MISSION: SKINNY JEANS

Fat Captive Animals (and I am Not Really Talking About a Zoo)!

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a news story on TV about zoo animals.  The animals in a Chicago zoo were getting so fat that it was beginning to seriously affect their health.  Most of this is due to the fact that, in captivity, the animals never move.  They get very lethargic and sedentary.  As well, they are given many treats to keep them happy and satisfied.  These two behaviors are a deadly combination.  Read the article about it here.

This story got me thinking.  In many ways, we are no different than these zoo animals.  We too are living in captivity, we just don’t realize it.  We are held captive by desk jobs, television, the Internet, and our general way of life. Humans are not sedentary creatures; or at least we didn’t used to be sedentary creatures.  Our bodies, like those of a polar bear or any other predator, were made to move.  Before modern society, humans needed to move in order to live.  If you couldn’t move, you couldn’t hunt or gather.  If you couldn’t hunt or gather, you couldn’t eat.  If you couldn’t eat, you couldn’t survive. 

The other day I was watching the movie Apocalypto –for like the 6th time– and I was awed by the scene where Jaguar Paw is trying to escape the Mayan soldiers, and runs and runs and runs without stopping, all day.  I remember thinking, “wow, how is that humanly possible?”  But the thing is, it’s not just humanly possible, but it used to be humanly normal.  Sadly, most of us can barely run for ten minutes without stopping, even though our bodies are designed for movement.

Now, back to the fat Polar Bear.  Like us, those bears in captivity are not living the lifestyles that their wild counterparts are.  Bears in the wild do not sleep all day.  They have to hunt to survive, so they are running, swimming, moving!  Many animal rights activists feel that zoos are cruel because of this affect they have on animals.  The zoo animals often become depressed, lazy, unmotivated, unhealthy.  My question is, why aren’t human rights activists worried about the same thing.  We hold ourselves captive, and as a result, look at how many people around us are depressed, lazy, unmotivated, and unhealthy. 

Part of being captive is eating what others feed you.  Eating what is easy to get to.  Having all the calories you want, hand fed to you, without having to work for them.  Think about what Americans eat.  Fast food.  Why are we eating fast food?  Because the people on TV, and in the magazines, and on billboards tell us to.  They are feeding us.  We also eat that because it is easy.  Yet our society lives by the mantra, “good things come from hard work.”  Hmm…  Why else do we eat fast food?  It tastes good.  We “enjoy” it.  Just like those bears, we are not out enjoying life, so we get small kicks from unhealthy treats.  The bears are given fatty treats “to keep them happy,”  are we really any different?

Only you can break through the bars of your own captivity.  Ever hear runners talk about the “runner’s high”?  Well, I am not a runner so I don’t know for sure, but I am assuming this is due to the freedom they feel, along with the way their body feels after movement.  They are breaking their captivity.  Doing what we were made to do.  So whether its running, dancing, playing a sport, lifting, or even walking…. just move it!! 

Happy training,

Lisa

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Tags: captivity, Diet, exercise, fat animals, fat loss, lack of activity, laziness, sedentary, weight watchers, workout, zoo animals