A cursory glance at Pinterest boards and Instagram accounts is all one needs to understand that the world’s obsession with fitness is alive and well. The models used in advertisements, commercials and headlines that scream out to passers-by all attest to this standard of what’s acceptable when it comes to physical health.
Most often this standard is set by the food we eat; restaurants are quick to offer low calorie options to please certain demographics, and the social media we’re so reliant upon advertises ways that food can help us “burn more calories” and ”banish belly fat for good.” It goes without saying that the food we consume forms an essential part of keeping our bodies trim, but it certainly isn’t the only determinant of achieving what we call “good health.”
A study by the Boston Medical Center found that around 45 million Americans diet each year and spend $33 billion on weight-loss products annually. It’s clear we care about our health, but the way we’re going about improving it isn’t truly effective. Simply eating healthy, nutrient-rich food without exercising stunts our results by focusing on only one facet of good health, and, by focusing our efforts on diet alone, we deprive our body of improvement in other areas.
Our sleep patterns are certainly part of this. A Gallup poll shows that four in 10 Americans get less than the recommended amount of sleep per night. Currently, 59 percent of Americans get the recommended amount of seven to nine hours, compared to 84 percent of Americans in 1942. As our lives become increasingly hectic it’s clear that our bodies need more rest than they’re getting. Sleeping an adequate amount each night aids in both learning and memory, and sleep deprivation has also been proven to impair mood, motivation, judgment and our perception of events.
As college students, we all know the benefits of a good night’s sleep, but our Pinterest boards and magazines offer tips on building muscle and losing weight in lieu of ways to be more well-rested. Further, a USA Today article shows that those who don’t get enough sleep have higher levels of hunger hormones, lower levels of satiety hormones and consume 300 more calories per day when they’re sleep-deprived. Sleep, then, has a direct correlation with weight loss, but this connection is rarely exploited.
Similarly, increasing our water intake has positive effects on our skin, digestion, immunity and calorie control. And certain types of exercises (tai chi, inline skating, etc.) can help target specific physical goals while simultaneously giving us a way to stay fit outside the drudgery of gym-going that many feel is necessary to be “healthy.”
When we do take food into consideration, many of the 45 million Americans on diets turn to standardized structures that don’t take their individual bodies into consideration. Seeking counsel from a nutritionist and designing a diet that truly works for you relieves your body of the stress of ill-fitting diets and uses its natural, biological composition to create tailored shortcuts to success. Some body types may call for diets low in fiber and high in protein, or may require the assessment of certain enzymes and hormones to create meal plans.
Today, two-thirds of American adults are considered overweight or obese and the number of children in this same predicament isn’t far behind. When we appraise the habits that determine our health in every aspect of our lives we create a healthier present and a greater future.