Recently I’ve been reading fitness/food news pretty regularly. I’ve lost track of the number of reports I’ve seen about obesity, its negative effects, and its prevalence in society today. Of course the advice is always to eat well and exercise, but what is going on in the world? Maybe I’m just deluded about the past, but I don’t think it was always like this. It seems that people used to be more fit without having to make a concerted effort to stay healthy. If you look at the reasons that people are generally so unhealthy today, you will realize that many of them are caused by the modern lifestyle.

Back in the day jobs were different. People farmed, people worked in factories – a lot of jobs required physical activity. It was harder to get around – people walked far more than they do now. Entertainment did not come to you – people had to be active to have fun. Back in the day exercise wasn’t a chore that you hated to do, forgot to do, or didn’t have time to do. No, fit people didn’t tend to have washboard abs and more definition than dictionaries, but the kind of lifestyle that most people lived kept them healthier. Add to that the fact that fast food and ready made meals weren’t as prevalent, so people were more likely to eat home cooked meals, which tend to be healthier than the alternatives.

It seems that technology – which is supposed to make our lives easier – has made it easier for us to be unhealthy. Now, many jobs involve a full day of sitting in one place, all kinds of transportation options that don’t involve feet are available, and sitting on a couch pressing buttons counts as fun. There was a time when seeing a person that was very overweight made people envision overindulgence and sloth. Now, when I see an overweight person, I imagine that they live a pretty typical life. That’s a big (no pun intended, but I take what I can get) problem.

My proposal – and this is by no means original, but its worth recycling and repeating – is that instead of focusing on how you can fit a 30-60 minute into your already busy day, you figure out how you can start living a healthy lifestyle. Too often, when people think of a healthy lifestyle, they only think of eating health food. Eating healthy is important, but you don’t need to be constantly diet conscious and that should not be your only concern.

• Try to cook more often and more creatively. This will automatically make your diet healthier if you’ve been eating out a lot. Also, the focus on creativity should help you get the variety of foods necessary to supply all the vitamins and minerals you need.
• Walk. It’s not hard. I know many people who balk at the idea of taking a 20 minute walk. It’s really not as bad as it seems. Before you go someplace, stop and ask yourself if you really need your car/the bus/a cab. Even if it’s an hour long walk, if you’re not in a rush, it’s not that bad. Take along your iPod, Microsoft Zune or other mp3 player. Once you get in the habit, you may find yourself seeking excuses to enjoy the solitude of a nice walk.
• Have fun how you used to. What do you do for fun? What did you do when you were younger? Pick up the basketball. Go out dancing. Take a swim. Go hiking. Find the active things that you enjoy, and if you no longer do them, re-work them into your life. Some folks may think they are too old for that kind of thing – if you believe that, the truth is most likely that you are just out of shape. Once your body gets used to the new activity, you’ll see that not a whole lot has changed from your younger days.
• Be old fashioned. Don’t always take the technologically assisted easy way out. Take the walk to your co-worker’s desk to ask a question instead of e-mailing. Get in the habit of using stairs instead of elevators. Figure out some other ways technology makes your life less active and avoid doing things that way.

Understand, I have nothing against paying attention to your diet and taking time out to exercise, but why try to put a band-aid on an unhealthy life? Before you go out of your way to get fit, see what you can do in your regular life. Why exercise three times a week and then hop in your car every time you need to go a mile? Why put yourself through the strain of sit-ups when you could get similar results and have fun going out to dance?

I was crossing a street on my bike this morning. There was another biker coming down the street I was crossing. I slowed down so I wouldn’t cut him off – it was pretty obvious he had the right of way and I would have been completely wrong to cross in front of him. As he passed me he apologized. Why did he apologize? He didn’t do anything wrong.