The Health Midwit

A trend being taken too far?

Buckle up folks, this post is going to be a little out of the ordinary.

But after doing a good deal of observation and reflection the last several months, I’ve started to notice a trend that I’d be remiss if I didn’t toss in my two pennies.

And with it slotting in as post #150 on HIB, it’s only fitting.

If you engage the internet as most do, you’ve likely stumbled upon the “Midwit Meme”.

Via imgflip.com

Simply put, it’s a bell curve comprised of three (vastly overgeneralized) individuals: the simpleton (i.e., idiot) on the left, the midwit in the middle, and the genius on the far right.

The individuals at the two extreme ends of the bell curve — the simpleton and genius — often hold the same viewpoint, although they come to it from different perspectives. The genius arrives at their belief through intensive research and self-experimentation. Whereas the simpleton derives theirs through straightforwardness, it simply makes the most sense to them.

In other words, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out… literally.

However, the midwit in the middle overcomplicates the situation and can’t fathom a straightforward solution to a seemingly complex situation.

Now you may be asking what this has to do with the price of eggs.

Which, side note, is outrageous nowadays and I am ready to go back to my 4-egg omelet in the morning without the need to donate plasma on a weekly basis.

Anyhow, with the volume turned up on conversations regarding fitness and living a healthy lifestyle, the concept outlined in the image is beginning to rear its head in this stratosphere… in my opinion.

The prevalence of what I’ll call “health midwits” is exponentially increasing.

Unfortunately, I’m frequently guilty and as a result, this conversation is just as much a call to attention for myself as it is a fair warning to others.

Before moving forward, let’s compare the image above to a completely different sector — finance. Caveat, I’m no expert in finance and fall on the WAY left side of the bell curve.

An idiot, that is.

However, in the case of investing, it seems the simpleton and genius often agree – invest in index funds and hold your position.

Yet, the midwit on the scene will take hours to study and deeply analyze individual stock trends whilst putting other capital in hedge funds and private equity before shorting out and starting a cryptocurrency portfolio.

As you can tell, I don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, but I hope you get the point.

Oftentimes, simple is better.

Although there are certainly exceptions, I’d argue the bulk (see what I did there) of health and fitness can be boiled down to just a few concepts.

Let’s discuss some things that the midwit (again, including myself) often overcomplicates and how the simpleton and genius would respond.

*And yes, you might pinpoint some things I’ve discussed in previous posts that contradict what’s to come… that’s the point.*