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More knowledge, more personal trainers and more access to training than ever before. As the fitness industry expands so does our waistline. Where did we go wrong?
We live in an age of groundbreaking science and technology where life is being made increasingly easy for us and we understand more than ever about the intricate workings of the body and how food can affect how we feel and how we look.
Yet despite all this new knowledge in sports, exercise and nutrition science, despite the convenience of exercise being available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and despite having exercise classes, personal trainers and fitness regimes at every corner promising you the body of your dreams, we have become more ill both physically and mentally. We have become more sedentary and tired and we have become fatter than ever before.
Take a look back to the time when we had no gyms, no personal trainers, no boot camps, no nutrition experts yet we were fitter, we were faster and we were stronger. We suffered less mental and physical stress and we can all agree we were definitely leaner.
• We keep looking to see what’s shiny and new?
• We keep looking to see what’s cool and clever?
• We keep looking to find what will get us even leaner even faster?
• Yet we always end up in a worse position than when we started.
Has this growth in knowledge caused a growth in our waistline? Probably not, but what can be said with certainty is that we have lost the fundamentals behind Fat loss for life. It’s not your fault, the scientists have baffled you, the media has scared and confused you and the fitness industry has looked to make a fast buck out of you.
So let’s learn from the past. It’s not sexy. It’s not necessarily fun. And, it’s not necessarily fast. But, what generations past have done accidentally is nail the basics that lead to leanness and all physical and mental health benefits that go with it.
5 Fat Loss Facts from the Past!
1. We got off our Butts and Moved!
Quite simply, we had manual jobs and relied less on our cars which means that our daily steps and general movement were much higher than it is now. Therefore we burnt many extra calories. Daily movement and not being sat on a chair all day also meant less mechanical dysfunction leading to better posture, better movement patterns and less tightness, aches and pains.
The human body was not designed to sit with hips in flexion and shoulders slumped forward. This dysfunction is further exacerbated by the extreme training regimes that the fitness industry promotes, a recipe for unnecessary injury and even less movement in the future.
Lesson One…Get off Your Butt!
2. We didn’t live for the weekend!
We seem to have developed weekend Alzheimer’s, on a weekday we eat within our calorie requirement or even in a deficit and will remember every morsel that past our lips. However, come Friday we more than make up for it with a plethora of drinking, takeaways, junk food, and Netflix.
Quite simply we eat too much and move too little but when we think back to why we keep gaining weight our recollection of 3 out of 7 days is hazy, this leaves us in a massive calorie surplus for the week with no idea how we got there…
Lesson 2: Spread calories evenly, spread out exercise, remembering the importance of daily movement … and most importantly Friday to Sunday is not calorie free!
3. We didn’t have Man vs Food
Portion sizes in days gone by were so much smaller than they are now, we didn’t know much but we did know that too much food led to fat gain.
On top of our growing daily portion sizes, we have developed an all you can eat, bigger is better culture. Bigger is better has become more readily available than ever before, not only can it be ordered instantly but we don’t even have to move off the sofa to get it.
Lesson 3: Supersize portions will lead to supersize waistlines, eat as much as you like … not as much as you can!
4. We didn’t isolate Ourselves
Not only did we use to have smaller portion sizes but our culture around food was different. We ate to fuel our busy lives and looked forward to sitting down together.
This had a number of benefits to our waistline, firstly sitting together with no distractions meant that we registered when we were full and didn’t just mindlessly eat. Secondly, hyperpalatable food was associated with socializing, in today’s world hyperpalatable food is associated with comfort, a short-term cure for loneliness and the omnipresence of this food means we try and cure our depression and loneliness with readily available junk food which will instantly lead to our expanding health problems.
Lesson 4: Food is for fuel and an accessory to celebration, it is not a cure for sadness, loneliness or depression
5. We waited … We appreciated and We savored
Patience was a big part of life, we had to wait for things and when we got them … we appreciated them, we savored them and we were grateful for what we had. We didn’t keep demanding more, so a little bit of cake, one chocolate bar or one meal was sufficient, we enjoyed every occasion savored every mouthful and waited patiently for the next.
Fast forward to the 21st century the flood of bigger and more have combined with instant and now, we are always thinking of what we want next and we want it yesterday. Do we enjoy eating the whole cake, the supersize Toblerone and the all you can eat buffet? Do we enjoy feeling so sick we can’t move? Do we savor every bite? Probably not…
Lesson 5: Slow down, be in the moment, appreciate and be grateful for what you have in front of you.
So simple, so easy and so effective, the reason that we use to nail fat loss for life and the lessons to take forward into the future.
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Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not meant as medical advice, nor is it to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Please consult your physician before starting or changing your diet or exercise program. Any use of this information is at the sole discretion and responsibility of the user.