In defense of being a health nut

• Less than 3% of Americans engage in a healthy lifestyle (not smoking, healthy body fat percentage, regular exercise, and eating a healthy diet)

• Nearly 60% of Americans have at least one chronic disease

• The majority of Americans will have at least two chronic diseases by the time they are in their 60s

• 73% of Americans are either obese or overweight

• The U.S. has the lowest life expectancy of any high GDP country 
  

Let’s be honest, it is hard to be healthy in the United States. We have normalized eating highly processed food, being stressed, sitting inside at a desk all day, and lack of social connection. So it is no wonder that we have one of the most unhealthy populations in the world. And the vast majority of the chronic diseases we suffer from are due to lifestyle choices - some estimates say 90% of the leading causes of death are due to lifestyle choices. 

Yet, if you have tried to step outside of what is considered normal and common these days, you may have encountered some resistance. I have seen it with clients, friends, and even myself - you wake up early to get a workout in, start drinking less alcohol, make time for meditation, and refuse dessert. And you get called lame, peer pressured to indulge just this once, or judged for your choices. 

But here is the hard truth - you do have to become a bit of a health nut in order to be truly healthy in this country. Read the stats at the start of this post again. The current environment is not set up for you to be healthy and thriving. It promotes sickness and illness. While it is of course possible to go too far in the other direction and become obsessed with healthy living, in general, it requires going against the norm to live healthy and not become another unhealthy statistic. It is more than possible to enjoy your life, have fun, and still be healthy and make choices that support your long-term goals. 

So here is your permission to be a health nut! Prioritize yourself and living a long and healthy life.