Some Bad Habits We Need to Stop Right Now… And How to Replace Them with Better Habits
Christine Hale CCP B.S. Exercise and Sports Science A.A.S. Clinical Paramedic Science Pn1 Certified Nutrition Coach January 11, 2021
As the New Year is upon us, many of us look at our lives and wonder if there are things we can do better or improve on in the coming year. This is especially true when it comes to our health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness goals and habits. Internal reflection is a good thing, however, some of the ways to go about internal reflection can sabotage us instead of help us. After all, we want to have the best chance for successfully reaching and maintaining our goals, don’t we?
Our biggest roadblock in trying to reach our goals is perspective.
Perspective is EVERYTHING.
We need to have a change in perspective.
Listening to social media influencers and celebrities. Every day we are bombarded with images of what “healthy” and “fit” should look like and how we should achieve it. We see it on social media, we see it in the grocery stores and checkout lines, shit, we see it in the gyms and schools. These images are EVERYWHERE. These images are not reality. These images have filters, have been photoshopped, have the right lighting and angles to enhance the body. The people in these images are often celebrities and/or fitness models or social media influencers that have trained and “diet down” to make their bodies look leaner than their normal state. Where celebrities and fitness models have professional photo shoots, social media influencers know how to manipulate the camera and utilize filters to create the image they want to appear to be.
Celebrities are not the average person. Celebrities have access and the means to have trainers, nutritionists, chefs, babysitters/nannies to help them achieve and maintain these body images. They can spend the 2-6 hours a day in the gym and have all their meals planned and prepared for them. The average person doesn’t have the time or money to do the same; that shit is expensive and adds up!
Social media influencers are often younger (college age and into their 30’s) who have nothing better to do than go to the gym and post pictures on social media. They can also be people who have done a few (or many) fitness competitions and have their “pro card” in a specific category (fitness, bikini, bodybuilding). Some of these influencers go so far as to claim they are trainers and/or coaches, with no education or legitimate certifications use only their own experience and results (not science-based evidence) as a basis for creating a business.
Regardless of knowing this, it still can be a mind fuck to see these images day in and day out, especially if you are looking to change some of your own habits.
How do we change it?
We must change our perspective and look at what our individual lives consist of; we give ourselves a reality check. On top of that, we seek science-based information from legitimate sources. We seek and hire legitimate trainers and coaches. We consult professionals. It won’t always be easy, but we can do it!
Comparing ourselves to others. EVERYONE does this. It’s a shitty habit to have and extremely hard to overcome. We tend to forget that even though we are all human, and our physiology is relatively the same, we all have genetic variations. We also forget that we all have different lifestyles, activities, jobs, etc.
Exercise and nutrition habits will affect each person differently. There is no cookie cutter way to change habits or get results. We all have different likes, dislikes, tastes, etc.
How do we change it?
We must change our perspective and remember we are all different, which is an amazingly beautiful thing! We have to start becoming comfortable with our own individuality, figure out what our strengths and weaknesses are, and set goals based on our individual needs, instead of an illusion based on a comparison of another.
Believing pseudoscience over science-based evidence. The fitness/health/nutrition/wellness industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, which isn’t as regulated as it should be. Two major examples are: no regulation or quality purification standards for supplements put forth by the FDA and no federal or state recognized standard for being a personal trainer. Both of those should make you very concerned.
Supplements don’t have to go through the testing for potency and ingredients like food products do through the FDA. This means that if a supplement isn’t researched, or evaluated by a third-party regulation company, that they can put whatever claims they want and what ever dosage they want into the supplement.
Currently, there is no standardized governing body for fitness professionals or personal trainers. This means ANYONE, regardless of education, can call themselves a fitness professional or personal trainer.
How to we change it?
If you want to take a supplement, do your research.
Look for third-party testing and regulation. NSF International’s Certified for Sport, UL, and USP are third party testing and regulation companies. You can ask a certified health/fitness/nutritional professional for their insight on supplementation. Be skeptical of MLM companies or supplement companies that make claims that seem too good to be true. Just because a supplement or product uses buzz words like “clinical study(ies)” or “scientifically proven,” be skeptical. A quality supplement will be published in a peer-reviewed, science-based, journal. Any “clinical studies” done by the company that is selling the product should be highly suspicious as the company that is selling the product has a vested interest in the outcome of said studies. “Clinical studies” done by the same company as the product being sold also does not undergo the same scrutiny as legitimate, peer-reviewed, scientific studies. Be skeptical of any health/fitness trainer/professional who can make money off you purchasing any supplement from them, or if they ask you to join an MLM (more on this later).
If you are looking for a fitness professional or personal trainer, do your research.
Most gyms have a list of personal trainers that you can talk to and ask questions. You can ask about their education, their health and fitness training background; in essence, interview them. Where there isn’t a governing body for health and fitness trainers, there are degrees and certifications that make a health and fitness trainer more qualified than an Instagram influencer, a celebrity, guru, or someone off the street. Look for college degrees in exercise and sports science, kinesiology, nutrition, and exercise physiology. Look for high quality certifications like ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), ACE (American Council on Exercise), CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist), NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association), RD (Registered Dietician), Pn (Precision Nutrition Certification), to name a few.
Just like with everything, even with the best of research, it isn’t a 100 percent, perfect way to get the best quality trainer or supplement or prevent all of the pseudoscience that occurs in the health/fitness/nutrition/wellness industry. It can, however, help you prevent money loss, setbacks, negative side effects, and frustration.
Believing there is a quick fix. This is a huge one. We’ve all seen the TV commercials saying, “If you take this you can shed inches off your waist!” You may have even seen some people you know promoting fat loss supplements that spot reduce/target certain areas of the body or quick “nutritional challenges” to lose weight at a crazy fast rate.
It’s bullshit. Quick fix claims in the health/fitness/nutrition/wellness industry are not only dangerous but also based on pseudoscience. Depending on the quick fix claim and/or product, it can land you in the hospital or worse have long lasting physical and physiological negative side effects.
How to we change it?
BE SKEPTICAL! Yes, quick fixes can be appealing, they are designed that way. They use buzzwords and phrases to get your attention, give false hope, and unrealistic expectations. If it sounds too easy and too good to be true, it is!
Are there ways to lose fat and weight quickly, yes…however, it’s not healthy, it’s not sustainable, and rebound weight/fat gain occurs. The only way to take off unwanted body fat or decrease weight and keep it off in a healthy, sustainable way, is with proper, consistent, exercise and nutrition habits. Seek certified/legitimate health/fitness/nutrition professional to help you reach your health/fitness/nutrition/wellness goals; for they are the ones who have the knowledge and training to help you succeed and maintain success.
Now what? This article covers only a few bad habits that are seen in the health/fitness/nutrition/wellness industry. These bad habits have a huge influence on our perspective. Perspective is important, because it can help you reach your goals, or it can greatly hider you.
I have a few goals when it comes to this article.
Get you to think about your perspective when it comes to heath, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.
Get you to use your critical thinking skills and be skeptical when it comes to products/services/programs/social media/media in the fitness/health/nutrition/wellness industry.
If you have questions or want more information on what was discussed in this article, please feel free to contact me through Facebook/Messenger at What the Hale Fitness and Nutrition, on Instagram at whatthehalefit_nutrition, or by email at whatthehalefitnessandnutrition@gmail.com