The Paradox of Plenty: Navigating Health in an Age of Abundance.

A Brief History of Human Energy Balance

For the better part of human history, the primary struggle regarding health and survival of the species was simple: combat scarcity. The goal was to secure enough calories to survive, migrate to avoid harsh winters and to find enough clean water to make it to the next season. The hunter gatherer lifestyle was a fine caloric balance between the calories spent finding food and the calories gained from ingesting the food, being in excess was never for prolonged periods. The food eaten was fresh, seasonal, and nutrient dense. Then early farming techniques from 4000 plus years ago were very labour intensive and required great physical expenditure to secure the crops in. Once again days spent in calorie surplus were the exception not the norm.

Fast forward to the 17th century, the vast majority of the population still lived on the edge of subsistence. Famine, crop failure, and food insecurity were constant threats. But a small part of the elite upper class was starting to live in excess in this environment being overweight showed a status that you were above the working class and could afford excessive lifestyle afforded by wealth.

• The Status Signal: A larger body indicated that an individual had the means to

  consume more calories than they expended. It served as proof that one did not need to engage in the grueling, calorie-burning physical labour that defined the life of the working poor.

• Aesthetic Ideals: This is the era of the Rubenesque body type. Artists like Peter Paul Rubens celebrated a level of plumpness that signaled vitality, fertility, and - most importantly - the safety of being well-fed in a dangerous world.

  
  

Moving further towards our modern times the great industrial revolution and the great easing of manual labour and migration towards factory production lines and steam powered

engines. This happened from mid 1700s to 1850 this did provide an increase in available

food but for the population on mass it did not lead to increased obesity rates and mortality as physical labour through both work and house chores demanded much energy and leisure pursuits were highly physical in nature. Lawn tennis had just been invented, and cycling was becoming established as the “in thing”, parks and recreational areas were being established. Saturday half work day was being ushered in for the factory worker middle classes, upper classes enjoyed trips to seaside or fox hunting. Oh and wild little places like New Zealand were being bought under British rule.

Between 1900 and 1950, diets and physical activity underwent significant shifts, moving from a period of high physical labour and basic, home-cooked food to a more industrialised, sedentary lifestyle influenced by wartime rationing and the introduction of processed convenience foods.

• Early 1900s: Diets were typically high in starch, whole grains, and seasonal vegetables. Meat was consumed less frequently often used sparingly in stews. Life in the early 20th century still involved much physical labour, both at work and at home (e.g., manual agricultural work, manual housework, walking as a primary form of transportation). Balance was maintained.

• 1920s–1930s Fad Diets: First adoption of fad diets included a mix of calorie cutting and early low-carb approaches, such as the Banting diet (from 1862). As the era

  progressed, labour-saving devices (washing machines, cars) began to appear, slowly reducing daily energy expenditure. Which would become affordable and further

  mass-produced post war.

• Wartime Rationing (1940s): During World War II, diets in many countries (such as

  the UK and NZ) were heavily restricted, focusing on sustenance, rationing, and

  backyard gardens ("dig for victory"). This led to a temporary decrease in sugar and fat consumption and an increase in vegetable intake. Combined with the 1940s, military service and training created high-activity lifestyles for a large portion of the male population, while women took on manual labour roles in factories and the home front. Again, the balance was maintained

• Post-War Changes: Following 1945 towards the 1950s, refined sugar, white bread

  and processed foods began to appear more regularly in household diets. In 1961 the

  British Chorleywood method cracked making white bread and with additives and high

  speed mixing and could ferment a loaf an hour instead of a day (the proofing waiting

  time had been removed) so sliced white lifeless bread flooded the market and

  people’s homes.

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• The nutritional focus of the first half of the century which was primarily on overcoming deficiency and ensuring adequate caloric intakes had been well and truly met.

  
  

The Age of Abundance

Modern day where we face the opposite side of the energy equation as we live in an age of profound abundance, where calories are cheap, ever-present and engineered for maximum palatability. Yet, paradoxically, making good health choices has never felt more difficult. The overabundance of calories and lack of activity contribute to a rise in metabolic syndrome (central obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension). All the “silent killers” (cancer, High Blood Pressure, dementia and heart attacks) of our current population stem from the same fundamental problem - over consumption and inactivity-.

Let us unpack some of the reasons why our modern environment is actively working against us and how we can strive for educated balance anyway regardless of our resources.

