Awareness of the body and mind are paramount to realizing health and fitness goals, but we can sometimes forget about our environment, both on a personal and a global level. Almost everything that we use and consume is a result of several processes, labor, and time. This is especially true for the foods and beverages that we take home from the store. The items don’t just magically arrive at the store for us to buy them. It takes land, natural resources (water, grass, sourced grain, etc.), infrastructure (farms, manufacturing/processing plants, packaging), transportation (planes, ships, trains, trucks, and manpower (farmers, planters, harvesters, etc.) to help produce the readily available ingredients and foods at the local grocery store.

Adding Perspective

The United States is one of the main consumers of meat and processed foods. This means that if each one of us became more mindful of our consumption habits and waste, we could make an impact. For example, limiting the amount of prepackaged/prepared foods and beverages is both more healthy for our bodies and better for the environment. Just like with health and fitness goals, taking one little step at a time can lead to lasting results.

Thoughts for the Week

Our self-awareness can go hand in hand with environmental awareness. How we affect our surroundings can affect what goes into our bodies (air pollution and contaminants). And what we choose to put in our bodies can indirectly affect the environment (the resources it takes to manufacture products and the excess packaging). So, every little bit helps!