7 Reasons Not to be Normal

When it comes to your health, don’t be normal.

You want to be normal, right? Who doesn’t? We all want to fit in and be accepted members of society. No one wants to be the weirdo.

But, maybe normal ain’t all that great. Here’s what normal looks like in the US:

1. Normal is fat. Two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.

2. Normal is sedentary. Americans watch on average 34 hours of TV per week.

3. Normal is not exercising. 80% of Americans don’t get enough exercise.

4. Normal is eating lots of fast food. Almost half of us eat it weekly.

5. Normal is not eating enough vegetables. We eat less than half the veggies we are supposed to.

6. Normal is eating mostly processed food. Processed foods make up a whopping 70% of the US diet.

7. Normal is getting heart disease. One in four of us will die from heart disease.

Most people think they’re above average. But of course, that’s impossible. The reality is most of us fall into these patterns because everyone around us is doing them. We can’t help it. We calibrate our behaviors and judge ourselves based on those around us.

We’re creatures of context.

Everyone watches those TV shows, right? Doesn’t everyone sit all day? I look about average, so I’m probably fine. Look at the line at McDonald’s!

This is what normal looks like. You don’t even see it. It’s all around us, invisible, insidious.

To break from these patterns, statistically speaking, you have to be weird. You have to do things that will cause others to cock their heads to the side and give you funny looks.

But maybe that’s ok. Maybe it’s better to be healthy, even when it means standing out.

Maybe you’ll order a salad instead. Maybe you’ll learn to cook something new — like fish, or a new veggie. Maybe you’ll start standing at your desk, or in meetings. Or heck, try a walking meeting when it’s possible. Maybe meet friends for something active instead of the usual happy hour. Maybe watch your favorite show on a treadmill rather than the couch.

All those things might seem foreign, strange, and just not something that you do. Not something that (normal) people do. But maybe it’s time to stop being normal, and start being healthy.