Introduction
In my opinion, blind consumerism is causing more harm than good within the fitness industry. It overcomplicates how we approach staying fit and healthy, by offering us superfluous products that we simply don’t need. Instead, I promote a more back-to-basics philosophy, which helps individuals to avoid the fads and gimmicks, saving time and money in the process.
Too Much Stuff
Ever since the Ancient Greeks celebrated the first Olympian, humans have tussled to become bigger, harder, faster and stronger than one another. Today, the fitness industry has become an incredibly lucrative market, as people accumulate an ever-increasing amount of tech, accessories, and supplements in an attempt to gain the competitive advantage.
Unfortunately, this has resulted in the fitness industry becoming an incredibly saturated and congested place. Today, a seemingly infinite number of ‘experts’ offer us a multitude of products and plans, all claiming to provide the best results for the least amount of time and investment in return. These fads are nothing new, but there are now so many charlatans posing as experts within the fitness industry, it is hard for people to know who you can trust, as the lines between fact and fiction seemingly become blurred.
Back in hunter-gatherer times, our ancestors had a much more straightforward relationship with being active. If you weren’t fit enough to hunt down the antelope, or you were too slow to evade the lion, you probably wouldn’t survive for very long. It was simple, either keep moving and stay on your toes, or die. This is far removed from today’s reality, where most people put more thought into their gym outfit than they do their actual workout (assuming they do any exercise at all). The list of ‘essential’ gym equipment seems to continually grow, until people eventually accumulate enough kit that you’d be forgiven for thinking they were about to embark on some kind of arctic expedition. It is a sad reflection of the materialistic society we live in that people feel as though a healthier lifestyle is unattainable without purchasing a load of shite along the way (weighted hula hoops and The Shake Weight to name a few).
The iconic Fight Club quote ‘the things we own, end up owning us’, is an unfortunate truism of 21st Century life. Therefore, if at any point you feel overwhelmed or lost on your fitness journey, just focus on nailing the basics. In relation to training, get your steps in and structure your gym program around ‘The Big 5’ strength movements (squat, deadlift, pull-up, bench press, and shoulder press). With nutrition, remember that our ancestors consumed a nutrient-dense and high-protein diet of fresh, minimally-processed foods. They certainly did not consume fluorescent, caffeine-rich liquids from a tub plastered with health warnings.
Summary
Being healthy both mentally and physically doesn’t need to be overcomplicated, and it certainly doesn’t require a load of redundant material possessions. The results will come if you consistently do the basics well. It's boring, but that's the truth. Don’t let the luxuries of modern life and the complicated stories we tell ourselves deceive you, we’re still basically just a bunch of apes in suits.