Is America Anti-Healthy?

Off Topic
41

[quote]vroom wrote:
I don’t know why everyone thinks it is a non-issue to be healthy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m obviously on the right road myself. However, when peoples entire lives are taken up by career, looking after children, running a household and otherwise looking after all their responsibilities, where do they find the time and energy to actually realize that everyone is lying to them about being healthy?

Honestly, I’m not making excuses, but if it was so damned easy, we wouldn’t be suffering an obesity epidemic.

Yes, while I too believe people are stupid and docile and so on, you also have to cut them a little slack. Obviously life has become structured in a way that such issues have become less important, less valued, by society.

The so called “realities” of the world can weigh pretty heavily on you. If you aren’t yet shouldering those burdens yourself, don’t be so quick to condemn those that are.
[/quote]

This whole post is money. TIME is the issue here. Our whole society is stacked against making time for exercise.

(1) We spend way too much time at WORK. This is a big problem in my opinion - lets face it, in most careers, an 8 hour day is a flat out pipe dream. If you are working 8 hours a day, consider yourself lucky.

(2) We live too far from work. For people in the big city, living in the burbs, you may be wasting 2+ hours a day sitting in the car commuting.

I really think these are the big two. For some people work + commuting takes up all but a few hours of time. Throw in meals and such, and you’re all but out of time. Then people have lack of sleep problems, because they have so little time to pursue things they enjoy, they cut back on sleep to MAKE time for it, lest they go insane and begin feeling like they are a machine that works and sleeps only. This is tough enough on a single guy - now throw a family in the mix, whom you need to spend time with and you can see you’re to the point where the only free time you have is when you are sitting on the toilet.

Tell someone in this situation “by the way you need to hit the gym for 1.5 hours 3-4 times a week” and they are likely to laugh so hard that whatever they are drinking shoots out their nose. Tell someone in this situation “by the way, instead of hitting mcdonald’s in a 5 min trip, you need to spend 45 mins cooking” and the same result is likely. What free time they DO have is spent on things like their family and things they enjoy, not in the gym (which most people will never enjoy - they may enjoy the results but not the act).

My approach in such a situation would be to tell my boss to “fuck off” and find a new job - but for someone with 3 kids and a mortgage they can barely afford, that’s not an option.

The problems here go MUCH deeper than people’s laziness. For a lot of people its laziness, for some people, modern American life simply screws them over.

42

[quote]Sniper99 wrote:
vroom wrote:
I don’t know why everyone thinks it is a non-issue to be healthy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m obviously on the right road myself. However, when peoples entire lives are taken up by career, looking after children, running a household and otherwise looking after all their responsibilities, where do they find the time and energy to actually realize that everyone is lying to them about being healthy?

Honestly, I’m not making excuses, but if it was so damned easy, we wouldn’t be suffering an obesity epidemic.

Yes, while I too believe people are stupid and docile and so on, you also have to cut them a little slack. Obviously life has become structured in a way that such issues have become less important, less valued, by society.

The so called “realities” of the world can weigh pretty heavily on you. If you aren’t yet shouldering those burdens yourself, don’t be so quick to condemn those that are.

This whole post is money. TIME is the issue here. Our whole society is stacked against making time for exercise.

(1) We spend way too much time at WORK. This is a big problem in my opinion - lets face it, in most careers, an 8 hour day is a flat out pipe dream. If you are working 8 hours a day, consider yourself lucky.

(2) We live too far from work. For people in the big city, living in the burbs, you may be wasting 2+ hours a day sitting in the car commuting.

I really think these are the big two. For some people work + commuting takes up all but a few hours of time. Throw in meals and such, and you’re all but out of time. Then people have lack of sleep problems, because they have so little time to pursue things they enjoy, they cut back on sleep to MAKE time for it, lest they go insane and begin feeling like they are a machine that works and sleeps only. This is tough enough on a single guy - now throw a family in the mix, whom you need to spend time with and you can see you’re to the point where the only free time you have is when you are sitting on the toilet.

Tell someone in this situation “by the way you need to hit the gym for 1.5 hours 3-4 times a week” and they are likely to laugh so hard that whatever they are drinking shoots out their nose. Tell someone in this situation “by the way, instead of hitting mcdonald’s in a 5 min trip, you need to spend 45 mins cooking” and the same result is likely. What free time they DO have is spent on things like their family and things they enjoy, not in the gym (which most people will never enjoy - they may enjoy the results but not the act).

My approach in such a situation would be to tell my boss to “fuck off” and find a new job - but for someone with 3 kids and a mortgage they can barely afford, that’s not an option.

