Never Trust Scientism With Your Health

Scientism On Health: New studies

Never trust scientism in general.

But especially so when in comes to your health.

In this case, exercise:

No pain, no gain? Science debunks yet another exercise myth

You don’t have to “feel the burn” to see improvements to your health and well-being.

Exercise culture advertises intense workouts as the best way to see gains. 

But research suggests moderate exercise and physical activity is better, especially if you trade intensity for sustainability. 

You should strive to build habits around the physical activities you find enjoyable and fulfilling.

[…]

The myth of “no pain, no gain”

In a recent cross-sectional study published in Frontiers in Psychology, researchers aimed to better understand what separated health club goers who petered out from those who stuck with it. They surveyed more than 200 participants across nine different health clubs, and their results showed that enjoyment positively predicted habit formation and exercise frequency.

The researchers also looked at the association between exercise intensity and participants’ personal intensity traits. Such traits include a person’s preference (their predisposition to a certain exercise level) and their tolerance (the intensity at which they can continue working out). 

According to the authors, previous research indicated that increased workout intensity enriched pleasurable experiences. But only up to a point! After that tipping point, a person’s intensity traits become out of sync with the exercise’s intensity level, and their enjoyment of the experience nosedives — a kind of Yerkes-Dodson law for physical stress.

The study’s results showed the same. When participants felt their intensity traits matched the exercise’s intensity level, they enjoyed working out more and stuck with it longer. When things got too intense, participants dropped out.

Why does literally everything journos touch turn rainbow?

My health and wellness news feed has been blowing up with “studies” like this one. The headlines are horrendous: “Daily exercise debunked”, “you don’t need to struggle to gain muscle”, “science shows you should eat candy instead of ground beef“, and on and on…

I can physically see those lapping this story up with their noodle arms, balding head that they refuse to shave, slightly off physiognomy, and awkward posture.

Yeah, yeah. Ad hominem and all. But don’t tell me you don’t see that while reading this study and article. When was the last time you saw someone that wanted to “avoid intensity” that looked any different?

The journo and researchers also completely miss the greater context, as usual. They postulate that people will stick with exercise routines if it matched their intensity levels. Therefore, participants should just workout at a comfortable level.

But here’s a rocket scientist idea—how about participants instead workout at an intensity level outside of their comfort zone, so that they can then become comfortable at that greater level over time? Which would, I don’t know, result in growth and personal betterment?

The comfort level for most is a short walk for ten minutes three times a week. They know this; we know this. Comfort is one of the absolute worst things a man can be addicted to.

You can’t grow while stuck at the same intensity level for years. What use is there in sticking to an exercise routine if the person just stagnates at their average?

Average acceptance. It really is the plague of modernity. Don’t face pain or struggle; just live life at a comfortable level so you can with stick to your comfortable routine.

No wonder everyone is so fat and no one can run a mile. With experts like these, it is amazing we aren’t at an 80% obesity rate.

News flash: You should struggle. That is how you grow. It is how you get stronger or build more endurance. Some random Ivory Tower studies out of a psychology journal that suddenly disproves three thousand years of empirical knowledge does not change that.

Never. Trust. Scientism. Especially with your health.

Read Next: The Ministry Of Truth: Gaslighting

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