Why Are People So Unhealthy These Days?
I recently saw a social media post with a grainy, old-looking picture of a crowded beach. The caption was:
“A beach in the 70s. Not one overweight person. Many have clearly defined musculature. On some people you can see 6 packs. This is a random picture of random people. Incredible how modern diets destroy people’s health.”
It’s true, most of the people in the picture appeared to be in very good shape.
Just kidding, this is Arnold Schwarzenegger. He wasn’t in the original picture.
Here's the picture from the post:
In the comments, person after person chimed in with their opinions.
“The problem is GMOs, hormones, and antibiotics.” “It's modern agricultural practices.” “The war on fat.” “It’s video games.” “Convenience culture, instant gratification, and technology.” “People are just lazy and have no willpower these days.” “Trans fats, hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup.” “Stress.” “Microplastics.” The list went on.
I have so many problems with this. Let’s put aside the fact that this post equates “clearly defined musculature” and “6 packs” with health.
Outside appearance does not necessarily indicate good health, and it’s time we stop focusing on physical appearance as the most important outcome of a healthy lifestyle.
But my main issue is the smug suggestion that there is just one thing, or a handful of things, that have contributed to the rise of lifestyle diseases and poor health. A lot of those comments have some truth to them, and I’m certainly not about to defend the modern food industry. But it’s not the whole story by a long shot.
Our Health Issues Are Complicated
For anyone to suggest that they know the single problem with our collective health is incredibly arrogant. This is just a small example of the self-defeating discourse around public health. Everyone thinks they’re an expert. This poster and those commenters, as sure of themselves as they seem, don’t know what they’re talking about.
“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.” H.L. Mencken
The actual experts would never make such simplistic comments, but of course it’s the loudest and most self-assured people who get the attention and spread their nonsense and misinformation.
As you can see, this is a sore spot for me, and not just because I feel it devalues the knowledge that real experts have spent decades building.
This is also about my clients and the countless people I’ve spoken to who struggle every day with their health.
This kind of oversimplification puts the blame squarely on the individual.
The problem is high fructose corn syrup, just stop eating it! Technology is the problem, just put your phone down and go for a walk! The problem is stress, just relax! You’re just lazy, get some willpower!
Is any of that helpful for someone who’s working towards a challenging health goal? Of course not.
In fact, oversimplifying things this way makes it even more difficult for people. It makes every failure a reflection of their character instead of the result of countless systemic factors, many of which are outside their control.
So Why Are People Really So Unhealthy These Days?
I don’t have a simple answer. Neither does anyone else. If there was a clear solution, we would all be on the path back to good health. The truth is that the obesity and chronic disease epidemics are unbelievably complicated.
In 2007, the UK government’s Foresight program compiled a report – “Tackling Obesities – Future Choices”. This project involved over 300 experts.
The purpose was to look at the problem of rising obesity levels from a scientific perspective, identify issues and contributing factors, and use that information to inform future strategies to prevent obesity.
In the section of the report on “Causes of Obesity” they reviewed the evidence and considered biological, behavioral, social, environmental, and economic aspects of the issue.
Their report goes into detail on each of these factors, but their overall conclusion was:
“[Obesity] is primarily caused by people’s latent biological susceptibility interacting with a changing environment that includes more sedentary lifestyles and increased dietary abundance. The specific causes of obesity at an individual level are many and varied. They differ between population groups and across a person’s life course, with the accumulation of excess fat, and therefore weight, being the end result of a variety of causal pathways.”
Soooooo basically…. There’s a lot of things going on.
The report says there is a system of interrelated factors that contribute to body composition. To illustrate that system they created a series of visual representations. They’re all in a document called the “Obesity System Atlas” if you want to take a closer look.
Here is one of those visual representations:
Look at this mess of factors, and how interconnected they are. This is impossibly complex. I’m not going to pretend to understand all these things and how they affect each other.
What I see here are a lot of things that are outside of an individual's control, like the “Sociocultural Valuation Of Food”, “Dominance Of Motorized Transport”, “Genetic And/Or Epigenetic Predisposition To Obesity”…
Even the things you can control, like “Level Of Recreational Activity” are affected by half a dozen other things, again some within your control and some not.
What Does This Mean For You?
First, it means that if you’re struggling to lead a healthy lifestyle, it’s not because you’re lazy or have no willpower. The modern world is arranged in a way that encourages overeating and discourages physical activity. The deck is stacked against you.
That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to lead a healthy lifestyle, but it does mean that you have to work hard and break some societal norms if you want to be successful.
You should start by focusing on the things you can control, like moving more throughout the day, strength training regularly, and eating mostly minimally processed foods that you prepare yourself.
If you need help with that, I have a couple of FREE resources for you:
My Strength Training 101 eBook, which will teach you everything you need to know to get started with weightlifting. You'll learn which exercises to do, how many sets and reps, and how to progress your workouts over time so you get results.
And:
My Guide To Healthy Eating. This eBook breaks down what a healthy diet really means, and how you can create a sustainable nutrition plan that works for you. It also includes a unique system for figuring out how processed your food is.
But keep in mind that simply trying to put your head down and white-knuckle your way through a diet or workout program is not the answer. Your health is not just about what you do, it’s also about what everyone around you does, and what society at large is doing.
You need to take these things into account, identify how they affect your choices and actions, and then make plans to ensure that things outside of your control have as small an effect as possible on what you do.
The more you “see the strings”, the better you can prevent them from pulling you in a direction you don’t want to go. My article about overeating has some good examples of this.
The Bottom Line
I wish I knew the answer to make everyone fit and healthy. I wish it was as simple as just changing one or two things.
Hopefully some of the larger societal, industrial, and economic suggestions made by the UK Foresight program and public health agencies around the world will be accepted and help make it easier for individuals to take back control of their health. To be honest, I’m not holding my breath for that.
I think the best you can do is accept that this is a complicated issue and be as proactive as possible about your own health and well-being. And try not to make it worse for others by oversimplifying and diminishing their struggles.
I know how hard it is to lead a healthy lifestyle. Support and accountability can make it easier. Contact me to find out how personal training can help you achieve your goals!