The problems here go MUCH deeper than people’s laziness. For a lot of people its laziness, for some people, modern American life simply screws them over.[/quote]

I bet pretty much everyone could get up 40 minutes earlier and do a bit of a workout. Its all about priorities. If its somthing that you see have this much benifit and somthing that you enjoy doing you will make time for it.

Yes there are some people that have no time. But pretty much nobody works 14hour days 7 days a week.

And about the food. I spend no time cooking. Im a horrible cook. I just make samwhiches, eat canned food, etc I eat healthy too. 40mins a day cooking is not needed.

43

if everybody is so god damned busy, how is it that all these tv shows are getting watched

44

[quote]Sniper99 wrote:
This whole post is money. TIME is the issue here. Our whole society is stacked against making time for exercise.

(1) We spend way too much time at WORK. This is a big problem in my opinion - lets face it, in most careers, an 8 hour day is a flat out pipe dream. If you are working 8 hours a day, consider yourself lucky.

(2) We live too far from work. For people in the big city, living in the burbs, you may be wasting 2+ hours a day sitting in the car commuting.

I really think these are the big two. For some people work + commuting takes up all but a few hours of time. Throw in meals and such, and you’re all but out of time. Then people have lack of sleep problems, because they have so little time to pursue things they enjoy, they cut back on sleep to MAKE time for it, lest they go insane and begin feeling like they are a machine that works and sleeps only. This is tough enough on a single guy - now throw a family in the mix, whom you need to spend time with and you can see you’re to the point where the only free time you have is when you are sitting on the toilet.

Tell someone in this situation “by the way you need to hit the gym for 1.5 hours 3-4 times a week” and they are likely to laugh so hard that whatever they are drinking shoots out their nose. Tell someone in this situation “by the way, instead of hitting mcdonald’s in a 5 min trip, you need to spend 45 mins cooking” and the same result is likely. What free time they DO have is spent on things like their family and things they enjoy, not in the gym (which most people will never enjoy - they may enjoy the results but not the act).

My approach in such a situation would be to tell my boss to “fuck off” and find a new job - but for someone with 3 kids and a mortgage they can barely afford, that’s not an option.

The problems here go MUCH deeper than people’s laziness. For a lot of people its laziness, for some people, modern American life simply screws them over.[/quote]

Sounds a bit like horseshit to me.

Before you rag my ass out, yes I have kids, a mortgage, a wife, and a job that can demand long hours. Guess what? I chose those things, just like everyone else did.

People put there priorities on the big screen tv, big house and the new SUV rather than personal health and development. People pay for that decision. It’s how life works. People’s lives are a reflection of their past choices. If you are a fatty, you chose to be fat.

Deal with it.

45

Is America Anti-Healthy? That sure is a hard question to answer.
Maybe Everyone in America isn’t a fat,lazy pig. Maybe they’re just “missled.”
Maybe they’re misinformed.
Maybe no one just doesn’t care anymore…until they get cancer or a disease.
Sure,80 % of America is full of obese slobs,but I think the real problem is that our government is Anti-Healthy.
I think six year old kids would do a better job running the government than the people in charge right now.
I mean,damn.
Other than hearing of some new wonder drug killing 100 people here and there every year,I think we’re up there with the holocaust and hitler.
Sell our own weapons to terrorists.Fight and train the terrorists that are using our own weapons against us.Make out a new wonder drug.
10 years later it’s out on the streets being abused and we’re fighting the “war on drugs”.
The diet industry and drug companies getting richer while America is getting fatter and sicker.
Now it’s up to people to do it for themselves.No one else.
Thats the real problem.
America is just plain LAZY.
We have a history of having other people do things for us (in machine or human form).
If more Americans learned to get off of their asses and get active,eat healthy,and not to leave it up to our beautiful government,then we would be healtheir.
Until then,we’ll become sicker,fatter,and stay misinformed.
People just don’t care anymore.
Everyone I’ve known that has had cancer never thought they’d get cancer.They’d live a unhealthy life style.
Then when they get cancer they’re crying the blues.
It’s a dog eat dog world out there.
Thats how I see it.
America just doesn’t care anymore.
The super bowl is more important to them than their health.

46

This thread really speaks.

I sense resent in some people I come across because of the way I live. I am seen as “too disciplined” or extreme by roommates and family alike. I always admired the discipline that it took to hold down a strong diet, yet I don’t think a lot of other people do.

How fucking hard is it to control what you put in your mouth? I LOVE food just as much as the next guy (I could punish 5 digit calorie figures on a daily basis) but I don’t rely on it for a crutch. Unfortunately, my vigilance and hard work to get an awesome diet are only pushing me away from those I love and call friends.

