The implicit message centered around achieving health is that “if you do what you’re told, everything will be fine.” There are no shortage of government mandates, guidelines, and recommendations to keep you “safe” and “healthy.” Most people buy into the mainline narrative around safeguarding their health with little hesitation or thought into what is being recommended. I often wonder what needs to happen for people to take responsibility for their health. We’re experiencing both an epidemic of obesity, and at the same time, a pandemic that proportionately affects metabolically challenged people the worst. AND YET, people still fail to take full responsibility for their health. They falsely assume that someone else has it all figured out because it was reported on the evening news.

If these people get sick, it is never their fault because they listened. They did the low-fat, high-stimulant, low-protein, high-carb, and moderate exercise regimen. It failed them, and because of that they are a victim. They’ll say; “society failed me, that is why I am in poor health.” When in reality, they are in poor health because they failed to take responsibility for their actions. This is the same line of thought that people cause people to ask their doctor for medication’s, instead of searching for a cure. It’s outsourcing your health.

I’m assuming this attitude of victimization developed in childhood where all of us were forced to sit, read, and learn to regurgitate information with the promise that if we did, we would have good life. However, I think current events should dictate that responsibility should be taken in all avenues of life. I don’t know anyone who became successful at anything by following someone else’s plan. To be successful in life it is very hard to follow someone else’s map. Similarly, I don’t know anyone who presents as a vision of health, who follows the governmentally mandated dietary guidelines, or fad diets.

We are all so uniquely different that having one general guideline about how to eat, or how to live your life is never going to work towards building a healthier future. We need to get away from being victims of circumstance. We need to take responsibility for our health. We need to take what works and get rid of the rest. 

You have an obligation to yourself only. You can only change yourself. You shouldn’t let other people dictate what you should be doing, or tell you who you need to be. You have to take responsibility. You have to decide what is best for you. True health improvements always begin with I, not we.