Why We Must Stop Polluting Our Bodies
I have never heard the phrase ‘underlying health issues’ used so frequently. In just 50 years our underlying health has been transformed subtly for the worse. In an era where we have more information than ever at our fingertips, things are sliding out of control.
Obesity has nearly tripled and mental health issues have never been so prevalent. This is all thanks to an over complicated, cheap and chemically enhanced food manufacturing system, greedy pharmaceutical companies and short-sighted world leaders.
Equally, a health and fitness industry hell bent on profit based fads doesn’t help matters. The industry has managed to alienate many generations of people, to the point of fear and loathing, over the last few decades.
Compounded by many governments’ lack of leadership and lack of investment in key health education, ‘underlying health issues’ have become common across our communities.
It’s as if the powers that be are happy to let us all rot.
I recently stood in a well known supermarket in a suburb of one of the UK’s major cities. It was like a scene out of a walking dead movie. This was clear evidence that our proud yet heavily burdened N.H.S. would be in business and stretched to its limits for many years to come.
Everyone was over-weight
Most people had poor posture, sticks, frames, wheelchairs, sickly complexions and shopping trolleys full of non-food masquerading as some kind of nutrient rich meal plan that serves only to make profits for those who produce it.
The whole thing is fucked. And it’s not just this supermarket where the general public are the walking dead. Go and observe a motorway service station, an airport departure lounge, a sporting event or any mass gathering (granted it may be a while before we can do this again).
It’s a depressing but commonplace scene of ill health and bad nutrition. But, living an unhealthy lifestyle has become acceptable. And only when a pandemic hits us all, do we realise how unwell we all are at our core.
It’s clearly a problem throughout the social spectrum
How have we got here? I believe it’s down to a combination of the explosion of the takeaway food industry and stupidly high levels of food additives, sugar and salt. And let’s not forget clever behavioural data analysts who help advertisers prey on our weakest moments.
Cheap low quality food produced for profit, not for its nutritional sustenance, easily acquired alcohol and both illegal and legal drugs are killing us slowly. It’s clear the whole world needs a makeover.
According to the WHO, alcohol is responsible for 3.3million deaths a year.
But somehow we accept drinking as normal.
How did it all get so depressing?
Instead of focusing on prevention and strengthening the immune system, there seems to be a pill or potion for every condition known to man.
In the US alone 66% of the adult population (a whopping 131 million people) take prescriptive drugs every year.
And it’s not just the US, Iceland consume anti-depressants at the highest rate in the world – 141 per 1000 people. What ever happened to good health and self discipline? It’s no shock that people are struggling to cope. Physical and mental health are on a chaotic road to nowhere.
The elimination of compulsory activity at school and the lack of education for everyone when it comes to personal self-preservation, isn’t helping.
So the spiral of ill health spins out of control
And when a virus comes along that is punishing and relentless, those who sadly have ‘underlying health issues’ are first in the firing line.
I’m not about to launch into some conspiracy theory about mass population control. But the capitalistic model for giant industries of pharmaceuticals and food, sure helps to keep people unhealthy and dumbed down. It pays well too.
Revenue in the US has rocketed from $192 billion in 2002 to a mind blowing $482 billion in 2018. Globally $1.05 trillion is the total revenue from the pharmaceutical sales.
Why on earth would these companies want you fit, empowered and well?
Fast food outlets in the US continue to rise. 247, 919 outlets produced $279 billion in 2018.
There are 17 Big Macs a second sold in the US every year each with 29 grams of fat and 550 calories.
I wonder if they all get together and make a 10 year plan to clog everyone’s arteries, lower mood and increase weight to then wait to prescribe pills to attempt to undue this mess? Nothing would surprise me.
But, the truth is. It doesn’t have to be this way. It really doesn’t.
We are at a defining time in history
A climate change movement that’s gathering momentum and a pandemic that has made us all stay at home. It’s time to reflect.
The pandemic has shown us the power of social media. So, my question is, can we use this power to improve our health and immunity for the next terrible virus?
I daydream about the power of positive energy on mass. The potential of healthy, vibrant and mindful people who prioritise each other and practice gratitude and self-love before profit.
Is this a moment in history where we can hit the reset button?
To survive and be a free, healthy and robust global community we have to get our own houses in order. It will take investment, belief and leadership. But, how can you not want to feel well, be active and develop the skills to deal with life, naturally and effectively?
I once worked with a guy who was a ‘kazillionaire’ apparently. He was 68 years old. He had developed a pharmaceutical corporation from its inception to global juggernaut. He had poor posture, zero leg strength, zero balance and co-ordination and most alarmingly, when he was dropped off by his chauffeur, he rarely knew what day it was.
He used his own company’s prescriptive medicine and was definitely, in the words of Lennon and McCartney, ‘on a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies’.
Nothing about him was consistent, ever. I often had to wait for him to get enough motor skills and balance to even walk into the free weights room. Progress was slow, to non-existent. He could barely tie up his shoe laces, never mind get his head around a meditation program or a super food salad.
I appreciate that many people have come to rely on prescriptive medicine and they have somehow got to this point in life. I know from working with people closely that with time, patience and knowledge, doses can be reduced. The body and mind can gather some important self-preservation momentum and dependency can be lessened (in some cases, eliminated).
If we could hit the reset button, and make some essential changes for the better, I’d do these six life changing things:
1. Cap the number of fast food outlets per square mile to three
2. Reduce the cost of fruit, vegetables and grains
3. Introduce a law that all alcohol purchases have to be over $30.00
4. Prescribe compulsory basic movement, nutrition, cooking and mindfulness practices with all long term medication plans
5. Introduce a school life-skills program for all 5 year old’s and above, where exercise is mandatory three times per week and yoga twice per week
6. Make a packet of cigarettes $50.00 and for over 25’s only
Finally, tens of thousands of fitness professionals should, on renewal of personal liability insurance, commit to four hours a week to help the above happen.
Good routines need to be verbatim from an early age
These routines will change how we approach our archaic working conditions. Future generations would have it in their DNA to exercise, eat well and know the value of stillness in a world where we are drowning in screen time.
If nothing else, lock-down has provided a deeper understanding of how important and powerful our communities are. Our current lack of social freedom will eventually be replaced by the warmth of familiar friends, work colleagues and social gatherings.
Health has never been so obviously wealth. So, let’s cherish the health we do have and work towards creating a strong, more fitness minded community who will motivate each other to become the very best version of ourselves.
Photo by Ramille Soares on Unsplash