Sensei Talks  

"Obesity is less about the body doing anything wrong than it is about an environment that is all wrong for our bodies. We are adapted to survive in a world where calories are scarce and physical activity demands high. To use pharmacotherapy to fight obesity, we are, in essence, hoping to redirect the fundamental activities of human metabolism. I don't think we'll ever succeed in doing so, without dire cost in toxicity and side effects."

-Dr. David L. Katz, an associate professor of public health and director of the
Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine

I think this quote is pretty powerful! Focusing on the first sentence really made me stop to think about how we live today. Many people who want to lose pounds and manage their weight turn to outside methods – using medication, diet pills or more extreme surgical methods.

I agree with Dr. Katz that the environment we live in today is different than what our bodies were created to deal with. We are lucky that technology has made life easier in so many ways – we don’t have to go hunt our dinners or worry that food is scarce. In fact, we have the opposite problem! Food is abundant (both healthy and unhealthy options!) and most jobs involve sitting at a desk for most of the day. So, in order to get back to our roots, we need to be more conscious of putting activity back into our day and making healthy selections from the different food options available.

And this takes work, that is for sure! But remember that the decisions are yours to make. A little thought and planning ahead can help make this process easier. While you don’t HAVE to be active during the day, remind yourself that it is a healthy choice and find ways to move more. Even though it may take some mental effort, work on choosing healthy, nutrient-filled meals to keep you full and satisfied. When we get to the basics, our bodies are pretty amazing pieces of machinery – we can grow, heal, think, feel, talk, and adapt. Make thoughtful decisions to treat your body well and it will work well for you.

There will always be a new pill to try for quick and easy weight loss. But after all this time, it always seems to come back to the same conclusion: Quick and easy doesn’t work for long-term success. Instead of opting for the newest drug or fad-diet, focus your energy on creating positive habits now and you will have a long, healthy life ahead.