• Significant Decline in job related physical activity: Over the last 70 years, there has been an estimated 60 to 70 percent reduction in total daily physical energy expenditure, largely due to the automation of labour and transport. Economic growth and industrialisation separated physical activity from survival. The modern workday looks vastly different for working age population sitting at desk jobs or at production line workstations burning barley more than base line calories.

• The Rise of Sedentary Lifestyles: While the need for physical work declined, the need for physical leisure and sports activities becomes even more apparent. But its big business and big profit to have the masses sitting and watching sports, e-sports, TV programs or gaming screens and thus these are on the incline while engaging in our own physical leisure is on the decline in all but a few countries such as Scandinavia, Netherlands and ourselves.

• Physiological Adaptations: Humans in high-income countries have physically evolved to be more energy-efficient, with studies suggesting that average body temperature has decreased by roughly 1.6% since the pre-industrial era. Lower metabolic rate requires lower calorie input.

• The Evolutionary Mismatch: At the core of the problem is a concept scientists call Evolutionary Mismatch. Our brains and bodies were forged over thousands of years to survive in an environment where sugar, salt, and fat were rare, life-saving prizes. When you see a donut in a display case, your prehistoric brain doesn't see

  processed flour and sugar it sees a high-energy jackpot that might not be available again for weeks. In the modern world, that jackpot is available 24/7 in every Supermarket or Night and Day.

• Decision Fatigue: The Invisible Enemy. We are told that health is simply a matter of willpower. But willpower is a finite resource. Research suggests that the modern adult makes roughly 35,000 decisions every single day. By the time you get home after a long day of work, your decision making account is bankrupt. If you have to consciously choose not to order takeout, not to eat the snacks in the pantry, and not to skip the gym, you are fighting a losing battle.

The Insight: The healthiest people aren't the ones with the most willpower; they are the

ones who have designed their lives so that they don't have to use it.

• The Noise of "Wellness" Abundance extends beyond food. We are living in an age of informational abundance. We have more access to fitness trackers, nutrition podcasts, and contradictory wellness advice than any generation in history. This creates a new layer of over thinking : Analysis Paralysis. Should I be doing Keto or Intermittent Fasting? Is cold plunging actually good for me, or is it just a trend? This endless search for the "optimal" lifestyle can be just as exhausting as the poor choices themselves.

The Psychological Shift

There is a profound irony in this evolution. In the 1600s, being thin was often associated with poverty, illness, or starvation - the "unfortunate" state of the masses. Today, there is a socio- economic gradient where obesity is frequently correlated with lower income levels due to the high cost of healthy food compared to cheaper processed food. A well maintained body signals that one has the luxury of time to spend in a gym or engaging in active hobbies, rather than being chained to multiple jobs or stressful, time - consuming work living paycheck to paycheck with precious little time for anything else. We have moved from a society where "excess" was the boast to one where "optimisation" is the goal. We no longer aim to look like we have "more" we aim to look like we are in total control of our biological selves. Thus displaying Discipline, self regulation and a higher level of understanding. Such people create a time rich environment where they can prioritise their wellness with great access to resources such as personal trainers’ quality nutrition, personal chiefs and medical monitoring. A “fit” body serves as a billboard for one’s social and economic standing and is the new “flex” in the modern era.

Three low budget Non-negotiables for the win:

If the game is rigged and designed to make us sedentary and overfed, we must become the architects of our own smaller, more manageable environments. Proving you don’t need millions of dollars to plot a better course for your health, but you do need to be deliberate.

• Reset the choice programming: As I wrote about last month you do not need more discipline; you need better default settings (our daily patterns). If the junk food isn't in your house, you don't have to decide not to eat it. Make the healthy choice the easiest choice (e.g., keep fruit on the counter, keep running shoes by the door).

• Systematize the Mundane: Automate your basics. Eating the same healthy breakfast five days a week saves you five "decisions" you can spend on more important things.

• Embrace "Good Enough" and move everyday: Stop chasing the perfect health routine. Consistency beats intensity every single time. A 20-minute walk every day is infinitely better than a "perfect" 90-minute gym session that you plan meticulous but never actually do or inevitably quit after three weeks.

If you’re caught up in over analysing, you next move for health and well being but not sure where to take the next step come on down and see the gym on the high street any evening it might be just the place and community your looking for.

As always,

Yours in good health.

Shane

temuka@centralfitness.co.nz

www.centralftiness.co.nz