Why: I was recently sitting in the pedicure chair, catching up on Dr. Oz. After 10 minutes of preventing cancer, aging, and belly fat with amaranth leaves and celeriac, I was toast! I had never felt so unhealthy and overwhelmed in my entire life. I've never had any of these harvest anomalies. Surely my fat cells were expanding exponentially as I watched and feverishly updated my grocery list.
Later in the checkout line, messages of incompetence continue to be inflicted with magazine headlines like:
Lose 5 lbs By This Weekend
6 Foods to Decrease Belly Fat
Eat These Antioxidant Superfoods.
I'll admit it. I succumbed to the enticement. Frantically, I flipped through the pages. Surely there's a new secret, tip, or trick to get me leaner, healthier, fitter, better, all by this weekend.
It's an exhausting way to live. Constantly feeling like your efforts aren't good enough. Many ladies I know just opt out all together.
Here's a simple way to know if you're following fitness truths or a load of crap. Next time you're presented with fitness advice, just ask yourself these questions:
1. Am I being sold something?
Plenty of times I've gotten excited about a new exercise, nutrition tip, or supplement, only to discover the source was actually an advertisement. Look for blatant marketing of a product or subtle insinuations that reaching your goals will cost you money. Ask yourself, "am I being sold something here?" If the answer is "no," proceed to the next question.
2. Is the source reliable?
I love delivering news. Most of us do. There's something intoxicating about being the one to share new information with others. It's the reason why expectant mothers get inundated with unsolicited advice in the grocery check out line. People love "telling it." We want to connect with others around us or seem like the authority on a subject.
Next time you're being told how to eat or train, ask yourself if the source is reliable. Is this just someone "telling it" or is this information well-founded in sound, scientific truths?
3. Does the source have something to gain?
I see this one a lot with unsuspecting women in the gym. Many ladies are out of their comfort zone when it comes to weight training, and there's usually a sweaty Casanova readily available to delve out gratuitous exercise tips.
Even if you're not being indirectly hit up for a date, make sure you take a long hard look at the motivation behind the advice. Sometimes "free" advice comes at a price.
4. Am I biased?
This one is especially difficult for me. I loathe running and believe in getting lean with the use of proportional meals. Whenever I study anything that recommends endurance training or has an anti-meat angle, I have a difficult time seeing it's merits.
Make sure that you're not discrediting sound information because of your own personal biases or preferences. Sometimes the best solutions to reaching our goals take us slightly out of our comfort zones.
5. Is this practical advice?
Set yourself up to be successful by sticking with strategies that are doable and practical. Sure, achieving "fit" takes a lot of work and smart strategies, but if it involves ideals and modalities that are completely unrealistic, then it's not worth following. An effective program will get you results and leave you feeling empowered.
All images courtesy of Google Images.
