How to be Healthy without trying

It’s fair to say that healthy drives, faddy diets and fitness crazes are a recent development for humanity. Their recency also correlates with our obesity epidemic, and spiralling rates of diabetes throughout the modern world. Clearly something isn’t working.

Modern life is alien to us as a species. We haven’t had the time required to adapt to the enormous changes we have made to our everyday environment and diets. Driving cars, less walking, sitting at desks, not lifting heavy things, eating processed food, the list is endless. Our strategies in the pursuit of health are often just as drastic, from punishing sessions in the gym, to the most fierce denials of food in the pursuit of weight loss and health, none of which we can sustain, and then lead to the inevitable guilt of failure. This is not healthy.

Medication for lack of sleep, for stress. Caffeine for tiredness, sugar for low mood. The sofa and pizza to reward for getting through a tough week. A familiar pattern for many, and the very behaviour which just adds more stress into the mix.

What does the evidence tell us? Eat a balanced diet of real food (usually means it doesn’t have a TV advert), get enough quality sleep and move around each and every day. Its not rocket science, but this moderate common sense approach doesn’t make anyone rich, or fit in with our current lifestyles in the modern world.

I see many problems with feet in my practise, and people often believe the problem is with the foot. Rarely is this true, feet are wonderful pieces of engineering that can’t be replaced by all of mans intelligence and skill. The problem is always the environment, the diet, the shoes, the activity, the lack of sleep….

Take 3 simple steps to be healthy without trying, prioritise sleep, eat real food and move every day, and keep doing it. Your whole body will thank you for it, and it may just last you a lifetime.