Health, Wellness, and LIES

I've said before that one of the reasons I got into the fitness industry was because I found myself out of shape, tried hard to get back into shape, failed repeatedly, got frustrated and found a lot of diet and wellness culture to be even more frustrating still. I eventually overcame some of my own obstacles, and decided I wanted to help other people do the same. Social media has grown exponentially since then and looking at a lot of the misinformation or at least, misleading information continues to be frustrating to me because I know what a struggle this can be for so many of us. And it's not just randos on Twitter giving suspect fitness advice, it is sometimes comes from larger media outlets as well. I remember reading Men's Health magazine promising me "5 killer ab exercises to melt away my gut". But I quickly learned that I could do 5 million ab exercises and while I would build a stronger core, it would not do anything to flatten my big gut. Plenty of people still believe this to be true and it is not even close. This is pretty much the case with all of those attention-grabbing headlines and bylines.

For the record, creating a caloric deficit is the only universally successful way to get rid of belly (or any) fat. Though fat accumulates in different ways/areas with different people, you cannot spot treat it. You certainly can target certain areas for muscle growth but the sub-cutaneous fat will remain until the overall caloric deficit and body fat loss has been achieved.

WHO HAS THE POWER?

Unsustainable diets, workout regimens that promise anything, and brazen statements that challenge conventional wisdom simply to generate clicks are more examples of the problem. Every body is different and any one who tells you that if you do specifically X, then specifically Y will happen and it really is that simple, is misleading you. They may not be doing this on purpose, they may even be coming from a place of trying to help, but it may be a lot more harmful than helpful. Most of what people know about health and wellness comes from marketing. And much of it is like a game of telephone too, where someone hears something from someone else or read an article somewhere, tells it to a friend who tells it to a friend, etc. 

Fitness is also a multi-billion dollar industry and besides just selling product, people also have to write articles, promote their publications, get readers, get likes and most of all, get your attention. On the other side of this, there are literally millions of people who are desperate to get healthier. Desperate in a way like no other. Their/our very lives hang in the balance, to different degrees, and everything depends on it. So who has the power here? Someone can say or write anything and someone else will be very inclined to the listen to and believe them in the hope that maybe it turns out to be true. This naturally creates a pretty bad dynamic.

THE BACKLASH

Speaking of bad dynamics, everything I mentioned here has understandably led to a backlash. A counter argument that says, "Hey, screw these guys! I don't have to lose my belly or be thin at all!! I don't have to look like people want me to look. I can be seriously overweight and that is okay because that is just me. And I love myself!" Once again, this is often well-intentioned and I don't necessarily disagree with any of these points, but it sometimes turns into another extreme where we have people who live an unhealthy lifestyle and do nothing to change it in the name of general resistance and being their "true selves."

We know that there is value in making exercise/physical activity a part of our lives. We know that proper nutrition has value too. Exactly what we eat, how much, is up for lots and lots of discussion. Same is true for exercise and physical activity. But we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater and reject it all entirely because so much of the modern diet, health and fitness culture is corrupt.

Your trainers, physicians, and any therapists are all on Team You. The people in your life that you engage to help you get healthy and fit are going to be the people with the best advice for you. (And feel free to bring us together! Sharing information about your health is never a bad idea!) Remember that someone you follow online, while possibly smart and well-intentioned, doesn't know YOU.