exercise is the closest thing we have. It is relatively easy for us to replace this necessary component of our lives.

But why are people failing to take notice of these facts? How do they think they can get away with doing virtually no exercise day after day after day? They drive to work, sit all day, drive home then sit motionless in front of a television or some other screen for hours then go to bed. The human body just falls apart with this type of lifestyle.

Then when we get the dreaded diagnosis of some killer disease it is “I want all the tests man, give me the works” or “Money is no object throw everything you have at it”. Suddenly they care, but it is usually too late. No doctor, drug, surgery, procedure, whatever can fix the human body once it has reached a stage of chronic disease that has likely been smoldering away for years or even decades before it shows itself. At best it might be able to be managed leaving its victim with half a life.

How easy is it to get a couple of proper exercise sessions that include mostly strength training exercise in each week and to make an effort to eat better? Surely this is a better alternative and would help us to get the maximum enjoyment and pleasure out of our lives. Why risk ill health somewhere down the track because it is too much trouble to seek out a fitness professional to help set up ad teach a proper exercise program and monitor it for best results.

Most of us should stop focusing on the present and try to imagine our life 5, 10 or even 20 years from now and consider how our exercise decisions will affect us down the road. Can we honestly say we are doing all we can to practice self health care or are we going to leave the burden up to family, friends or society to take care of us.

Your strength and fitness are essential to your good health and needs to be at the top of your list of priorities. It needs to be put first when you understand and accept just how it important it is to help you live your best life.