I blame ignorance. I believe it takes an intelligent individual to realize that health and nutrition play major roles in everything we do. From the moment we wake up to the moment of deep REM sleep, our hormones dictate our mood and growth-which are all dependent on our nutrition (and sleep).

My bad I don’t want to destroy a 6 pack of busch and punish a box of mac and cheese.

47

This thread delivers!

I took a new job last summer that required 13 hour days at work that rotates every three months from nights to days. I have 3 kids, a wife, and two dogs. Life is busy. I stopped going to the gym after 2 months into the job. My excuse was I was too tired and didnt have the time. Well after putting on about 25 lbs of FAT I am making time again.

I think its a crutch that most people use to get out of working hard. Personally I love pushing myself to the limits, just last week I did sprints until I puked! I just dont like the pain 2 days later!

48

Its just a matter of realising what you can control and what you cant.

Finding the time to cook isnt so bad if you make enough for left overs.

Finding the time to excercise isnt so hard if you KNOW when you get home from work you go straight to the gym. It sucks. But if you put it off and say, “in an hour” you end up not going.

Balance your time and you can make time. I have a part time job, fulltime uni min 24 credit points (australian) a semester and catch unreliable public transport whilst walking too and from the station. I MAKE time.

one of the top topics of conversation these days is whats on TV. Its irrelevent.

49

[quote]djoh615893 wrote:
I feel fairly safe saying that the problem will get worse…much worse. And spread farther too. When McDonald’s get to Baghdad, we’ll be really screwed. Health insurance companies should reject people who got fat from inactivity, diet, being a dumbass. That may eventually cause people to look toward making efforts to better themselves physically.[/quote]

They pay higher rates. And they should.

50

[quote]Snoop wrote:
This thread delivers!

I took a new job last summer that required 13 hour days at work that rotates every three months from nights to days. I have 3 kids, a wife, and two dogs. Life is busy. I stopped going to the gym after 2 months into the job. My excuse was I was too tired and didnt have the time. Well after putting on about 25 lbs of FAT I am making time again.

I think its a crutch that most people use to get out of working hard. Personally I love pushing myself to the limits, just last week I did sprints until I puked! I just dont like the pain 2 days later! [/quote]

Yes, it’s nice to hear from posters like you in the professional world that make time for it all. It’s fine for students like me, even in lawschool where I’m working much more then I every did in college. But it’s different for professionals who work 12-13 hour days and have family responsibilites. I don’t stop to wonder how the more regular posters who post every 5 minutes have time to get a workout in. Those of you that work long hours (and a job where you can’t post on T-Nation throughout that day), what approach do you take to training. Do you do it in the morning? After work? I feel like morning would be best. Most of you have homegyms? I think this would be most feasible. My sister work many hours as an attorney and tells me when she works out in the mornings unless it’s the weekend. Otherwise, it won’t get done.

51

[quote]Sniper99 wrote:
deanec wrote:
She has another woman believing that resistance exercise will “bulk her up”. Honey, you are plenty bulked up, you need to get off your butt and into the gym, and I ain’t talking about an hour on the treadmill.

Hell, an hour on the treadmill a few times a week would be a great start! I think something us folks into lifting DO need to remember is that lifting is not something everyone enjoys. And not everyone cares about getting bigger and/or stronger. I sure don’t get it but its the truth!

The goal is just for people to get healthier. And to be healthy, you DON’T need to spend hours a week in the gym under the bar. Eat better. Go running, or biking, or hell, hit the treadmill for an hour if you can stand imitating a hampster on a wheel :P. Lifting isn’t required (though I recommend it to anyone with even remote interest in it). Exercise is. When trying to get your friends healthier… don’t insist they have to lift if its not their thing - just suggest they do more exercise, preferably an activity they enjoy.[/quote]

I agree that “doing something” is better than doing nothing. However one cannot ignore the fact that resistance exercise is a key factor in bone, joint and muscle health as we age. Gyms are full of people doing the “hamster on the wheel” thing, and for the most part, this is a path to frustration and failure.

I do not argue with people about their modality of exercise, but I do try to educate as to better methods, particularly if they are not getting the results they want.

52

[quote]AgentOrange wrote:
And everyone wonders why, every week, a skinny guy starts a picture thread looking for an ego stroke. The reason is simple: skinny guys with a little bit of muscle are pretty fucking built compared to the average fatty (or skinny fatty) walking around these days. As a result, it’s not hard for a skinny guy to have it go to his head, only to be smacked down after starting a picture thread.[/quote]

While I hate those threads as much as the next guy… well-said, and interesting perspective!

