Movement is the simplest way to approach your fitness and overall well-being.  Obesity is becoming a real problem in this country.  Even with fitness and gym memberships being at an all-time high.  Why is this happening then?  First of all people a generation ago walked a lot more and didn’t drive their cars everywhere.  They engaged in physical activities outdoors and not because they were trying to lose weight or get a six pack.  It was because this is what people did for entertainment.  Back then they didn’t have hundreds of tv channels, Netflix, Internet, video games, and every sporting event known to man.  Humans nowadays have become less active and our always consumed with our modern technology.

               If you look even further back at our ancient hunter gatherer ancestor they would make even the fittest athletes of today look well mediocre.  They spent their time walking through difficult terrain, building shelter, chasing after prey.  They were able to move through tough environments at lightning fast speeds and all while staying injury-free.  Genetics were placed in humans to be able to complete all these tasks.  You didn’t have obese and physically unfit humans then because they wouldn’t have been able to survive.  Now we are changing our genetic make-up by being lazy slobs for lack of a better term.  We have weaker lower bodies, are less mobile, and have less bone-density which makes us more prone to osteoporosis and fractures.  Our bodies are a shadow of what they used to be and will continue to decline even further.

The new generation of thinking is that to be physically fit and healthy they need to go to the gym four times a week for an hour.  There is a reason why a lot of people who are frequent gym goers look the same and aren’t physically fit.  Four hours a week of jogging on a treadmill and doing machine weights is not going to make you healthy.  There are 164 hours left in the week of sitting at your desk, lying on the couch, and making poor dietary choices.  Spending four hours at the gym is fine as long as you’re not screwing it up the rest of the week.  Walking is the simplest form of movement yet none of us take advantage of it.  I stumbled upon an article about the advantages of walking on Marks Daily Apple link can be found here. There are endless planes and modes in which to move your body yet we focus on so few of them.  We can walk, sprint, climb, crawl, swim, and bike.  Being fit and healthy isn’t something that is quick and easy or maybe even convenient.  The latest cleanse, fat burner, or 5 minute abs aren’t going to get the job done.  The sooner you realize this and start making lifestyle changes that will promote overall health the closer you will be where you want to be.  

       

          Look I know everyone has got to start somewhere; and the idea that fitness and heath isn’t achieved through four hours a week at 24 hour fitness is kind of unsettling for many.  Nobody is saying cancel your gym membership and ditch the treadmill well maybe the treadmill.  It’s just important for people to realize that fitness and health is a lifelong journey that never ends.  Now I’m not saying we need to start to sleep outside, consume raw meat, and be a barbarian; unless you want too of course!  We need to remember what amazing gifted physical tools our bodies were meant to be and what they have the capacity to do.  Make better decisions like walk to the store right down the street instead of driving, take the stairs, participate in sports, get outdoors more often.  Also what’s probably even more important is diet.  A favorite quote of mine is “abs are built in the kitchen” which pretty much sums up this notion.  Basically you can’t expect to be fit and healthy without sound nutrition practices.  Personally I think Paleo is the best way to eat.  I will talk more about that on a post coming soon.  These are just some of my thoughts and some spurred on from Mark Sisson’s post.  I am open to any questions or opinions on the subject.