All the content in this post has been on my mind lately and I just wanted to share my point of view.
Part A: Exercise
I just want to say that I LOVE to work out. I know that this may seem weird to some people, but I really, truly do love it. I go to the gym 3 times a week. If I miss a day, I feel kind of sad, like I didn't accomplish something that should have been done. I love working out for a few reasons. First of all, I love the feeling afterwards, knowing that you worked your body hard, and that you did something good for it. I love the results! I love feeling healthy and being fit. I love having muscles! Obviously, I'm no muscle woman, but I got some, they're there, I promise.
:) Another motivation for working out is to ensure that I will be healthy for the rest of my life. I don't want to be 50 or 60 years old and have to take medication or not feel good because I let my health slide. I want to have a good quality of life.
Working out makes me happy. I've been working out consistently for a good 6 years (minus my mission), but had been lifting weights long before then (just not as consistently as I would have liked). After all this time, working out has become a part of me and my lifestyle. I would feel weird if I suddenly stopped doing it. It's so imbedded in me, just like doing the dishes or laundry. They have to get done, you can't let it slide.
Part B: Fast Food
I hate fast food! I wish it didn't exist. I wish there was a law that made fast food illegal and would shut down all the fast food franchises in America, heck in the world! I know this sounds harsh, but honestly, we all know that fast food isn't good for us. I think it's so sad, how much it's become a part of American life. Dan briefly looked at the book Fast Food Nation, and it said that in 1970 or so, fast food was a 5 billion dollar industry. Today, it's in the hundreds of billions (I'm paraphrasing here so it could be millions, instead of billions, but you get the point)! I haven't eaten fast food in years. I occasionally go to Subway, but I don't think that really counts as fast food. The last time I ate at McDonalds was in 2002. The last time I ate a fast food hamburger was in 2007 and I only did because I had just driven/moved down here to CA after graduating from BYU and we had no food.
We just had a lesson in Young Womens about taking care of your body, and I said how I don't eat fast food and I was the odd one out. Fast food has become such a norm, that it's odd if you don't eat it. I find this very, very sad. I don't know why people eat there, and eat there a lot. It's food that is high in fat and calories and contains very little nutritional value. I wish America would open its eyes! People are seriously eating themselves to death.
What makes me really sad is when little kids live off of fast food. A few years ago, I saw this little girl, she was maybe two and she was fat. Not just chubby, but fat. I felt so bad for that little girl, who obviously didn't choose her food. Her parents chose to give her unhealthy food and I can only imagine the kind of life she's going to lead. I don't know why people don't get it. If it's not good for adults, it's even worse for kids, whose brain and bodies are still developing. Doctors are now finding kids with type II diabetes and heart disease!
6 comments:
Ok - I am so with you on this!! I'm so glad you posted this. I remember on my mission this family we taught the grandparents thought fat kids were cuter so they took them to McDonalds all the time to make them fater - it was so sad.
Also, I really think it's more than just fast foods. It's in so much of what we eat. I've been reading up on this and actually it's really infuriates me what companies put in our food. Wealth is more important to them than health and I honestly believe that there are some parts of the food industry that are poisoning us (I know this sounds extreme, but I really do believe it). All those preservatives and additives? The GMO foods? It's so not good for you! Anyways, I'm becoming an all about from scratch person (I can't remember the last time I brought spaghetti sauce - I always make my own now, I also make homemade soups, and such).
As for working out and being fit that is so important too. I don't always have the time to go to the gym - but I make it a point that most days I'll walk to work. 40 min to walk to and from - I love it. You're right it's such a great feeling. And I like to incorporate as part of my daily lifestyle (like also walking to the grocery store as well and such)
Well, think of it this way, if it became a law, there goes our free agency. If people want to live that way, they would. Fast food places don't need to shut down, just people need to make smarter choices and just not go there. Obviously drugs are bad, and since they are prevalent in our world today, it doesn't mean I partake I just don't do them. Same with fast food. So, if you go out on a date, do you just eat at home first? What if you're on a road trip, or coming home from the temple and you're hungry? Do you pack sandwiches in a cooler? I'm not mocking, just trying to understand how you eat when you're out and what you eat. Because when we are in those predicaments, we eat out.
Kirsten, if we're on a road trip, we pack a lunch and/or dinner. Usually a sandwich and some fruit-something easy to eat in the car. Same thing with the temple. If we're going out on a date and we're not eating, we eat before hand. If we are out and about and starving with no food, we will either go to Subway, or stop at a grocery store to buy a bagel or fruit. Like I said, we do go out to sit down restaurants, but not very often. For me personally, it's not in my mindset if I'm hungry to choose a fast food as an option.
I hope I didn't send the message if you eat fast food, then I hate you and I'll never talk to you again. :) I just don't like it and the fact that Americans eat so much of it, that our nation is becoming so unhealthy and that kids, the future, are growing up with it as the norm.
Rachel drags me to the gym and I'm thankful for it. I'm probably in the best shape of my life right now, and I can certainly lift far more than I used to.
I'm with Shara- processed foods are just as bad. A homemade pizza tastes so much better than anything you can get at a restaurant (except Nicolitalia's in Provo). Homemade sauce is so much better tasting as well. I haven't had store bought bread in ages. We bake it all ourselves, grinding the wheat ourselves as well. It certainly takes more time, but the rewards are worth it. You eat three times a day, every day of your life, so make it count!
Amen! I wish I were better at working out. I'm generally pretty good about eating healthy, but I rarely take the time to work out!
By the way... Anna looked SO precious for Halloween! I loved her outfit. Just because I haven't been commenting, doesn't mean I haven't been reading. :) I love seeing what you guys are up to!
Hey Friend! It has been way too long! Derek and I are with you on eating healthy and exercising (though we are not nearly as good about it) our hearts are there! Anyway, I've been thinking about you lately because Derek and I have found a company that makes amazing food products that are the most nutrient dense things on the planet. We drink a juice now (no sugar believe me, I hate juice) but this has 19 fruits, 11 vegetables, plant derived glucosamine (most glucosamine comes from shellfish but not this) and it has a product in it called wellmune that puts that shield back on our white blood cells and boosts our immune system. I think you should look at it. It's also good for food supply because with four ounces a day, you get 13 servings of fruits and vegetables and it has a shelf life of two years (if it's left unopened). Anyway, if your interested, let me know. I have had more endurance and energy than i've ever had before. I think it's worth you time looking into it. Our food supply just doesn't have what it used to be. I give my kids two ounces a day, they love it. They call it their energy juice. :)
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