I don’t waste time with willpower. I have no interest in getting you motivated to eat better or exercise more. Wait, wait. Hear me out. I certainly want everyone on our planet to live healthier lives, but at Blue Zones, we don’t believe the means to that end is through personal fortitude or individual will. Our work is about changing the environments within which we all live so that every aspect of our lives is built to make eating better and exercising more a foregone conclusion. That means exploring our schools, our workplaces, our grocery stores. It means zeroing in on our policies around transportation and parks and healthcare access. It means making lasting change to this environment so that healthy behaviors are easier and unavoidable. No willpower? No problem! What do you wish were easier within your community when it comes to making healthier choices? Share below!
I wish people were understood how important eating in a healthy way benefits them and their families. But they need to have the knowledge and skills to plans, shop for and prepare healthy meals. There are short cuts they can take to save time such as meal prepping several meals or components at one time. Get the kids involved in the kitchen with age appropriate tasks such as washing the vegetables before chopping. Or have them cut vegetables with kitchen shears. Explain to them why eating a variety of whole fresh foods is so important for health. I think meal planners is key to buying and using fresh ingredients before they spoil. I write on the kitchen calendar use by dates for fresh meats. I wash, drain well and cut some fresh veggies and then store them in special keep fresh produce containers. Then when you want to eat fresh veggies and humus or make a salad, it takes less time. I have learned that getting the veggies and fruit out of the plastic bags or containers they come in is key to prevent spoilage. I’m have had whole, prewashed leaf lettuce keep for more than a week in the special container. If I see condensation, I wipe out the container with a paper towel. Hope this helps.
Gleb Kondratiev
5mo
Speaking from my chef and nutritional background, human choice versus forced community policy in nutritional health may play a larger role in consumptions standards though no? Maybe it’s wishful but Ideally the intrinsic motivation for health and exercise is one aspect of a growth mindset. Changing the environments of the community through policy reform is a wonderul goal to set sights on. But depending on the environment, would it not be met with resistance. For example, do school soda bans really work, or did rebellious behaviors entice consumption anyway? A community is made up of culture, perhaps a community empathic approach to change that culture, would provide rapport with community, instead of possible resentments on changed policies such as the viewpoint that “being healthy is expensive” that I notice is prevalent among my peers. Not everyone loves to try new things, including healthier and sustainable choices. I think it may be important to find ways to seamlessly create culture that eases transition for these individuals.
I totally agree. Society today makes it difficult to live a healthy lifestyle and requires a lot of motivation, efforts and cost to live healthy (diet, exercise, stress management, etc.).
"Our work is about changing the environments ... to make eating better & exercising more a foregone conclusion" #MakingTheHealthyChoiceTheEasyChoice
Jane Riley, AICP
5mo
It's also fundamentally about land use. How can we use zoning to make the right way the easy way?
Leading Positive Change in Education and Non-Profits with a Focus on Community Impact
5moIt's not my community, but I work with a school district in North Sacramento that has a high level of poverty. What I see in their community is a need for a more walkable community (safe walkable pathways, trees for shade), a free or affordable place where people can take fitness classes, affordable healthy food options and having access to learning healthy coping mechanisms to stress and trauma (for children and adults).