Childhood should be a time of innocence, of wonder, of safety, of love. It should be a chance to discover our passions, our talents, our unique basket of interests. It should the solid foundation that gives us the most healthy epigenetics and biological health for future years. It should give us the best possible chance to win our me vs. me battle and become happy contributors to society. Childhood is the foundation we need to get right if we want a thriving world.
Being fit was always a part of who I am, right from childhood. I was lucky to have an outdoorsy father and the chance to play with my brothers in our garden and in the woods. There was no focus on what we ate. We just ate. We played. We ate some more. It was simpler than it feels now. But, I digress. To move from a fitter childhood into a fitter adulthood is easier than adapting good habits you never had. It can feel as if you are being asked to reinvent the wheel and then not being given credit for what a genius achievement that was in the first place. I can only imagine the challenge of being fit for those raised on poor quality nutrition and limited access to outdoor play. Life became so sedentary and indoorsy. However, when I have been out of shape, what got me back in shape was making small changes at a time and evolving my habits slowly rather than expecting to do it all at once. One small change. Live a month or two that way. When you are comfortable, make another small change. It takes longer, but in my experience it works and the results last - no yoyo effect.