Weight Loss: 5 Powerful Ways to Make Sense Out of the Nonsense
The Struggles of Weight Loss
At our weight loss camp, Live in Fitness, we’ve noticed how hard it is for everyone to grasp the sometimes intensive techniques of losing weight, especially after trying so many things at home and not having them work out. You’ve been counting calories, exercising diligently, drinking more water, and learning about the “right” foods to eat. You even went to the health food store. As you have thoroughly raided your cupboards of any evil temptations and thrown away all the unfinished ice cream containers in your freezer, you stop to wonder: is this really going to work?
The Absurdity of Dieting in Modern Society
It seems fitting that both of those things should go in the trash. After all, you just read an article on the National Institute of Health website that reported that the average mood of people when watching a sitcom was mild depression. Perhaps reading People magazine has the same effect. After all, all those actresses and models look the same. In fact, they kind of look about as plastic as the ice cream that is melting onto Angelina’s face. If the website also said that eating “fake” foods like every diet food these days is bad for you, then it occurred to you that possibly the same bad effect the doctors are warning you about might happen if you are exposed to those “fake” people.
The Reality of Diet Products
And what isn’t fake these days? More than 65% of the U.S. population is currently trying to lose weight, according to the website. When you went to the grocery store, it certainly wasn’t hard to find what you wanted in a diet version. As you piled the low-sugar jam on top of the low-sugar, low-carb bread, you felt as though you had discovered some hidden treasure. Everything came in a diet version. You could even get Ben and Jerry’s chocolate explosion ice cream in low sugar. It even felt like an explosion in your gut as you got so excited and downed the whole thing, only to read the label and discover that the “fake” sugar, aspartame, can have laxative effects. That’s when the People magazine came in handy as you were stuck in the bathroom for the rest of the night, pondering the predicament you were in. What is going on here, you wondered? No wonder that website also said that we are the most depressed nation on the planet.
The Exercise Conundrum
As you take a look at your zippy new Nike running shoes staring across the room at you, you think to yourself, no wonder we are all gaining weight; nobody feels like exercising when they are depressed. Or, wait, are we so depressed because we have gained weight? This is all getting so confusing. Good thing that website included a mental health section; thinking about all this weight loss stuff is enough to make anybody crazy. Hey, wait a minute, they did say sunlight was good for ADD kids. As you look back at your Nikes, they do seem to be pointing toward the door. Maybe if sunlight helps those ADD kids, it will help make sense out of this mess.
A Step Towards Health
You lace your shoes and step outside, thinking maybe, just maybe you’ll find some answers. You start down your block and head to the nearest park. If sunshine is good, grass and trees might be better still. The more nature, the better, right?
Then it hits you: the website said sunshine is good for the mental health of ADD kids, yet all those weight loss products never mention anything about health. In fact, neither do the celebrities. And they sure as heck don’t all look so healthy. If Britney Spears, Mel Gibson, Pamela Anderson, and Michael Jackson are any example of health, we all better pick up our needles and start aiming for the nearest vein. Wait a minute, you stop dead in your tracks. Didn’t that weight loss product Metabolife get implicated in several deaths? Whoever thought getting thin could kill you? The doctor told you to lose weight or else you could die early, but he didn’t say losing weight could kill you. He must have meant that you should lose weight to get healthy, but he sure probably didn’t mean you should lose your health to lose weight. Or your mind, for that matter.
A New Perspective
You shake your head; losing weight shouldn’t come with a warning label. Neither should the people we look to as healthy. As you approach the park, you think to yourself, since when did the focus on health get lost with all the weight we are supposed to lose? Something moving quickly to your left catches your eye. As you turn your head, you see your neighbor’s daughter racing across the grass with the reckless abandon only a six-year-old could know. Now that looks healthy. You think back to when you felt that energetic. It must have been 10 years since you bothered to break into a trot. And that was only to snatch the last chocolate chip cookie from your husband’s hand.
Embracing Physical Activity
What the heck, you decide to give it a try. You gingerly take a few steps. Hey, this doesn’t feel so bad, you think, impressed with the little bit of spring in your step. Maybe you haven’t lost it after all these years. This actually doesn’t feel too bad, and you stretch your stride out a little, then a little more, and before you know it, you’ve crossed the grass. A little sign posted on the fence catches your attention. It’s a brochure for a 10K race in your neighborhood. Something tells you to take a look. 10K seems far, actually 10 of anything athletic seems daunting. But wait, it supports leukemia. That seems noble. Those poor kids with leukemia go through a lot more than running a 10K, you think. And there’s a walking division. Now either the sun has really gotten to you, or you are actually considering doing this. Well, it doesn’t come with a warning label, you laugh to yourself.
A New Approach to Health
At least this $25 entry fee supports a charity. That’s a heck of a lot more than any of those diet products can say. And you never know, this running stuff just might catch on, you think to yourself as you take down the number and head off across the grass again. Compared to the weight loss efforts you’ve been trying, maybe this health stuff isn’t so bad. And that website was right, the sunshine did help your temporary case of ADD.
Fit Culture App: Your Fitness Partner
To keep up the momentum and maintain your fitness journey, we highly recommend downloading the Fit Culture App. This app is designed to provide you with personalized workout plans, nutritional advice, and ongoing support. Whether you’re starting your fitness journey or looking to maintain your progress, the Fit Culture App is your perfect fitness partner.
