The Mind Performance Health Podcast

Australian's Are Losing the War Against Obesity: Why Aren't We Winning?

• Michael Pritchatt • Episode 26

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Discover the truth behind Australia’s obesity crisis in this compelling episode that challenges the status quo. With alarming statistics revealing that 70% of adults are overweight or obese, we address the key reasons why more information isn’t equating to better health outcomes. Infused with real-life success stories, we explore how environment and support systems dictate our health habits. From creating a healthier home environment to fostering accountability, listeners will gain actionable insights into overcoming the struggles of obesity.

Join our conversation as we navigate through the complexities of weight management and health in today’s society. We see how simple changes can lead to significant improvements, not just for personal health but for generations to come. Learn why leading by example is crucial, especially for parents who are their children's first fitness coaches. Let’s discuss how we can take meaningful action today to reverse these pressing statistics. Subscribe for guidance and support on your journey toward a healthier life!

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the my Performance Health Podcast. My name is Michael Pritchett. I'm the owner and founder of MPH Personal Training and MPH Supplements. I coach everyday Australians fighting the battle against obesity and being overweight, as well as elite athletes, bodybuilders and high performers. Right now, seven out of 10 Australians are obese or overweight, and one out of four Australian children kids are obese and overweight, as per the obesity hub research. And even worse is the side of the kids. Guys. That's pretty scary, and this isn't just about looks, it's about being healthy. There are 30 diseases associated with being obese and overweight, including cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, and I'm not going to let you or your kids be part of that statistic. On this podcast, I'm going to share my knowledge and motivate you to take action on your health and fitness goals. So let's lock in. Today we're going to talk about the fact that 7 out of 10, 70% of Australian adults are obese and overweight, even though there is more gyms, more diet plans, fitness influences than ever before. And unfortunately, that's also, I think, not helping the kids. The trend with the kids being overweight and obese in Australia. Right, because that's going to carry over. So if you're struggling with your body weight. If you're struggling to get to a healthy body fat percentage. That's your goal. You might also have some of these health issues high blood pressure, blood sugar or just conscious of your health. I don't want you to fail. So today we're going to cover some actionable steps, some key takeaways that I've seen work in the trenches with our service, with our personal training and coaching team, to really turn things around. That's what we're going to cover today.

Speaker 1:

I just want to give a shout out. I actually had an event last week Be Invested Check them out. They are a buyer's agent. I use them personally for my investments. I was invited to collaborate with them on an event. I had the opportunity to speak over 100 people at this event over 100 people there on this fact that Australians are at war with obesity and we're losing the battle. The trend is coming up, but if you're in the right environment, you won't be a part of that statistic, but it's important you get a part of that right environment. So I want to give a shout out there, because I had the opportunity to present my ideas on Australians' battle against obesity and I'm going to share some of those points today for you if you didn't get a chance to attend that event, but also just as a refresher if you did All right.

Speaker 1:

So why do I think in Australia that the trend of obesity and being overweight as adults is actually increasing? Number one is information overload, but not enough guidance. So a great quote I like is that the world is starving in information. Sorry, the world is drowning in information, but starving for wisdom. So the world is drowning in information but starving for wisdom. So the world is drowning in information but starving for wisdom. I mean, you have everything at the click of a button, even with AI. But if that's the case, if information is the only thing that matters, why are Australians getting more obese and overweight? And it's only coming up, even though we have information everywhere and quicker than ever, and quality information too.

Speaker 1:

The problem isn't lack of knowledge. At times it's lack of direction or having the right guidance. There's a lot of things out there, but what works for you? You have a job. You might be a busy professional, a parent, a student, with your health and fitness goals. You value being healthy and fit, but you have a specific lifestyle. You've been blessed with specific genetics. You have specific health statuses.

Speaker 1:

There's so much information out there, but you may take something from an influencer, but it just doesn't work. It doesn't stick. It's not helping you be consistent. Take something from an influencer, but it just doesn't work. It doesn't stick. It's not helping you be consistent. It's because I think that it just lacks tailored guidance that you need, but also cutting through the noise and being in the right environment for you to stay on track, getting the accountability and support. You need some accountability to be consistent. That's why I think coaching is so powerful Like what we do with our business here with our personal training team is we provide an environment, we provide someone to keep you accountable, to stay on track. I think that's one of the reasons. So you either need to have self-accountability or you need to find someone or an environment that will keep you accountable. Remember why you're doing it. Is it for yourself? Do you like how you feel now? What will happen in 10 years time if you don't make a change? What health problems may arise? Or what have you seen with your parents, family members that didn't take action on their health and fitness? Some of these can drive you to make action, but there is there's endless information YouTube, google, fitness influencers, calorie counters but how do you actually know what's the right one for you? So guidance is going to be one of the biggest things you can seek to help get tailored advice to take action.

