Perfectly said, at the perfect time for me. Get outta my brain, Linda.

Word. I am so tired of the conventional wisdom whiplash when it comes to health and fitness.
1. Find what works for you.
2. Do it.
3. Repeat until it doesn’t work anymore, then see step one again.

Thank you. Exactly.

Ugh. Thank you.

thanks. i was eating chocolate when i got this.

Funny to read that after a friend insisted that I get the 5 toes Vibrams to solve my extremely flat feet, torn tendon problem. “They’ll *teach* your feet to respond like they’re supposed to.”

Think I’ll stick with my sneakers and orthotics.

Exactly. Thank you. Amen. Hallelujah. Sing it, Sister! That’s what I’m talking about. Thank you.

To quote my neighbor – I totally less-than-three you right now.
So much.
Less-than-three times like, athousand.

Word.

And I think that more people would try and improve their health if the pathways weren’t so muddled with conflicting B.S. But you’re right; have to pick a path and stick with it.

I was finishing my second mt. dew and getting ready to map my 8 mile run for this Saturday when I got an email saying you had posted. I couldn’t have been more excited to read what you wrote. You are awesome. Thank you.

The late, great George Sheehan said: we are all an experiment of one.

You should write Nike commercials, sister.

Which is why I never read books and just do what works for me, which is eating crap and sitting in front of the computer. Now that the weather is getting better I’ll reduce the crap intake and start riding my bike.

I just sent a link to this to my friend Jenn with the following email. Especially note the P.S., because DUH.:

My friend Linda wrote and posted this today, and I wanted to share it with you. It’s something I totally need to be reminded of more often since there are always 10,000 studies and blogs and news stories telling me 10,000 different things about what is healthy this week, and what is going to kill me this week, and how I’m failing in 10,000 new ways.

(P.S. Linda is awesome, and if she didn’t live all the way in fucking Seattle I’d introduce the two of you, because you would LOVE each other.)

You should set this to the tune ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’! :)

Amen.

You know, I got a very long, very passionate email from a Bodies reader a few weeks ago that was basically a 500 word article on how she resented all the Crossfit/Paleo content because it was all WRONG and that the only thing that worked was P90X, THE ONLY THING.

I still am not sure what to do with stuff like that, so I did the incredibly professional thing and just ignored it altogether.

She totally believed what she said too.

Perfect post. You summed up all my anxieties about working out and dieting and how annoying it all it when put under a microscope, instead of doing it JUST CAUSE IT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD. First world problems, ya know?

LOVED THIS!

Wine. You forgot wine. What kind of health blog is this anyway?

You must drink it for your heart. Wine is full of sugar. Wine will get you drunk. Wine is full of healthy resveratol.

I’m drinking a glass right now!

…and then, we can step out our front door and get hit by a bus anyway.

THAT? Was awesome.

Amen. Wild applause! Genius post.

Especially since I’m a dietitian and I am astounded at how many terribly mixed messages we were taught and then in turn meant to teach others. I just don’t think exercise & diet are meant to be micromanaged, you know?

Holy shit I totally agree. “Do what works for you right now” is the approach I try to follow.

For instance, I injured my shoulder lifting weights a few months ago and have been only doing HIIT and squats and lunges, non weighted ab stuff since.

I am so bored of HIIT! I loved it for a while though because it was a kick ass workout in under 30 minutes. I’m ready to “phone it in” on a treadmill for an hour on a high slope at a brisk walk for a month. And listen to audiobooks. YES!

If I could like this 500 times, that wouldn’t be enough.

Awesome. Really great post.

I’ve been a size 0 and a size 14. I’ve had Eating Disorders, for the past 4 years. I’m finally considered recovered now. What got me though all of the “disorders”. Not my one of those “plans” above. It’s learning to just relax and just be truly happy- take food and exercise out my “happiness factor”. I get love from my family and friends instead. Food is something I just eat to live and exercise is something I just do now when I want to- not because a program is telling me to. Funny- I’m in healthy shape now without even trying to be.

Great column. Yeah, it’s why all truly great, successful training systems have ALWAYS allowed plenty of room for individual differences – e.g., Arthur Lydiard, Bill Bowerman, etc., for running, Joel Fuhrman MD for diet, etc.

