The curse of having to say something

How much fitness can you really talk about?

I listened to a podcast today about fitness. I won’t say who, but they are popular in extreme fitness and longevity.

With today’s topic, I couldn’t help but think of Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz and the curse of having to have something to say. If you stick with science and evidence-based research, and if you are going to talk about real health rather than how to hop a hundred miles backward on a pogo stick in twenty-four hours, well, you’re going to run out of topics pretty quickly. So what do you do? Some people keep on with what works knowing that we can hardly hear it enough. Others veer into woo. You start flirting with advice that isn’t exactly supported by evidence, but hey, the Russians do it, and they win all the Olympics.

The curse of having to say something

This is what happened to Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. Both were respected in their fields for doing solid work with excellent results. Both started as guests on the Oprah show, doing spots that showcased their expertise. And then, alas, both ended up with shows that required them to be charming and insightful every day while keeping ratings high enough to argue for Oprah-sized ad rates. It can’t be easy. So now Dr. Phil, an apparent genius in reading people and in jury selection, talks to kids about why they hate cleaning their rooms. “And how do you think this makes your mother feel?” he asks, with a pained look. And Dr. Oz? Ugh. Painful. He has glommed on to so much pseudo-science that I expect he’ll be interviewing aliens about health issues on Mars before long. Too bad. By all previous accounts, he was an excellent MD.

The takeaway

All of this is to say two things: always weigh what you read or hear. Celebrity, even in technical fields, doesn’t confer expertise. It often brings just the opposite, as I point out here. Being pretty or brilliant every day is hard work, and few humans can do it. Remember that in almost everything, the steps to success are well known and much simpler than is presented by people charging you cash. Accomplishing the steps might be difficult, but knowing what they are is easy.

Cheers!

If interested, here are my favs in nutrition and exercise. They’re all popular on the socials

Found My Fitness with Dr. Rhonda Patrick. Fairly simple and straightforward. Tells it like is is. Science.
Dr. Stuart Phillips at McMasters University. Good advice on the socials. Often refers to scientific papers which I enjoy. You may not.
Dr. Peter Attia. Very good. If you’re looking for magic you might be disappointed.

They’ll fill in the details, but I can give you the gist: Eat a healthy diet and leave most stuff in a box alone. Sweat every day. Lift something heavy a few times a week. Hug someone.