Speaker 1:

And environment is everything. Environment dictates performance. Your surrounding will dictate your success. If you're at home and your fridge is filled with junk food, or you're just at home and as a couple, as a family, you don't go for walks, you don't prioritize movement. It's a high stress environment. You've got junk food everywhere. You're not creating an environment that will dictate your success with your health and fitness. So you need to create a healthy environment, not just for yourself but for your friends with your health and fitness. So you need to create a healthy environment not just for yourself, but for your friends and family members as well.

Speaker 1:

So if you don't prioritize health, you're likely to follow the same poor habits that will lead to poor health. So if you don't have a great environment for health at home putting healthier choices of food or removing things like the soft drink, like the chocolate that you know, you're not going to have self-control over get rid of it. That's simple ways you can improve your environment. But if you still find that you're just not getting progress with your fat loss to healthy body fat range not feeling stronger, not feeling vitality, better quality of life, better energy. Get to an environment which promotes being healthy as normal, Whether that's with our service, whether that's at the gym, whether that's with friends and family members that value health. Reach out to them. Get to an environment where being healthy is normal and then you will fall to that environment. You are your kid's first fitness coach. I've said this a few times on podcasts you are your kid's first fitness coach.

Speaker 1:

So if you don't like the trend and that scares you that seven out of 10 Australians are obese or overweight our kids are going to most likely fall into habits that are only going to increase that trend if you don't make a difference. Fall into habits that are only going to increase that trend if you don't make a difference. They're watching what you eat, they're watching what you do. So you need to actually take action on yourself, on your environment, to make a change. So, actually, on what we need to do to reverse the trend of adult obesity, it's going to start with our kids, all right, because they're going to grow older and then they're going to carry away very similar habits. So as an adult. If you care about the statistic for your friends and family members, whether they're young or old, you need to take action and influence the kids and family members around you as well to reverse that statistic for your family.

Speaker 1:

Now takeaways to fix it. All right, I'm going to cover those in a second, but I touched on a few there. But we're becoming more lazy before I get into it Working from home, food delivery services, all right, just lazy habits, lazy environments. We are getting damn lazy as Australians and unfortunately it's only getting worse because of technology and modern society, which is a great thing. But also, if you don't have self-discipline, if you rely solely on motivation, you're going to be in a lot of trouble with your health.

Speaker 1:

30 diseases will arise if you potentially don't take action on your health and fitness. So 30 diseases may arise if you actually don't do anything to get to healthy body fat levels. And you don't want them. I've seen them. I have seen clients blood pressure issues, blood sugar issues, heart issues, blood pressure issues, blood sugar issues, heart issues. You don't want to have this, because a great saying is that a healthy man has many goals a modern proverb but a sick man has only one. And I can't even say how true that is. I've sat down with adults, busy professionals that have businesses, that are successful in their careers. That money's not a problem. They're very successful in career and business and financial but that doesn't mean shit to them because they've just had a heart attack or they've just been told they need to take action on their health and fitness, otherwise their lifespan might be shortened, and I've seen it where that's the only thing then they care about.

Speaker 1:

Don't get to that stage. Prevent it as much as possible. It's all in your power. Get rid of the excuses. Get rid of the bullshit stories. You can actually start taking action to make a difference, because I don't want you to end up there. I've seen it in my family grandparents health issues due to lifestyle and I don't want to see it in your family as well.

Speaker 1:

Now takeaways to fix. Stop trying to learn everything. There's a lot of different diets out there carnivore, keto, intermittent, fasting if they were so fantastic, we'd all be following one. You've got to find what works for you, so it needs to be tailored. There's principles you can follow when it comes to nutrition, following foods that are predominantly fish gathered, plucked and hunted. That's a great starting point, mainly whole foods. It's okay to reward yourself every now and then with some treats. I'm not saying you need to be a robot and just eat rice and chicken all the time. However, your food needs to have a certain value to promote your health when you consume it, promote your vitality, quality of life, but also to make you perform at your best day-to-day and look your best. It helps with confidence. So stop bouncing yo-yo diet and get rid of all that stuff. And that's due to the stories you tell yourself. You might tell yourself I'm all or nothing. I am a foodie. These are things that can sabotage your consistency. So be very mindful of the stories you tell yourself and reframe those stories so you can change your life.