53

[quote]Sniper99 wrote:
Let me outline an average American’s day:

Spend 10-12 hours working for the man.
Spend 2+ hours in the car commuting.
Stop and grab something to eat on the way home (usually unhealthy) because you are too damn wasted from work to do anything.
Veg on the couch, attend to whatever pressing matters exist at home.
Go to sleep, get up 5-6 hours later, and do it all over again.[/quote]

You know, along with a few other reasons, this is one of the drivers behind my thinking about quitting my corporate job and going to bartend full-time.

While I only work around 8 or 9 hours a day, I DO prepare healthy meals, and I get 8 to 9 hours of sleep every night, I’m still sitting on my ass all day.

Working FT as a bartender (instead of part-time as I do now) would be much more active… as long as I can avoid the restaurant food. But, considering the fact that I usually skip the pot-lucks, candy, etc in the office, I don’t think that would be a problem.

54

[quote]loppar wrote:
Reminds me of my shortest date ever. I took a hot girl out for dinner. After I ordered mineral water she said that men who drink mineral water are gay. She proceeded to tell me that masculine men drink booze and smoke and that she finds “health freaks” (a health freak being someone who doesn’t smoke and drink alcohol) repulsive.

I said “excuse me, but you’re retarded” then got up and left.

The dinner lasted 10 minutes.

Loppar[/quote]

That’s fucking hilarious. Definitely a stupid woman. You should have said, “Just try to blow me. If I don’t get anything out of it, I must be gay.”

55

[quote]loppar wrote:
Reminds me of my shortest date ever. I took a hot girl out for dinner. After I ordered mineral water she said that men who drink mineral water are gay. She proceeded to tell me that masculine men drink booze and smoke and that she finds “health freaks” (a health freak being someone who doesn’t smoke and drink alcohol) repulsive.

I said “excuse me, but you’re retarded” then got up and left.

The dinner lasted 10 minutes.

Loppar[/quote]

I would have done the same thing…only I doubt I would said anything much at all after her comment. Looking at her like she’s stupid and walking right out could have been even more powerful.

56

[quote]wressler125 wrote:
Another thing I remember reading about was a movement to ban creatine??? How do you ban something not only found in red meat, but something that is necessary to live?[/quote]

DMT and GHB are both FDA Schedule 1 substances - illegal under any circumstances.

Both chemicals are found naturally in the human brain, and are necessary to life functions. Explain that one to me!

57

My father has traveled extensively through Europe and everytime he comes back he says the same thing: “You can always spot the American in the crowd. It’s the fat ass.”

One thing I will say for other parts of the world outside of America is that people aren’t necessarily much more health conscious than they are here in America. A big difference is that in other parts of the world it’s too damn expensive to drive a car daily so most people walk, bike, and commute via train, bus, etc.

58

[quote]wressler125 wrote:
This is exactly what I mean. Rather than addressing the problem AS A PROBLEM, clothes are sold xxl, toilets are made bigger, and malls install more handicapped spaces.
[/quote]

Dude I can’t even tie my own damn shoe unless my shirt is an xxl, honestly.

On another note, I used to work in a building that also housed an OLN office (Outdoor Life Network). I guess it was me being naive at the time, but I thought that most of the people that worked in the office would be lean, or at least look active.

I was sadly mistaken. The employees of OLN were the only regular employees I saw using handicapped parking spaces day in, day out (and it wasn’t becase they had a missing limb - think more Mama Cass). As if that wasn’t enough, most were habitual smokers that were never seen without a cup of light and sweet coffee in their hand.

59

America is not so much anti-healthy as it is pro self gratification and quick and easy fix. Most people are unwilling to accept the consequences of a lazy, indulgent lifestyle. Obesity is a direct result of this and is increasing globally at an alarming rate. We have no choice but to pay higher insurance rates to cover these individuals. It all seems hopeless to be able to stop anyone who wants to turn themselves into amorphous, slovenly blobs.

On the other hand, we may be witnessing the self-destruction of this type of person, as poor health renders them unable to breed and slowly kills them off. The brave new world of the fit and strong survivors is not so remote. Then who the hell can we blame everything on?

60

Worse than the fat people scooters, extra tubby clothing or the proliferation of cheesburgers combined:

Fat Kid bikes.

The ones at wal-mart that are decked out like choppers, with a big fat rear tire, and a big fat seat. The crank and gears on them aren’t worth a shit, they are laid back to being damn near recumbant, and about the only thing I can imagine doing with one is ghost riding it into a moving train. They are completely fucking useless you are a fat kid that flattens normal tires, but you want to act like you can ride a bike.

Those bikes are for fat kids, and they need to be demolished. So do the fat assed parents that keep making more fat kids.