Doing the right thing is so hard nowadays

In the week before the Dublin Marathon, the dreaded tapering week has arrived. We’re supposed to have a week of being good, plain eating, lots of early nights, not a chance of a night out, while training involves very little of doing what we love – running. The first day or two is grand and then one gets fed up. We’re supposed to be resting up but I like to keep busy and so swimming, keeping occupied with work and baking for everyone keeps the mind and body active. My body, but even more so my mind, misses the routine. I begin to wonder how we find it hard to do what we are supposed to do – eat clean, sleep well, rest up, no nights out, get the recommended exercise every day – so as a parent, educator and having a keen interest in sport, wellbeing and the outdoors, I begin to do some research.

Working with a local mixed fitness group throughout the week, I open the discussion. The group involves a range of ages, backgrounds and experiences, and a wide range of topics are presented; a lot of responses to the discussions were common themes. I think the discussion represents the reality of what we are facing nowadays and I have summarised what I thought was interesting feedback.

When I was younger we didn’t have the variety of outside influences tailoring our every decision. Yes, of course we had peer pressure, advertising, wanting to be cool, but we had escapism; a way of being in our own space and making our own decisions was a lot easier than today. The absence of social media, phones and life just being physically tougher, helped.

Today a lot of people are tired every day. It’s not that people don't want to do the right thing, just that basic lifestyle is leaving us too exhausted to do much more than get up, work, go home, sleep and then repeat. There are of course lots of people doing the things that we are supposed to do and this can inspire us. We see a sportsperson eating something healthy, we follow. We see a celebrity advertising a healthy product and we want it.

Our first discussion was around how hard it is to eat healthy every day. Here are some of the obstacles that were presented.

First up was lifestyle. Some responses summarised were that we are too busy today to cook, prepare, shop, and that time is limited with work, college and home life commitments. They added that convenience, speed, ready to go is the only way to go.

Online shopping, takeouts or eating out, coffee and pastries to go are tempting, helpful and part of our society. When suggesting the costs, I’m told fruit is very expensive and one can buy a bar of chocolate for a euro whereas grapes are three. People have a point, fruit can be expensive but at the price of what? Also, not learning to cook at home, in school, and not having the knowledge, skills and education around different food types, or the benefits of certain food groups, misinformation around labelling e.g. sugar free, fat free etc., were also discussed.

I begin to think of my own family and friends and of those of us who do cook, bake, shop. All of the above is true; the time it takes to do all this, the hard work of buying, packing away, chopping, mixing, making lunches, especially when one is tired. But when my husband comes home on a dark winter’s evening drenched, or when my son comes in from football soaked to the bone, the hot, warm healthy food warms up the weather beaten body, the smell of homemade bread and crumble preventing the cold from setting in. These are some of the reasons I begin to contribute to the discussion.

The questions begin now that the interest is there, so we plot, plan and suggest some ideas. The group is now setting some goals around homemade cooking. The power of education is wonderful and the motivation of a group to help, encourage and support each other is powerful, so the change has begun.

The group felt that outside influences, peer pressure and being cool is the number one priority, especially among young people today. Some people feel they need to do certain things to be cool even though they might not want to, for example drinking particular energy drinks, vaping, eating McDonald’s and so on. We now live in a world where peer pressure can be more influential in a young person’s life than a parent, teacher or coach; if my friends are doing it then so am I.

Something pops up on social media and our mobile phones and we have to have it; the Christmas advertisement for Coca Cola that we all love so much (the ad I mean!) or we walk past Supermacs and the Irish chicken sign draws us in, that Frappuccino from McDonald’s looks amazing – I have to have it – or the meal deal in Spar is advertised as a great deal and so we have to get it because it is such a good bargain. I suggest to the group if a plate of colourful fruit was left on the table that looked so fresh and appetising would we be drawn towards it. People weren’t sure.

Our mental health and maybe not feeling well it was felt can greatly affect our choices. We feel down, tired, have had a bad day, we feel the need for caffeine, sugar and a lift to feel good. At nighttime we need lots of treats because we deserve it. In our world today a lot of stress, worry and anxiousness exists, sometimes it can be hard to park the worries. A glass of wine or a few makes us feel good at the time but it was agreed only prolongs the not-feeling-well syndrome.

The next question, why is exercise so hard to fit into life? Some answered that they did not know where to start, how do I do this? Again, not having the knowledge, skills and time. Not playing sport at a young age. I begin to highlight the benefits of us even doing a little walking each day. Some people contribute, when they did exercise they felt brilliant afterwards but it’s to keep it up. The interest starts, the discussion begins, the possibility of including exercise into one’s life becomes a reality for some and so next week’s plan now involves a walk. The group decides on some goals for us all – each person, including myself, having something to improve on. For some that means bringing a cup of coffee and a cereal bar from home instead of stopping at the petrol station on the way to work, eating at least one meal at home every day, even if it’s just a ham roll, a walk three mornings a week with a friend, giving up minerals. We all decide to encourage, help and support one another no matter what the outcome and build each week. The excitement, motivation and will to succeed can be felt in the room.

I am now excited about the tapering week ahead, I now know why I have to be good and to do the right thing. In order for one to achieve the aim, smaller achievable goals must be set. The goals motivate us to do the right thing, to stay on track, to not listen to the outside influences and for us to be strong enough to make our own decisions. Next week will bring new beginnings, new challenges, but I think doing the right thing might not now be as hard because being part of a group supports, encourages and motivates one to achieve great things.

Think about the right things for you, join our group in your own mind and space, pick one thing this week to do, change or include. It might not be so hard, you will feel better, the outside influences won’t be as powerful, you will be cool and there is always time – we just have to make more and better use of it.

Enjoy the journey everyone whatever that right road takes.