My intention in writing this post is not to offend, but I know that I will inadvertently ruffle some feathers with what I am about to say.
Before I dive in, would you please indulge me in a little activity?
I want you to picture a caveman or cavewoman in your mind.
What do they look like? Be honest. Are they fat? Are they out of shape? Do they have aching joints? Are they riddles with inflammation? Are they addicted to food, coffee, soda or alcohol? Are they complaining that they are “old” whey they are in their late thirties or forties?
Why is it that we don’t picture such a person when we think about our primal ancestors? Why is it that we picture somebody that is strong, durable and capable?
Is it possible that the archetype of the “natural state human” is etched deeply into our consciousness?
You may be asking, “natural state human? What do you mean by that Griff?”
I am glad you asked.
Think about it.
How were we human beings “raised” in Mother Nature? Did we have comfortable cars, planes and trains to take us anywhere that we want? Did we have climate control that doesn’t let us experience even a twinge of hot or cold? Did we have mobile phones that make us more immobile? Did we have grocery stores or online apps that have food delivered right to our door?
Did we have foods that are not really foods, but rather highly processed chemical concoctions that are made in a manufacturing plant vs. a real plant? Did we have polluted water, air, and depleted soil riddled with pesticides and other harmful chemicals that slowly erode our health and vitality?
What We See As NORMAL Is Not Normal to The Human Species…
Lets face it. It is easy to go to a birthday party, a Thanksgiving dinner, or walk into a restaurant and think that the food that we see is normal. Afterall, you ate spaghetti O’s as a child right? Isn’t that real food? What about the happy meal or the ice cream that you have enjoyed on a nightly basis for the last 30 years?
The dirty little secret is that our body, mind and soul is at war with what we currently accept as normal. Our biology does not agree with our brain that processed food is “normal”. In fact it rebels against it’s consumption with weight gain, inflammation, pain and a never ending cycle riddled with cravings, temptations, and the inability to stop eating the offending foods.
The Root Of The Problem Is Hiding In Plain Sight…
If we dig deeper into the problems that we westerners face with obesity, disability, sedentary lifestyles, and downstream diseases such as heart disease and cancer we will find a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
This “wolf” robs us of our physicality. It robs us of our cognition. It robs us of exercise, real food, and living within the natural rhythms that are inherent within each of us.
What is this wolf exactly?
The life sucking, and ultimately life-threating wolf that I speak of is OUR WORSHIP OF CONVENIENCE!
When I was immersed in public speaking I would often share a line with my audience…
“We Worship At The Alter of Convenience And We Offer Our Health As The Superficial Lamb”
Speaking to the collective, this is an undeniable fact that rears it’s ugly head in ways that seem innocent.
To my make myself clear…
We park our cars as close to our destination as possible. We expect “fast food”, we want a “power-packed” workout that only lasts 20 minutes and guarantee’s 6-pack abs with “minimal effort”. We get annoyed we our car breaks down and we have to walk instead. We find every way to not move our bodies and we cannot wait to hit the recliner and let our screens do the work for us.
We have taken a primal trait of energy conservation for survival purposes and exploited it in a way that is slowly chewing through our species that was heretofore strong, robust and badass. We have become weak and susceptible to disease both communicable and non-communicable. Our healthcare system is set up to “solve problems” what we created in the first place, and is based on a reactive rather than a proactive model.
As a result of our incessant worship of convenience we have found ourselves on the path of dehumanization. We have inadvertently invited atrophy of every kind into our lives. For example, we invite the atrophy of our mind and body ushered in by our “innocent” modern-day convenience based lifestyles, which naturally bring the consequences of living in a state of sub-health that is not worthy of our species.
It Is Time To Be Outrageously Different & Step Into Optimal Health…
I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that most people would read this a balk. The good news is that you are not one of them!
The simple formula that I want to share with you today is to do the OPPOSITE of what everybody else is doing. If you see the masses walking north I hope that you will vigorously walk south.
Here are some things to consider in your plan to become outrageously different:
-Eat real food, not processed food
-Exercise everyday and make it a priority. Stop making excuses that you are too busy, not physically ready for it, or not capable of it.
-Make sleep a top priority and become routine about it.
-Plan out your food consumption on a weekly and daily basis so that you are not caught in the trap of convenience based foods.
-If you travel make sure that you can still eat healthy and make whatever plans needed to make it happen.
-Make sure that you are not subjecting yourself to the influence of your friends that are living in the matrix of “normal”. You MUST be different from them. I know this one is hard, but it is a must.
Here Is How You Will Know You Are On The Right Track To Optimal Health & Happiness….
We humans are naturally tribalistic and communal. We like to “fit in” because we did so for survival purposes for millennia.
I am going to ask you to deny those instincts just for a moment.
When you begin to hear people tell you, “man you are so weird! Why do you eat like that? What are you so strict with your lifestyle?”, you will know that you are on the right track. Even though you may feel a bit uncomfortable in the moment I hope you will view it as a proud moment, and I hope it will encourage you to stay vigilant in your efforts.
Well there we have it my friends….thank you for letting me talk directly about this. I know it is a taboo topic and that is the real problem.
Please keep me in the loop with your journey as I would love to hear about it!
Life is Good!
P.S. If you would like help in your health and fitness journey we would me more than honored to be your coach! Learn more here: http://www.llfit.com
