Preventative healthcare versus prescriptive health

Why you should not always do as your told when it comes to health and fitness.

The modern healthcare system is failing people. Not because of a lack of technology, but because it’s willfully blind to the power of prevention. It’s not just blind—it’s disempowering. The advice we’re given is often not just unhelpful, it’s actively harmful. And people are paying the price with their bodies and their lives.

Take this recent conversation: a consultant tells someone with arthritis to avoid squats and lunges. To avoid the very movements that build strength, stability, and bone density. They say the knees "track outward," blaming genetics instead of addressing the lack of strength or mobility that could be corrected. Instead, the prescription is anti-inflammatory drugs and BMI management. Maybe a steroid injection down the line. Eventually, surgery.

There was no mention of nutrition beyond calories. No recognition that well-executed strength training could transform the trajectory of this condition. This is not healthcare. This is maintenance of decline.

The Engineered Decline

Laziness is engineered into society. Cars have turned public spaces into hostile zones for people. Basic errands require driving. Work weeks are structured to crush physical activity out of daily life—leaving exercise as a punishing chore to squeeze in before dawn or after dark. Local, fresh produce? A rare commodity for many.

The result? People aren’t just unhealthy; they’re disempowered. Even those who want to change find it nearly impossible.

Modern healthcare doesn’t address this. Instead, it reinforces it. It normalizes weakness and dependency while pretending to “manage” symptoms. Worse, it conditions people to accept their limitations as inevitable.

The pandemic was a stark reminder of how broken the system is. Public health measures were blind to nuance. They failed to account for vastly different risk profiles across populations. They ignored the importance of physical activity, sunlight, and metabolic health. Instead, they pushed one-size-fits-all solutions, regardless of the long-term consequences.

Preventative healthcare? Almost absent from the conversation. Worse, many measures actively discouraged it—shutting down gyms and parks while fast food chains stayed open.

Informed Training Over Fear

The solution isn’t found in prescriptions or avoidance. It’s in informed training. Training that builds strength, improves mobility, and restores confidence. The kind of training that empowers individuals to challenge their bodies safely and effectively.

• Challenge the Body, Build the Mind: Avoiding movement weakens the body and fosters fear. Done correctly, exercises like squats and lunges strengthen joints, build bone density, and improve balance.
• Science Over Fear Mongering: The medical establishment often commoditizes fear—pushing drugs and injections while ignoring root causes. Real health comes from addressing these roots: proper nutrition, movement, and self-awareness.
• Accessible to Everyone: Informed training doesn’t require expensive equipment or gym memberships. It’s about consistency, knowledge, and taking that first step—whether it’s at home, in a park, or wherever you feel comfortable.

Do your bit

Start small, but start:

1. You probably don't need the car: A 1 km round trip is 25 min walking or 12-15 min jogging (a normal capability, easily done by any active individual). That's just the time you'll be looking for parking. By bicycle, that time is halved again and with e-bikes there's really no excuse.
2. Use it or lose it: Practice a bodyweight squat or lunge. Focus on form, not reps.
3. Feed Your Body: Include a diversity of locally sourced, unprocessed food. If you're pressed for time there are numerous hacks to make healthy 5 minute meals.
4. Log your progress: Both positive, or negative process should be logged so that you know when you need to take action and when you're on track.
5. Find a training buddy: We're social animals, lean into that and generate a positive training vibe by training with others, or sharing your progress.

Fight the engineered laziness. Fight the judgment. Take control. Because strength and confidence aren’t given—they’re earned. Every day, with every step, you’re building a better you. And SwiftMo will build tools to help you on this journey.