I think in the US we’re led to believe that some women across the world naturally stay slim and it’s genetic. Unfortunately, to those of us born in the states, our genes must have mutated and now we all carry the fat gene. Can that really be true, even if our ancestors hailed from these magical lands of effortlessly slim people?
Of course it’s not true.
No one’s genes mutated. What changed are our daily habits and what’s considered normal here in the states versus abroad.
1) Walking- people in places who walk more stay healthier
2) fruits/vegetables/meat/fish – yes people in France and Italy love bread and desserts but it’s quality over quantity.
I read “French Women Don’t Get Fat” in college and it really changed the way I view food. It’s not our enemy but our life long love affair. We must eat to survive and we can choose to love the food we make.
3) We don’t eat enough soup- many cultures value eating soup for a meal or for a weekend to slim down after a particularly voracious week of eating.
4) Less soda, beer, and empty calories
5) Movement beyond Walking- walking is a part of daily life to get from point A to point B. On Google maps, you can choose a car, bus, or walk! That’s right, even Google maps considers walking a mode of transportation.
Therefore to maintain an ideal shape you must walk and put in some effort a couple of days a week with either light resistance weights, yoga, pilates, etc….
That’s it, it’s not a big secret. Unfortunately, we don’t want to give up our bad habits and we would rather take a short cut. Short cuts don’t last and on and on yo yo dieting goes.
The fitness industry has to be a 10 billion dollar industry these days, maybe more ?
If it worked so well then why are there new methods every day? Doesn’t make sense to me.
