Let’s talk about scientific studies that prove (or disprove) something. You know the kind I’m talking about: One day, a study shows that a cup of joe is good for you, and then a few months later, another study shows that coffee is the worst thing you could possibly drink. Or chocolate, that’s another popular one. Is it good for you, or sending you to an early grave?
When it comes to fat (the kind on your body, not the kind you eat), there are studies galore. Awhile ago, the world was abuzz with news that a study showed that it is possible to be fit and fat. Another seemed to indicate that being fat might even help us live longer than thinner folk. Most recently, another study was revealed that contradicts all of that, and we’re back to where we were before: fat people are not and cannot be fit until they are no longer fat. Or does it? (As with most studies and articles about this issue, no one seems to want to acknowledge that we have yet to figure out how to make fat people permanently thin, but I digress.)
I’m not a scientist, and my brain isn’t wired to easily understand the information presented in the studies themselves, so, like most people, I end up reading articles about the studies, rather than the studies themselves. Maybe they were expertly conducted. Maybe they were poorly constructed. I honestly don’t know. So, aside from going to Understanding Scientific Studies School, what can we do with this information? How can we possibly make sense of all these contradictory studies?
Here’s what I’m going to do: Live my life. I’m gonna go to the gym and sweat, except on those days where I feel like curling up on the couch with a few episodes of Friday Night Lights instead. Somedays, I’m going to eat three really nutritious and balanced meals, and other days I’m gonna have a heaping plate of pad thai. I don’t like coffee, but I’ll definitely have some chocolate.
Just strolling around being fat. No fitness to see here.
I don’t know if doing or not doing or eating or not eating any of these things are going to take years off of or add years to my life, but I feel pretty confident if I sit around and worry about all this stuff, life is going to pass me by. So, instead of trying to keep up with all the latest scientific research, I’m just going to live a life of moderation, I’m going to move and fuel my body, and I’m going to surround myself with people who are kind and happy.
We can spend our lives trying to apply the latest (and ever-changing) advice from scientists, doctors, and diet gurus. We can spend our lives trying to control every speck of food that goes into our mouths, and every move our bodies make – with absolutely no guarantee that these behaviors will make us look the way these scientists, doctors, and diet gurus claim they will (and the media insists we must).
Or we can stop spending our lives, and start living them. Which do you choose?
