Misinformation in the Health and Wellness Industry
Where did THAT come from?
Addressing misinformation in the Health and Wellness Industry
Here at Whole Body Fitness we have heard it all! Eat this not that, cardio makes you fat, eggs are bad for you, eggs are good for you, stretching is bad for you, and my all-time favorite:
“I am a lady and I don’t want to bulk up by lifting weights. I just don't want to get too bulky.”
Helping clients sift through the onslaught of information that is poorly presented, poorly researched, or learned out of context has become one of the key components of ensuring that a client sets appropriate expectations as they kick start their health and wellness improvement process.
Let’s call it like it is: most people get their health and wellness information through WebMd, Facebook posts, sound bites on the news, blogs, or through conversations with self proclaimed fitness specialists. The challenging part about hearing the content from these well-intentioned sources(second hand) is that the information that they are sharing is generally a half truth or its effectiveness depends on detailed variabilities amongst the population.
Eggs are not bad for everyone, nor are they good for everyone. Women come with varying amounts of testosterone, the more testosterone you have the more likely you are to add muscle mass and more quickly. Stretching effects performance of premier athletes in a specific motion(the bench press) and is generally understood to be productive for the average population.
The bottom line is simply this: ask more than surface level questions before you take information as THE ULTIMATE TRUTH. If the person that is sharing the information is truly knowledgeable about the subject, they will welcome your inquisitive nature in that it will validate their intention for sharing in the first place. Be wary of the “because I said so” crowd or the person that will not quote their source. Even those that DO quote their source will have some answering to do when it comes to how they understand and interpret research articles.
At Whole Body Fitness, we let our experience and our results do the talking for us. Having dieted thousands of individuals over the past decade, we have come up with our own conclusions on what will and what won’t work in your health and wellness routine. At Whole Body Fitness, the proof is in the pudding(which is healthy for you according to WebMd).