Anyone else think 90% of people are vastly under-exercised?

[outlandish]

When I look around, in almost every country I've visited, it seems to me like nearly everybody is living a way too sedentary life for optimal human. I think this is the #1 missing link in most peoples lives: we're wired to try to conserve energy when possible, but paradoxically we need waaaaay more physical stress than most of us get in order for our bodies and minds to function properly.

I think a lot of the problems people have with low energy, allergies, food problems, weight, depressions, OCD, back issues, chronic pain, happiness would simply vanish if people moved and used their bodies more.

What do you think?

[Girzo]

Don't forget about a bad eyesight.

[Moreira]

that happens to office workers who sit all day in front a computer.

I have the opposite problem, physical job and hit the gym, I live tired all days overexercised, so worried about my health.

[SoothedByRain]

The vast amount of humanity isn't actualizing, it is degenerating. Because we are such myopic, egoic beings, even when we are building and growing in our lives it is often at the exclusion of other fundamental areas. Stage Orange often disregards health unless it is for the sake of vanity. 

None of my friends or family mindfully consume, breath nor move. When we are unconscious we are automatic mechanical animals. Most people don't even sit, stand nor breath efficiently nor mindfully. 

First step to all change is awareness. 

Here is a little map I wrote out for the stages one goes through, when moving out of stagnation and towards being. 

* Awareness. 

* Understanding 

* Acceptance 

* Positive Action

* Positive Growth/Change 

* Peace (within this conversation, peace comes through health and being in one's body mindfully) 

As I finished typing this I became aware I was clenching my jaw. Stress is something I am personally attempting to redirect my awareness towards since it is a huge factor of my ill health and disease. 

Our brains produce serotonin to get us up and moving first thing. When we move and deplete/use? this serotonin our brains produce lushness and peace as a reward. Cardio, yoga, walking, deep breathing is vital for clear thought and action. 

First step. 

Awareness. 

Shame about that whole marketing thing aye...

[outlandish]

On 26/10/2018 at 5:12 PM, Girzo said:

Don't forget about a bad eyesight.

Really? Cant tell if you're being facetious. 

16 hours ago, Moreira said:

that happens to office workers who sit all day in front a computer.

I have the opposite problem, physical job and hit the gym, I live tired all days overexercised, so worried about my health.

Not just office workers, theres all kinds of sedentary or barely active jobs, then people just sit around at home. Anyways I think your problem is probably a lot better than  the other extreme. Sounds like you need more rest though!

[Hellspeed]

Not very true from an awakening experience. 

In a dormant state, I give you the ticket on this one. 

[Michael569]

On 27/10/2018 at 1:09 AM, outlandish said:

I think a lot of the problems people have with low energy, allergies, food problems, weight, depressions, OCD, back issues, chronic pain, happiness would simply vanish if people moved and used their bodies more.

definitely a huge contributor but also the environment plays a big role: pollution, toxins, heavy metals in food, water sources, sulfites, nitrates, PCBs, PAHs, plastic packaging, heat processing and free radicals. But also emotions, lying , manipulation, suppression of feelings and anger, lack of intimacy and honesty with self and others. Lack of purpose and self realisation...all these play into modern diseases but not all can be tested for hence while depressions are so hard to diagnose because there is not always the anathomical component. 

[Elysian]

"Some people are overworked, they have ill health. Most people are underworked, and they have ill health. If you lived here on this planet 200 years ago, you would be doing 20 times more activity than what you're doing right now, physically. 100 times probably. Some of you 250 times. If some of you were doing that much activity I'd tell you to take a break, take some rest. Only when you use this body can you keep it well. The more you use it the better it gets."

Sadhguru

[outlandish]

I couldn't agree more ^

"Only when you use this body can you keep it well." so true! Our bodies literally need to be used, (a lot) in order to receive the feedback of how to grow, heal, strengthen, maintain.

His numbers are no exaggeration.

 

[kieranperez]

90% of people don't even know how to walk, run, or even bend down to pick up something off the floor properly. I wouldn't even go into the under exercise part LOL. 

[outlandish]

@kieranperez lol

[Girzo]

Sad, but true.

I have been walking incorrectly for 10 years of my life. With toes landing on ground first.

