How Did We Get Here?

Believe it or not, we didn’t always go to gyms to stay in shape. At some point in history, there were no Nautilus machines. Aerobics classes were non-existent. People also didn’t have Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, or Slim Fast to keep the pounds off. No one heard of “fat-blocking” medications or artificial sweeteners.

I’ll bet you’re wondering how all those out-of-shape folks got slim. How did they fight mounting heart disease, cholesterol, and diabetes risks? How did they overcome cancer or avoid strokes?

You want to know the truth? I mean the REAL truth and not some Madison Avenue strategy to get you to buy something. It is so simple that most people don’t want to admit it or believe it.

People weren’t fat because they simply worked hard all day and ate wholesome food!

I know what most of you are saying to yourselves. You want to tell me that you do work a full eight-hour day and that you do eat only health food. You see, that is the problem. You have been told (sold?) that and now you believe it. I am sorry to say that you have been ripped off and manipulated. Don’t feel bad. Everyone else is in the same boat.

Here’s what happened:

People used to do hard laborious physical activities as their work. They couldn’t rely on technological advances to do the work for them. Farmers worked crops by hand. Factory workers put heavy things together by hand or things by hand. Very few people worked in an office and even that was a lot more physically demanding than now.

People walked everywhere or they rode horses. Ever rode a horse? That is a workout by itself if you are not used to it.

People picked things up by hand and moved things with their bodies. They mostly carried objects in their arms instead of using dollies. They hammered and sawed with their hands instead of using power tools.

Food usually came straight from the source. Fresh eggs, milk, and meat came straight from the farm or from the local store where it was just dropped off by the farmer that day. No processing. No additives or preservatives.

The outdoors was a primary source of recreation. They didn’t stay inside and play video games or watch TV. Kids regularly climbed, walked on their hands, flipped in mid-air, swam, or played in the snow for hours. They even did this into adulthood.

Doctors would do minimal procedures to fix someone. Most of the time, they gave their patients advice on how to let the body heal itself. Very few medications were needed and most of the time they were simple and natural.

Technology came by and made life easier which was nice, for the most part. We could get more done with less effort. But people then worked less hard when the body was really meant to be used hard and often. Food became a business. It was found that you could stick cheap chemicals in foods to make them have longer shelf life, to taste better, or to even make you eat more. This is how these businesses made a profit while unwittingly making our food less nutritious or even dangerous.

Exercise became a concept of something everyone had to do to stay healthy to replace the ever decreasing work in people’s lifestyles. Instead of doing activities that were demanding and physically educational, people usually didn’t do anything. If they did do something, it was usually a sport or fun activity that was occasionally played. Activity became only a hobby and not a healthy way of life. Physical work, which is healthy for the body and mind, was increasingly becoming something that “had to be done,” if done at all.

Now food and health are “industries” because we don’t have quality food or health. They have to be “fixed” and now there is money in fixing them. But they really don’t get fixed. We are told that the solutions are there but this is usually not true. Remember, there is money in making us well. If we are constantly sick, then we are a “cash cow.” Why actually make us well? There is no money in that.