Shut UP!

I have seriously had it. I have heard it too many times. If one more person spouts off with it like they're spreading gospel, I may just haul off and tackle them. I know every single one of you have heard it:

"Eat less. Move more."

SHUT UP!

Shutupshutupshutup!

I hate that stupid, misguided little catch phrase. It should be crushed, and crumpled, and burned!

Every single person who repeats it says it in one of two ways; with a superior, criticizing tone, or in defeat. It's harsh, and it lacks actual truth.

"Eat less" means you are eating too much, doesn't it? Precisely, as a matter of fact? Don't you instantly feel bad when someone tells you to eat less? You start seeing mental images of emaciated stars and wondering how it must be to exist on a single slice of bread per day.

Move more - er... where exactly should I be moving? Sure, this one isn't so bad, but developing a nervous tic is only going to get you so far. And then what? What are you supposed to move? When exactly? What is enough? What is too much? What isn't the right thing? Should I feel bad every time I even sit down? Isn't that just another way I'm cheating my body out of moving more?

Enough!!! SHUT. UP.

You know what? I like to eat. I want to eat. I need to eat. WE ALL DO. What we don't need is some half-informed know it all telling us to eat less. I most certainly do not need to hear it from myself, either. I'd just love to be able to exist on air, but as that isn't possible and completely boring besides... no thanks.

The correct phrasing that the original idiot should have gone with? "EAT SMART" Big damn difference. We're made to eat. It's a biological function, backed up by a natural urge. Asking us to deny that level of activity which is required to sustain life is stupid. Asking us to make correct choices is not.

That is not to say that things like cake and pizza are out. They're not. I didn't say "eat perfect", I said "eat smart" and there is a world between the two. The first is an outright fairy tale, so you might as well let that idea go now.

"Move more" should be "Move with purpose." You have to have purpose in everything you do. An aimless movement is wasted energy. Make it count. Find out what you need to do, find a way that you want to, and then learn how to do it. Then get it done. It's that simple.

Rest is the other part of the equation. Though it is the opposite of movement, it is absolutely necessary as well. Yes, some people take resting to a whole new level of existence. Additionally, our world is so modified that we have very few physical demands left to us. But instead of turning into a blob and saying "Eh, who cares. No one needs me. I'm going to go pretend I'm a bowl of pudding" make your rest as purposeful as your movement. Don't just move with purpose, LIVE with purpose. When you rest, make sure you are actually resting (i.e. get a full night's sleep!) Is there down-time where you can lounge and watch Grey's Anatomy without guilt? Absolutely. But you should earn that, plan for it, and make the rest of your day count too.

"Eat Smart. Move With Purpose."

Those two corrected phrases together really are the keys to the kingdom, rather than a criticism of the target recipient. So when a know-it-all tells you to "Eat less, move more" correct them on the spot with "Hmmm, don't you mean 'Eat smart, move with purpose'? You must have meant that, I'm sure." If anything, it will give them something to think about for themselves. And it will be one less person I may have to tackle later on.