It’s been a while since I bored you all with my musings. I would like to say it’s because I’ve been busy trying to save the world from wild fitness and nutrition claims, but I’d be lying…………. anyone watched “Game Changers”?

I have been busy, work, family and study, never too old to learn or relearn.

Now I’m back and will try not to leave such a big gap between blogs.

Something has been worrying me for a while and if you have been a reader of my blogs in the past (thanks for not handing your membership back during my sabbatical) you know that I’m good at worrying!

I worry that we are killing ourselves with kindness. I know I often say you need to show yourself some self-compassion and give yourself a break at times, but this is different.

Are we all making life a little too easy? Technology has enabled us to hand over the jobs that we would otherwise have done ourselves. That doesn’t just go for physical tasks also mental tasks.

For example, my eldest daughter will be old enough to drive in January, that in itself is a very scary thought. Even more so is the possibility that when my youngest son is the same age he probably won’t need to bother as cars could be able to drive themselves. The advances in electric cars may be good for the planet but is it good that we lose the skills and thought processes that it takes to drive?

 

The same applies to hand writing, I sit here tapping away at a keyboard, but I still spend time writing stuff down with a pen, but will that still be the way in 10 -20 years? Will there be a generation that doesn’t know how to hold a pen?

What’s all this got to do with fitness and nutrition?

In our effort to make life easier for ourselves we are actually making it harder. Physical movement, mental dexterity and co-ordination are all vital things we need to keep using to stay healthy as we age. If we stop using those skills we lose them. Is it time to look at taking back control of some of the day to day tasks?

We no longer have to get up to switch the light on we can just ask “Alexa” which cuts down on the amount of physical activity we do each day. If you want to keep your weight down move as much as possible, I’ve blogged about NEAT before so won’t go heavily into now but let’s just say if you’re a fidget its probably good for your health.

 

I’m not knocking “Alexa” smart devices have their place…………although She knows s**t about biochemistry when you need her! Where I have an issue is when you can get her to order you a “Big Mac” to get delivered to your door. The only small, and I mean small saving grace about the golden arches was you at least had to get up and get there to consume it. Walking from your front door to the car door, is better than lying on your couch.

Then we have the mass amounts of ready meals and convenience meals that adorn our supermarket shelves, which yes, I too fall back on at times. Its when ready meals become the default that it becomes a problem.

We can now eat rich, restaurant style ready meals every night of the week at a ping of our microwaves.

Ask yourself if you had to cook said ready meal from scratch would you have the time, ingredients or money to do so? Would we all be a little better off financially and health wise if we cooked from scratch a bit more. I’m not going to get all Soap Boxy on you and say you must never darken the ready meal aisle ever again, maybe just pause before you peel, pop and ping in the microwave. Next time could you DIY it if you gave up 15mins of Facebook?

Just for some balance, I’m not all for so called healthy gadgets either. Fitness trackers can be great, but they too can add to the problem. Over reliance on them, leads us to stop listening to our internal alarms of when we have done too much or not enough. Sometimes it’s a good idea to disconnect from your gadgets and reconnect with your most powerful feedback device, your body.

Perhaps we should all try and feel a little less comfortable and a little more uncomfortable? Move the TV control so you have to get up for it, move around in the kitchen and cook from scratch every now and then. As much as I love the gym, it’s the healthy habits of everyday life that improve your health the most.