[Gabriel Antonio]

I'd say the real problem is that most adults are vastly disconnected to their bodies. This is caused by accumulation of tension. School teaches a bunch of subjects, but they don't talk about body awareness/relaxation.  

I have this hypothesis that doing physical exercises with a tensed body is worse than not doing any exercise at all. 

[outlandish]

Maybe we're disconnected because we sit around in front of computers TVs and phones and living in our heads instead of our beautiful bodies?

I've never met an athlete that was disconnected from his/her body. I've never felt disconnected from my body after sweating it out that's for sure.

[kieranperez]

On 10/30/2018 at 0:19 AM, outlandish said:

I've never met an athlete that was disconnected from his/her body. I've never felt disconnected from my body after sweating it out that's for sure.

Most athletes (including professionals) when they really start to hurt go to their head. A lot of great athletes still live in their head. They approach what they do through their head trying to rationalize everything. 

[Pharion]

Yeah I agree completely. My main physical hobbies are (have been) riding a push scooter (razor longboard scooter) around the city for fun or to get places, playing drums, and working out at the gym and ive noticed all them lift my mood pretty much every time I do them. I think excercise is not only healthy for the body but a great way to get your mind out a rut (negative thinking spiral) it helps you sleep better, feel better, and improves your mood and is just straight up fun if your exercising in a way you enjoy.

[Prometheus Worley]

On 10/28/2018 at 2:30 PM, Shiva said:

I went to Myanmar last year and was surprised by to see how fit everyone was. I didn't see one overweight person. They are all in good shape, it's remarkable.

I think that could be because the western diet hasn't arrived there yet. Most people still eat the traditional way and a lot of people still make a living with manual labour.

I have to agree with Shiva on this one. Having traveled all throughout Central America and numerous parts of South East Asia, the vast amounts of people and communities I encountered were indeed quite healthy. Compared to their Western counterparts I would definitely describe them as being in good shape. As Shiva stated, many of the people still make their living engaged  in manual labor and their diets consists of traditional non-overly processed foods. The Western diet as well as the western sedentary mode of behavior, for the most part, has yet to gain a foothold in the cultural behavioral practices within many of these countries.

As far as the West, I tend to think the under-exercised issue is a little more complex. So many factors play a part within our present society that actually encourage unhealthy eating practices and sedentary lifestyles. We're inundated on a daily basis with so many ads telling us to "eat this" or "buy that", that I think we tend forget the primary goal for the multi-billion dollar Food Industry as well as the consumer goods industry, which is profit first. With the secondary goal being "how to create continual life long customers" for their various brands. The health, fitness, and over all well being of the average consumer takes a back seat for many of these companies .

Added to this Shakespearean comedy of errors, is the fact that we as a society have been falsely persuaded to seek "quick fixes", and have come to expect "spectacular results" with little or no effort required (i.e. Celebrity endorsed Plastic Surgery, Quick Fat Loss supplements, Accelerated Hormone Therapy programs, Big Pharmaceutical Companies promoting weight loss drugs, Genetically Modified Super-Foods, Spanex and contoured Shape-wear, etc.). When you really start to look at some of these influencing things you can begin to somewhat see, that the deck has truthfully been stacked against the average individual. It is no wonder why so many people feel insecure, depressed, and inadequate after being bombarded daily with so many of these product / services advertisements.

Is this a complete justification for the masses of individuals who do not regularly engage in healthy exercise practices and healthy lifestyles??..no. It is however, like the layers of an onion, just some of the psychological influencing factors that have to be peeled back and examined, when considering why is it that so many within the West are under-exercised.

Somewhere within this Faustian bargain that we have struck with technological advancement lies the seeds to our victory over quick fixes and complacency. I believe the first step begins with accountability and the principle called patience. For some reason we seem to have lost sight of this very crucial factor regarding life as a whole. We seem to be able to comprehend the concept of patience when it comes to things like Investing, Time and Rate of Return, when money is on the line. But when it comes to things like our health, the state of our fitness, and eating habits, we toss patience out the window. With the same due diligence we apply to researching the components that make up a potentially good firm to invest in, we should equally conduct a deep dive into "Why", as individual as well as society, we are not honestly striving for an overall healthier lifestyle.

I definitely agree that we in the West are vastly under-exercised, but I think the reasons are somewhat varied as well as complex. Economics as well as industry driven consumerism appear to equally play a part in this downwardly spiraling negative health trend.