For many in today’s culture, apathy is the biggest enemy of fitness. Sure everyone wants to “get in shape” but it seems that few actually work up the will to make any significant change in their lives. We as a generation, are overweight, unhealthy, and are dying young. As you may have guessed, the problem is only getting worse. Recent obesity statistics have shown that 1/3 of the adult population in the United States is currently obese. That’s just insane.
Why are we this way? What has made us become so lethargic that we don’t even care that we are slowly killing ourselves? Maybe people are too busy and don’t have time to exercise. Perhaps people can’t afford the “healthy food”. Maybe, it’s genetic or the result of greedy fast food companies trying to get us all addicted to their high calorie meals. Sure, maybe it is all of the above to some degree. But the bottom line is that we, as individuals, are just too apathetic to make the change we really need to see in our own lives. In general, I believe the root of our apathy boils down to this: we are ignorant about proper health and nutrition, we are dishonest with ourselves about the effects our lifestyles are having on us, and we are far too easily distracted from the real problems at hand.
Ignorant: At some point I’m sure we’ve all thought about losing a few pounds, putting on some muscle or just trying to get in better general shape. However, if you have tried at fitness and failed, what happened? Was it too hard to stick with? Was it too difficult to eat right? Chances are you just didn’t know what to do. I know that this was my problem. I dreamed about getting in shape for years but until I actually began doing research into what steps were necessary to lose weight, it was always a pipe dream. I’d eat a salad or two and get frustrated that I hadn’t dropped any weight on the scale. I was ignorant of the realities of calorie restriction and exercise in bringing about real and sustainable change.
If you don’t know how to begin a process of weight loss and successfully implement a fitness plan feel free to check out my 5 Fitness Baby Steps. This is how I got started and the exact steps I took to get back on track.
Dishonest: I think it is important to admit that to some degree, we have all been a little dishonest with ourselves. We know that the fast food that we casually pickup on the way home isn’t the best choice for us. We know that if we don’t make exercise a priority it isn’t going to happen on its own. We also know that we don’t want to remain out of shape forever. Simply put, this isn’t how we were made to live. It’s OK to let yourself hear some harsh truths every now and then.
Distracted: With family, work, school, church and personal time, our responsibilities can stretch us all a little thin. However, when you also add TV, internet, Xbox, blogging, twitter, facebook, etc it can quickly become ridiculously overwhelming. It is OK to unplug every once in awhile. With a continuous flood of information vying for your attention it’s difficult not to become distracted from the things in life that really matter.
The next time you feel the need to make a change in your life, act on it. Don’t wait until the next commercial break.
(photo by CCC)
