We’ve become very comfortable as humans.
We live in temperature-controlled shelters. We have food that’s prepared for us and easy to heat. We have running water and endless entertainment to keep us from becoming bored.
We also have many ways to travel, so we barely need to move if we choose not to.
We’ve started to rely more and more on technology, thinking less and reducing our general movement even further.
We’ve become less of a species than we once were.
While all of this has steadily happened, we’ve totally lost touch with our bodies and how they actually function – like what real hunger feels like, how to move correctly, and how to think clearly and logically.
While it’s great to be comfortable, our bodies don’t actually benefit from it. We dull our senses and purpose.
We become lazy.
So, when we think of exercise and improving our diet, this becomes an issue.
It means we’re going to become uncomfortable – and that’s a thought process we don’t want to engage with.
So how do we overcome this? It’s simple.
We have to slowly drip-feed little changes over time. With exercise, start by taking up something you enjoy. This could be a sport, or a social activity like cycling or walking.
With nutrition, start by assessing where most of your issues are. Then bring in what I call the ‘NBCL’ (Nutritional Habit Learning Curve). Begin by tracking your calories to see what you’re actually consuming. Then learn what your macros and calorie intake look like daily. Once you’re used to this, focus on what your actual portion sizes should be. When you have this knowledge and a better understanding of your nutrition, you can wean yourself off tracking altogether.
If tracking doesn’t work for you, you can also look at fasting – simply giving yourself a feeding window each day.
The idea is to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, understanding that you’re reprogramming yourself to function as humans actually should.
We don’t need to eat every few hours. When was the last time you ate because you were truly hungry?
We don’t need to see movement or exercise as torture, but as a way to reduce pain, mobility issues, and premature aging.
It can also make us appreciate that when we are comfortable, we’ve earned it.
Our bodies are designed to move, to think without screens and prompts, and to be partially underfed at times.
If we keep them static, keep our minds dulled by constant distraction, and overfeed ourselves…
Our productivity and lifespan shorten dramatically.
We are in charge of rebooting our bodies and bettering our lives.
