Why is it that health always gets the short end of the stick? Seriously, how have we ended up in a culture and society where people don’t really care for there health; and for those that do, why are they still doing the wrong thing
I don’t mean to offend anyone with this post but I’m just really curious.
What’s the deal with health these days?
I know only a handful of kids my age that are interested in taking care of their bodies, their temples, their vehicle that will serve them for the rest of their life.
I also know that the average American, no matter what age, could care less. Why?
Where did the mindset of “I’m here for a good time not a long time” even come from?
Hellooooo. Why not do both!?
Shouldn’t health be at the foundation of everything we do?
Health is literally everything. It determines how we show up in the world, how we feel, how we look, how we grow, how we act, how we think…
Without health, there is nothing.
Just like the Dalai Lama, I am baffled.
Here’s what he said when asked what surprised him most about humanity…
Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”
Dalai Lama
Where did we go wrong?
This might sound crazy coming from a Computer Science student, but I think technology is the culprit. Advertisements, big business (pharma and ag), super stores, convenience, the internet… it all paved the path to a place where we rely on other people to tell us about our health rather than ourselves.
Once we started listening to all the chatter: fat makes you fat, calories in < calories out to lose weight, this medicine for this symptom, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That’s the day I think we lost touch with our health.
It became so easy to just listen to that cereal box that says, “Low Fat and Healthy!”, and consume it at home without second thought. Too bad we forgot to look at the nutrition label and see that 0g fat was replaced with 42g sugar. Over time, it just became the thing to do.
The masses were hooked. Messages about food and health from all forms of media totally confused and perpetuated consumers (and they still do) making it incredibly difficult to make good decisions. Consumer’s health went on the decline and has been getting worse year after year.
Where we are now and what we can do
Now, we’re at the point where nearly 1/2 the world is obese, 1 out of 4 people are getting cancer, and chronic disease rates are soaring through the roof. Yet, very few are making changes to their diets and lifestyles.
We’re told the myth (that’s right it’s a myth), that genes control our destiny. They do not. We control our genes through our behavior and lifestyle choices. We choose.
When we choose, that means it’s our responsibility.
Health is each own individuals responsibility. It’s not the governments’ (which is spending trillions of dollars on chronic disease alone), it’s not your doctors, it’s yours.
But you know what that means… there is so much hope.
When individuals start taking control of their own health they produce results way beyond what any doctor could do. When individuals really care about what goes in, on, and around their body, they are able to heal and show up fully in the world.
Those who make poor health decisions are stuck blaming, complaining, and relying on a completely broken healthcare system.
Those who make good health decisions feel a surge of power, vitality, confidence, and freedom in their lives.
Once you escape the system, you can begin to thrive.
Why I’m studying to become a health coach
I’m becoming a health coach because I fully believe that health starts with the individual. With each individual life that’s transformed, the lives of those close to them shift too. It’s known as the ripple effect.
I dream of a world where health is at the core of everything – in the home, in the workplace, in the individual. Where grocery stores don’t have a health section, because every item is a real, whole food. I dream of a world where everyone shops local and big corporations are no-longer. A world with clean rivers, streams, and waterways not drenched in plastic and pollution. I dream of a world that is full of health and happiness.
This world is coming – more and more people are waking up to the lies, the corruption, the destruction, and the total negligence to health – and I want to help create it.
One individual at a time.
I believe in our ability to change, to grow, to heal.
I believe in a better world.
And I believe in you.
