“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.” Thomas A. Edison
Your body is an amazing machine, capable of extraordinary feats and incredible adaptation. But modern living is conspiring to prevent us from achieving our full potential, and in many cases it’s making us sick.
We now spend the majority of our time sitting inside, glued to our screens; we’re losing our connection with nature; we’ve been bombarded by advertising and influenced by marketing since birth, so that we’ve forgotten what constitutes real, nourishing food; and when we do try to eat healthily we get conflicting information about the latest fad diets and superfoods.
As a result, we’re experiencing an epidemic of lifestyle afflictions (also known as non-communicable diseases) such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity and mental health problems. This is putting incredible strain not just on us as individuals, but on health services worldwide. In many cases these problems are preventable, but we need to re-learn how to support our bodies properly.
Living healthily is not complicated; it can be boiled down to:
- eating real food
- moving and exercising
- connecting with nature
- managing stress
- getting enough sleep
Sounds simple doesn’t it – but sometimes simple is not easy. In some cases, fairly radical changes will be required.
I’ve created Natural Born Fitness as a resource, to provide health and fitness advice to help us take back control of our health, using tools such as bodyweight strength training, high intensity interval training, eating SLOW, predominantly plant based food and connecting with nature via outdoor adventures. Of course it’s not the only way, but hopefully this approach can help some people.
I’ve tried to be as evidence based as possible, but also sensible and realistic. The information is clearly general in nature and is supposed to complement, not replace, individualised advice and plans. If you have any concerns about your health or fitness, please go and see your GP first before embarking on a new regime.