IF YOU LIKE WORKING OUT, DOES THAT MAKE YOU A FITNESS EXPERT?
Okay, so this post is going to be incredibly real and raw. I love everyone and I love Social Media, but as of the last half year I have noticed a lot of fitness profiles with followings and tons of influence along with tons of misinformation. Looking deeper into their profiles and watching their clips there were major form issues and false information. No one is perfect, but it was repeatedly giving false information, no scientific method behind their workouts, and the form was way off which will definitely inflict an injury on someone.
Nutrition is a whole confusing realm, it is oh so difficult, but I see so many people who have never taken a legitimate nutrition class, but yet they are sharing all of these “healthy/ fat-free” food options, well when you read “fat-free” on a product, that doesn’t mean it’s healthy, it’s quite the opposite. If people who were sharing these things had studied nutrition, they would know that full and whole fats in things such as dairy products is actually what you want to be consuming, in moderation of course, they would tell you to stop buying margarine instead of real butter. I have definitely read and have seen so many posts in general that are telling you that margarine is the healthier option for butter. I am not trying to shame them, it’s just that they don’t have the proper education, but they have this platform that they are trying to educate others from, which in theory is awesome, but make sure what you are educating people on is something that you yourself are properly educated on. Educated, meaning you’ve studied it for years, or you have taken some sort of course on it, or have learned from someone who has researched and study the subject as well.
A lot of people really have never asked what a Certified Personal Trainer goes through in order to get their certification. For me in particular, I studied Exercise Science for four years, took a 200+ question formal exam, and I do continuing education every two years so that I can get re-certified. It takes time, it takes studying, it takes hustle, which I love, but it does get a little frustrating seeing people who are convincing people that they know best that have not studied a thing in their life. I learn new things every day, I’m not perfect, but it does kill me to hear people say they get workouts off of Pinterest, literally makes all of us trainers cringe..trust me. Not saying that every single workout on Pinterest is bad, but most of the workouts people go towards are a woman that has a six pack and below it says promises that you’ll have a six pack in just 30 days, but sorry, not going to happen, it rarely happens to anyone. Instagram fitness accounts, they are EVERYWHERE, which again, I love that people are using it as a source of accountability and an outlet, but 9 out of 10 times when I am watching their full workouts they are not a balanced workout and the form is off. They have the most ridiculous exercises on there as well to achieve the perfect bum, or telling you that 30 squats a day is going to get you the peach you’ve always wanted. Well first off, squat is not a glute dominate exercise, but that’s not what they often tell you. I bet a lot of you have been doing squats merely for the bum gains, it’s ojay, because that’s what you are fed, so why would you think differently? When you are looking at fitness accounts, make sure they are educated, check that they are a Certified Personal Trainer or CPT. That isn’t to say that someone that isn’t certified doesn’t necessarily know what they are talking about, but again, 90% of the time when I am looking at their content it is misleading and misinforming, so just be careful, that’s all!
For example, I’ve been asked to do wedding hair before, but I don’t have the education, I don’t know what’s best. I know what works for my hair, but that’s about as far as it goes, yes I know some things, but I also text my sweet cousin monthly about my hair questions because I know she is educated and has put so much time and money into it. So in my opinion, I don’t have education in the hair department, so why would I take away someone’s business of someone who has actually taken the steps to get certified. I don’t know about you, but I always want the most informative and the best knowledge about the subject I am dealing with.
All that being said, I’m not saying if you didn’t take a course that you don’t know anything. What I am saying is that you don’t know everything to the fullest, you maybe don’t understand why this exercise compliments this one and balances out your body, not workouts only compiled of all glute exercises. There is a science behind the body, there needs to be balance, and different types of training. Everyone’s bodies are different and will take different things to reach people’s desired goals. It is never a one size fits all, especially if you have specific goals. Don’t take this post the wrong way, but just be careful and don’t necessarily take every word you read to be truth or every workout video you see to be gold to achieve the six pack that that person has. There is so much to learn about everything in the world, so ask for help and don’t be an “expert” unless you have the proper education and truthful knowledge on the matter.
Sorry that was a rant, but it just has been on my mind listening to people’s conversations and I just wanted to share my opinion on the situation, and to make sure YOU are getting the proper information and training that you should be getting. I don’t care if you come to me with your questions for workouts and health, but I want you to be properly informed!
Maybe even if it is you that is acting as an expert on a particular subject, but you don’t have a ton of education on that matter, look into research studies, look into taking a class if you are wanting to properly educate people on a subject that you are passionate about! Don’t take it as a slam against you, rather just a piece of advice coming from someone who hears from people all of the time about different exercises and fad diet plans that someone they follow on instagram does. Everyone’s, I mean everyone’s bodies are different, so different things are going to work for different people! Again, it is a beautiful platform and can be used to impact people, just make sure if you’re going to take workouts and healthy recipes from someone that person suggests, that they have the valid information and advice.
Okay, I’m done.
Love you all, happy scrolling!
xoxo Mara