Speaker 1:

Fix your environment, make meal prep normal. A couple of times a week You'll go in the kitchen, maybe on the barbecue, and meal prep your foods. Get rid of excuses of convenience, of laziness, of being like I didn't prep my food so I'm just going to grab something from the takeaway. Okay, prep your foods. It will help improve your chances. Doing meal prep, like I said, on the barbecue, is fantastic. Or batch cooking, putting it into containers or in the fridge so you can consume it later, where you can just grab it, zap it on the microwave or heat it up quickly. They're great ways to help just get rid of any laziness habits that's going to deteriorate your health. Things like even keeping a water bottle on you at all times, having a water target. They're things that can promote your energy, help with cravings, make you think and feel better daily too, and just cut out mindless snacking.

Speaker 1:

Simple one is get rid of all the crap in the household. If you you don't have the self-control, if you find you binge when you're watching tv, if you find that you put on the tv, then you get up, you go to the fridge, you go watching TV. If you find that you put on the TV, then you get up, you go to the fridge, you go to the pantry, grab something, sit back down, start eating and then two minutes later, the whole thing's gone and then you feel shit. Get rid of all that stuff in the household. Create a healthier environment. Get rid of the excuses, get rid of the things that take a bit of discipline. If you can't overcome it, obviously I want you to have discipline so you can stay on track.

Speaker 1:

Prioritize movement, get to the gym, get moving outside. Incorporate strength training into your routine. You will feel better. You'll feel more motivated. Going for walks day to day. One simple step I like with clients if you're not moving much at the moment. 8,000 steps per day is the first milestone, then 10,000 to 12,000 is the next one. Start there. Then start to go to the gym for some strength training. Start working on yourself mentally and physically. You need to combine both. If you don't have the skills, go find somewhere that the first step is to get there. You'll develop some skills. But go find someone that can teach you the skills so you can train effectively and safely. That's what we do with our personal training service with clients. So prioritize your movement.

Speaker 1:

I recommend training. You can strength train for as little as two days per week to see some really amazing results, but I personally train five times per week. Mentally it makes me strong and physically obviously it makes me stronger as well. But two to five times, two to six times per week would be a good range to strength training If you want more muscle mass, more on the higher side, if you want more strength, more on the higher side, but two days minimum. Start strength training, get to the gym and get your kids involved. Start walking, start sports, be active, get moving, go for hikes, go for walks on the beach, start promoting a more healthier lifestyle. All right.

Speaker 1:

So some client examples. We've had one client, clayton. When he first started with us, he was a tradie, worked really, really hard, had high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol In his own words, he took action. It's been life-changing, put everything into remission going through our program. That's life-changing, that makes an impact to his health. And then he was able to. I don't promote that our program's able to get you off medication, but due to him getting to healthy body fat ranges, he was able to get off the medication for blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, which is pretty amazing. All right, but yes, obviously, that if you do what's in your control, you can get rid of some of these things because you're not overweight, you're not obese. But he took action and he got in the right environment, which is important.

Speaker 1:

Shout out to Jason, one of our clients. Jason's a bodybuilder. He started not as a bodybuilder, he just wanted to get in shape, got to really athletic and fit body fat percentages, then decided to compete. But his son, alex, who's 14 years old at the time of this podcast, this video, he took action watching his dad. So he saw his dad transform and he took action on his health and fitness, not by his dad pushing him, but by his dad showing him. His dad showed him that it's normal to go to the gym. His dad showed him that it's normal to go to the gym. His dad showed him that it's normal to eat healthy. His dad showed him that it's normal to take action on your health and prioritize your health and fitness goals. And now that's normal to Alex. And Alex joined our program years later but he already took action on his fitness goals with his dad and now we're fine-tuning things, dropping a little bit more body fat. His habits are fantastic. He follows the program consistently, but it started with his dad. It was the right environment at home he created and the right habits he made normal.

Speaker 1:

It's important that you start with yourself to influence others. As I've touched on before, there's a few points there. Remember that we're at war with obesity in Australia and the problem is worldwide and Western society. But it's not due to the information I've seen in the trenches. I think it's more so due to the environments not being strong enough, you not taking action to get in the right environment.

Speaker 1:

Lazy habits excuses you not taking action to get in the right environment. Lazy habits excuses stories that hold you back. So make a decision. Make a decision to change. I've sat down with a lot of people that have these problems due to being overweight and obese and, as I mentioned at the start, I do not want you to be one of them. So make a change. Make a decision to be better for yourself and your family. If you found this helpful, please subscribe to the channel, give this video a like and podcast a like, and if you need any help with your goals, you can reach out to a team for a free discovery call. We'll have a chat and see what we can do for you and your specific goals. Make sure it's a great fit, and then you can also check out a performance and recovery supplements as well, just to make you better day by day. So thanks, guys. I'll see you in the next one and get