So much of what we’ve been sold under the guise of “health and fitness information” is a false bill of goods. What we’re told is so often only part of the story. And in the past, we’ve been way too eager to swallow the half-truths we’ve been given.
We’re told that this or that diet will make all the difference in our bodies, but no one explains how our internal reality — our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and so on — inform our ability and willingness to follow through on the most basic of personal commitments, much less a one-size-fits-all eating plan. Meanwhile, we ignore the fact that no diet has ever worked for long, and instead we start sniffing out the next miracle plan.
We obsess about the details of the latest studies and product claims, while we ignore the commonsense eating advice that somewhere, deep down, we all know is right: Cut down on the processed junk (including the “diet” junk) and eat a wide range of the whole, natural foods (including lots of fresh vegetables and fruits) that our body knows how to use to its advantage.
We’re told to get plenty of exercise, but no one explains how challenging that can be in a society where activity-friendly zones can be downright elusive and where passive electronic entertainments beckon at every turn. Meanwhile, we use convenience as an excuse and we stay planted on the couch, plugged into DVDs and reality-TV shows when our bodies are crying out for a little movement — when our hearts and minds are calling out for connection, expansion, release. We take heavily advertised drugs to feel fewer pains instead of making life changes that could eliminate their causes.
(Read the rest of this article, which first appeared in Experience Life magazine.)
