Why be healthy when you can just carry a water bottle?

According to the CDC only 3% of Americans are meeting the daily guidelines for a healthy lifestyle.

Let's recap what those are...

·         No cigarette smoking

·         No more than three alcoholic drinks a week

·         Eight hours of sleep a night

·         30 minutes of exercise a day

·         Five to nine fruits and vegetables a day

·         Weight within recommended guidelines

Ideally people who fall short of these goals will try to alter their lifestyles to meet them.  But that's not what's happening.  Instead people are redefining healthy to mean something that they can achieve.  Like carrying around a water bottle.

But most people aren't under-hydrated, and drinking more water won't counter the effects of not following the guidelines.  It's nothing more than theater - pretending to be healthy instead of doing the hard work involved in actually being healthy.

It doesn't help that entire tribes have bought into the fantasy and members are now carrying bottles that indicate tribal membership.  For VSCO girls there's Hydro Flask.  For rich people there's Yeti.  And for design-focused consumers there's Bkr and Hay.  (LeClair, 2020)

But while all of these bottles may scream "I belong," they don't make the person carrying them any healthier.

They say that most lies are told to protect self-esteem.  But it's dangerous to ignore the truth when it could kill you.  Even if it is human.

LeClair, C. (2020, January 4)  Everyone’s Resolution Is to Drink More Water in 2020. nytimes.com.  Retrieved May 20, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/04/style/self-care/hydrate-hydrate-hydrate.html