Birdwatchers have a saying: “When the bird and the book disagree – believe the bird.” True science is experience – real-world experience, not twiddling engine parts in the lab.

Thank you.

That was awesome! Funny and true – you’ve got mad writing skillz.

I second that as well as everything the previous commenters said! AUUUGGGGHHHHH I drive myself MAD trying to digest all the information that I’m bombarded with. Do This, No! Do That! I need to just DO SOMETHING

Your article reminds me of standing in the checkout line looking at the typical women’s magazines. Every week there is a new diet or trick to lose weight. If it really worked, why would they have to put something different in there the next week. I also hate for my daughters to think that is what women should be focused on, so I stopped getting any women’s magazines. I remember my mom and her friends were always on diets and talking about being fat. A few weeks ago I saw a picture of my mom’s adult softball team (how many 41-year old women can say that) from the same period when she and her friends were always talking about diets. NONE of them were fat….well, maybe one or two. They were beautiful, even with their permed hair and their striped tube socks, and they were playing a friggin’ sport in their 30s, 40s & some in their 50s. That’s what the girls need to see.

AmyF…off my soapbox…sorry

Amen, sister.

I really do love you!

Perfection.

Get outta mah BRAINZ. I have a post with all the books I’ve read in the past six months listed which say every which way to do this and that.

The short version? I have to keep trying. :-)

Now that is just awesomesauce

Yes, you’ve got to love this information society. I am totally with you on this. I’ve been kinda arguing with my husband on this, or trying not to because I want to support him and it’s working for him. But sometimes it’s just too much.

Amen, Sistah!!
When they start cramming the food pyramid down my kids’ throat at school my eyes start to shoot fire. Why can no one seem to understand each *body* is physically different- inside and out. That means they each work a little differently and not everything is going to work for everyone. (personal rant: the food pyramid is just governmental mind control!)

I hear you!

I freaking love you. HARD.

YES!!! I am going to print this out and hang it on the wall in my basement where I work out. I am turning 40 this week, and I have finally matured enough to realize that I am going to do what makes ME feel good and try to have fun with exercise. I have stopped reading a lot of blogs since all they did was jump from bandwagon to bandwagon and I got so tired of it. I am strong, I am healthy and now I will focus on being HAPPY too. Thanks again for posting this!!

All of that is so totally true and amazingly well written.

Except the Vibram part. Vibrams are G-D and AMAZING AND PERFECT AND THE ONLY RIGHT THING (for me).

Of course, I am one of the 8 people on the planet who prefers a treadmill to outside running … so I’m a little backwards.

You should sell this to Nike for one of those inspiring commercials with a voice over. I check the sedentary box and even I feel inspired!

I feel like there is a middle ground to health. I used to live by extremes when it came to fitness/health. Sort of a go hard or go home kind of philosophy but as time has passed I have found that those extremes were not any more healthy then doing nothing at all. Now I just work to eat well (fresh and unprocessed as possible), exercise as often as possible, sleep well, and lower your stress. I do not beat myself up for not always eating well or missing a workout like I would have in the past. If I do those things, I have significantly reduced the noise.

Thank you. For a minute wthere I thought you were serious, until I noticed it’s all contradictory, then I breathed a sigh of relief. I can’t even keep up with all the rules, but I know that running on my treadmill has toned my butt, legs, slimmed my tummy a bit and given me more energy than any other workout. I also love the time alone with myself (or with the iPad & Netflix) and I’m doing what works for me.

I think you just wrote the next Nike commercial. Perfect!

Assholes and their mixed messages.

Have you read Charlotte Hilton Andersen’s The Great Fitness Experiment? She touches on many of these things.

You nailed it in this post! Noise, indeed.

Thanks for making me laugh so early on a Wednesday. Totally true–that’s why I tend to ignore most of the “noise,” eat pretty good stuff most of the time, splurge some of the time, and exercise to make myself feel happy. (For me, that’s ballet and walking).

I still have about 6 pounds of “baby weight” I’d like to lose (and…the “baby” is 21 months now, yikes!) but recently I’ve decided that, you know what? It’s ok. It’ll come off eventually, when my kids are slightly older and it’s easier for me to get out and exercise without them, and in the meantime, I’m giving myself a break. :-)