It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes' intuition to notice that people are fatter, weaker, unhealthier, and arguably unhappier now than ever before (or at least in the past few hundred years).
Why is that?
While it is a complex issue with many causes - genetic, environmental, societal, etc - there are some clear features of modern society that I believe are the main culprits.
I call them the Deadly C's. And modern society is overdosing on them.
Consumerism
The overarching theme of the Deadly C's is consumerism, or more specifically, OVER consumption.
It applies to both finances and fitness: we are deeper in debt as a country (the U.S., at least) and as a people than ever before and we're in worse shape physically.
But while we carry our financial debt in private as mortgages, student loans, car loans, and credit card debt, our fitness / health debt is clear for everyone to see in the form of excess bodyfat.
So while you can't judge whether a person overconsumes goods & services because you don't know how much financial debt they carry, you can pretty accurately judge a person's overconsumption of food & drink by a cursory glance.
Bodyfat is an obvious symptom of chronic calorie overconsumption.
1. Calories
This one is so obvious it goes without saying: most people consume more calories than they burn, and they do it for days, weeks, months, and years on end. This leads to both acute and chronic health problems, of which obesity is merely a symptom.
An embarrassing symptom for many, which may be the reason you're reading this article.
The funny thing is, humans are designed to overconsume calories, but only for part of the year.
The theory is that our ancestors migrated north into Europe millions of years ago and had to adapt to changing seasons (winter) where food was scarce, and they did that by developing an impressive ability to store bodyfat (other apes don't store bodyfat nearly as well, but they didn't migrate to colder climates, so food never was scarce).
So humans could gorge on meats, eggs, fruits, and vegetables in the warmer months, then survive winter on fewer eaten calories by tapping into our excess bodyfat stores to cover the difference.
We still run on this "gorge on food while you can" program, but it is completely outdated because food is NEVER in short supply.
The best way to use this to your advantage is to go through periods of overeating (bulking) to build muscle and periods of undereating (cutting) to burn off bodyfat.
This is the natural way humans evolved to eat, and it is the most effective way to build a lean, strong, healthy body.
2. Carbohydrates
Of all the macros, I believe overconsumption of carbohydrates is the main driver of excess calorie consumption.
And I'm not talking about carbs from fruits, veggies, and grains.
While the main carb culprits are highly processed sweets like sodas, juices, candy, cookies, cakes, pies, cereals, etc, many people overconsume carbs eating natural foods like pasta, rice, potatoes, breads, etc.
This was the case for my dad who weighed over 275 lb when he should've weighed around 200 lb. This was the case for me, too, when I was 30-40 lbs heavier than I am now.
We loved scarfing down two or three plates of carb heavy food at dinner when we should've stopped at one big plate.
And then we would sit around the rest of the evening, dutifully converting those excess calories into body fat.
If you want to reduce your bodyfat, then start by reducing your carb intake. Stick to fruits and non-starchy vegetables, and skip the sodas, sweets, and starches except for after strength training workouts.
In other words, earn your carbs and force them to build muscle rather than bodyfat.
Conversely, if you're trying to gain muscle / weight then increase your carb consumption in the form of starchy vegetables. Add oatmeal, bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc to all meals in addition to meats, eggs, fruits, and veggies.
3. Comfort & Convenience
This is both a blessing and curse of modern technology. With services like Amazon, DoorDash, Facebook, Netflix, etc. it has never been easier to sit at home and consume more with less effort in the comfort of our climate-controlled homes in our ultra comfy couches.
We are addicted to comfort and convenience. We can't stand NOT having them for long.
One thing that hasn't gotten any more comfortable: getting / staying in shape.
And despite the convenience of meal prep / delivery services and at-home gyms, it is still more inconvenient to get / stay in shape than not.
Our society expects comfort and convenience at all times. Going to the gym and planning healthy meals is neither of those. So we don't bother.
My philosophy with comfort & convenience is similar to my philosophy with carbs: you have to earn them by doing some damn work first.
Walk 10k steps each day before sitting down and watching your shows in the evening.
Get your lift in before allowing 30 minutes of social media browsing.
Take a cold shower in the morning rather than relying on coffee to keep you alert.
Do the work, then relax.
But too much comfort and convenience without doing the work to match it will likely lead to the discomfort and inconvenience of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, and premature death.
4. Content
No one thinks about this one, but I believe the overconsumption of content is poisoning our minds in ways that we can't perceive and don't fully understand.
It's a case of TMI: Too Much Information - all day, every day.
Every day we're bombarded by it: radio, podcasts, news, emails, social media, TV, movies, books, magazines, church, gossip, etc.
Even if the information is correct, accurate, and positive, there's just too much of it all the time.
And let's be honest, most of the information is either incorrect, inaccurate, or just downright depressing (pro tip: don't watch the news).
We have the mental capacity to understand it all (supposedly), but the constant information overload is causing a spike in chronic stress, anxiety, depression, learned helplessness, sleeplessness, and other negative psychological and physiological disorders.
When you're constantly taking in and processing information - even positive information - you destroy your mind's ability to find inner peace, to practice mindfulness or self-reflection, to even relax properly and sleep.
And it's all connected: stress leads to poor sleep and cravings for - you guessed it - comfort and carbs (especially the highly processed ones) which leads to too many calories for months on end which results in all the health issues of modern living of which excess bodyfat is merely the most clear and obvious symptom (I'm repeating myself, but it's worth repeating).
So do yourself a favor: unplug. Definitely from the news, social media, gossiping, but also from reading, podcasts, etc.
Get comfortable with doing nothing - get used to being bored. Practice meditation and mindfulness daily.
Give your mind a break and work on eliminating the excess content in your daily life.
I remember simpler times just 30 years ago where smart phones and the internet didn't exist. Information was scare. We were ignorant, and it was bliss.
5. Crap / Clutter / Clothes
Let's be honest: you probably have too much crap especially if you have kids (and they leave it laying around everywhere too, I bet).
Just like content, too much crap or clutter will add unnecessary stress to your life.
Stop buying so much crap and start de-cluttering your house, closet, office, car, etc.
It's hard to part with stuff, but once it's gone you'll be so much better off.
And I'm not saying you have to go nomadic and give up all worldly possessions (although some people go that route), but even a quarterly de-cluttering will make a positive impact on your stress and life.
In Summary
None of the things listed above are inherently bad. Candy, cakes, content, crap... it's all fine in the rights amounts.
The devil is in the dosage. We are overdosing on these things all the time, and it is hurting us in ways that we don't even realize.
I highly encourage you to evaluate your life to reflect on which of the Deady C's you're overconsuming and make a concerted effort to lower your dosage to a healthier level.
It very well could be the best thing you do for you fitness, health, and overall well-being.
Best, Coach Paul
PS - I help people shed bodyfat, build muscle, and feel their best by coaching them how to be self-sufficient in fitness. If you'd like help changing your life and body, then book a call and let's chat!
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