Battling Bad Science
The public wants the truth. They will do what it takes to get it. However, public health and physical activity aren’t simple enough to learn what’s wrong or right in one or two days. Sometimes bad advice can live in the program of an individual for years until they realize it wasn’t as correct as they believed. It’s similar to the quote by Thomas Edison “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Yes, that’s a positive outlook but I don’t think anyone has time to try a fitness technique or concept 10,000 times. The frustrating part is that an individual can try a new weight loss technique, or resistance training program and not know if it works for two-three weeks or longer! That’s one reason why bad science is dangerous for physical activity and public health. The other reasons are that the truth is hard to get a hold of. The internet is quick and convenient, and humanity is lazy by nature. We want the quick fix; the magic bullet. Most people will settle for an answer for free from the guy on the internet with fake credentials and no resources than to ask or pay the professor or expert in a field. The ironic part is that the free answer on the internet is almost always worth less than it costs.
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