Did you know that 80% all cases of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes could be prevented if Americans cleaned up their diets and exercised more often?
Did you know that over a third of our population is obese, while another 30-40% are overweight?
Before we move on, I must clarify that I am in no way saying that anyone who is obese or overweight is "bad" or less than anyone else. What I am saying is that we live in a world full of idealized sedentary lifestyles full of fast food and sugary drinks marketed as "health products". It doesn’t help that society ambushes us with completely ridiculous beauty standards and a health and wellness industry that preys on people with serious health concerns by offering ‘quick fixes’ like detox teas, fad diets, and other ridiculous solutions. But that’s a topic for another day. My point is that, unfortunately, it's easier to live an unhealthy lifestyle than it is to live a healthy one. And while we're on the topic, being skinny doesn't mean you're healthy, either. The big idea here is that the number on the scale doesn't matter as much as the activities included in your lifestyle do.
Here’s the hard honest truth — if you're not where you want to be in regards to your health and fitness, you've put yourself there.*
We make choices each day as to what food we consume, and how often (if at all) we move our body. We make choices as to what we put on our bodies and use in our homes. Whether we realize it or not, all of these choices can put us at great risk for preventable disease. Life is all about priorities and sometimes, we have higher priorities than physical movement and proper nutrition. That is totally okay! Being a health and fitness professional, let me tell you that I am not perfect either. There are definitely days that I do not move as much as I should and consume a few too many chocolate chip cookies (my weakness!) But, this becomes a problem when we consistently chose to be sedentary and consume nutrient poor foods.
The key is recognizing that you are worthy of health and prioritizing yourself. Before you get too angry with this hard truth, pause. I get it. We’re all busy with something, we’ve all gone through hardships, it’s life. But ask yourself- are you okay with being another statistic suffering from a preventable chronic illness? Are you willing to spend your time and money seeing specialists, taking medications forever, and living in a compromised state?
My best guess is that the vast majority of people are NOT okay with the above reality. I think most people want to live happy, healthy lives!
The current state of the health and wellness industry has skewed people’s perceptions of “healthy”.
I am here to tell you that you don’t have to look a certain way or drink some strange tea or protein drink to see health benefits. In fact, you shouldn't do those things if you want to achieve true, long-term health. I firmly believe consistent, natural, small changes in your daily routine make a massive differences down the road.
We are here to help you take the reins of your health and fitness. Don’t wait until your health is compromised. Take the steps necessary to set yourself up for lifelong health. Here are a few ways to start on your own:
1. Ditch the sugary drinks!
-Specialty coffee drinks are packed full of sugar (and extra calories) try your morning coffee with up to 1/4 cup of almond milk or oat milk and a dash of honey or a tablespoon of pure cane sugar! Are you a soda lover? Not only is soda packed full of sugar but also other hazardous chemicals that our body definitely doesn't need (and often can't process). Try switching your soda to sparkling water!
2. Eat whole foods!
-Not sure where to start on cleaning up your diet? Start by getting rid of all of the packaged processed foods. The majority of the foods you eat should come straight from the earth! Think fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, etc. and make sure you get a healthy balance of carbohydrates (grains + potatoes), fats (avocados + vegetable oils), and proteins (beans, nuts, + veggies) at each meal.
3. Get up and move!
-You don’t need a fitness professional to tell you to move more! Take the stairs, park towards the back of the parking lot, enjoy a leisurely walk, utilize a standing desk for work, do lunges to the break room. There are so many simple ways to incorporate more movement throughout the day!
If you need more help navigating your health and fitness journey, we are educated professionals that would be honored to assist you in a more personalized manner. Reach out to us today with any questions or concerns you may have!
We are here to help whenever you are ready to reclaim your health and move away from hazardous "health" thinking.
*It goes without saying that there are a ton of outside factors that affect our health, some of them including pre-existing or genetic conditions. While these may make you feel bad at no fault of your own, there are still a lot of things you can do (and avoid) to improve your health. We specialize in corrective exercise + chronic illness nutrition and would be honored to help you no matter where you're at on your health journey!
Here's to you, friend!
Hannah
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