Several months ago I was contacted by a popular men’s health magazine by a journalist writing an article about how to pick a good personal trainer. Having known and worked (both out and with) many of them, I was happy to share my top tips. Imagine my surprise when the magazine came out and I was identified as a “fitness expert.” I almost shat myself. While I could be considered an expert in some fields – toddler toy mediation comes to mind – in fitness I am about as non-expert as they come. Dr. J, an experienced and credentialed surgeon and bona fide health expert, reminded me of this tendency of both the media and shameless (or shady) self-promoters to crown dubious health and fitness “experts” in his recent post on the subject.
Gym Buddy Leila found this out the hard way. Awhile ago as I was recovering from a tough weight session (read: gabbing about Kate Gosselin and if she would really take Jon back like we were 14 years old and she was the homecoming queen) we spotted Leila jogging sluggishly by, as if she were in slow motion.
“Leila!” we called out, “Whatcha doing girl? Get over here!”
“Can’t,” she shook her head sadly, “I’m burning fat.”
“She obviously means with a lighter and a grill somewhere,” muttered the peanut gallery.
“Seriously, my trainer told me that my fat burning zone is under 120. I gotta keep going for two hours if I want to lose this baby weight.”
“120! Are you kidding me?”
“Well, look at him!” All eyes turned to Dirk, a string bean of a man with Popeye biceps and an overly hopeful “muscle” shirt. “He’s the expert on losing weight!” And she was gone.
We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Experts
Several weeks later I caught up with Leila. “How’s it going with Dirk?” She burst into tears, “I’ve gained 12 pounds. I just don’t get it! I mean, he’s so thin! Why isn’t it working for me?”
If you hang around any nutrition or fitness circles (or even your local Barnes & Noble) for long, you will soon discover that Televangelists got nothing on the diet/weight/muscle “expert” du jour. These people stalk you with aggressive websites – with LOTS and LOTS of bold CAPS and unnecessary white space. They smother you with e-books and print books and booklets, all with tantalizing ultimate-secret-of-everything-“they”-don’t-want-you-to-know titles. They titillate you with ads on every site you read, populated with the evil spawn of Photoshop and CGI. They even find you in your safe place, blanketing your gym with fliers and business cards.
And everyone’s an expert.
Why do we even listen to these people? And how do you tell the good ones from the bad ones?
In My Expert Opinion
If, for a moment, you will let me be the expert on experts, I will answer those questions for you. You see, I am a Recovering Expert. There are no 12-steps for this but there should be. (Think of it, mandatory humility counseling! The UN would never be the same.) A few years ago, when I finally decided to get serious about my health & fitness, I read everything I could get my hands on on the subject. I subscribed to all the magazines, the news feeds, the hyped and hyper e-mail lists. I read the books, the e-books, the booklets & wannabe books. And then, one fine day, I figured it all out.
I won’t bore you with the details. You’ve heard them all before. But it was The Magic Formula. I would never worry about my weight again. I would be forever toned with smooth skin and lustrous hair. And I felt like I had to tell everyone I knew about it so they too could be toned and lustrous and smooth. My sister said, after one glorious (and free, even!) unsolicited tutorial, “It’s like you found religion. Except more annoying.”
It was a nice dream. Too bad it didn’t last. One day it just stopped working and I was forced to realize that I didn’t know it all. My Magic Formula was a great start but that my body, being smart and very adaptable, was on to my gig. It was time to tweak my formula.
So why do we listen to, seek out, and especially pay for expert guidance? A little bit of ignorance (most of us aren’t personally-trained Personal Trainers). A lot of desperation. After all, if everything you’ve tried isn’t working, then surely someone else must know something. I was desperate. I’d had great success – up to a point. I wanted more! I joined chat rooms & bulletin boards about weight lifting & nutrition. I took classes. But the more I studied, the more confused I became.
-Cut calories! But not too many or your metabolism will nosedive!!
-Carbs are evil! Whole grains are the staff of life! For a while I was actually trying to be a non-carb eating vegetarian. Do you know what that left me (besides cranky)? Veggies and… nuts. That’s it. Congratulations, I’m a squirrel.
– Weight lifting is the key to a high metabolism! No, wait, cardio is the secret to fat loss!
It all made my head spin. You know the feeling.
I learned very quickly that once somebody finds something that works for them, they automatically assume it will work for everyone else too (like stick-bug Dirk and post-partum Leila). The only thing you can trust about an expert is that they passionately believe that they have the answers. So I did what any scientist would do: I started experimenting. And that’s how I’ve spent the past several years.
Don’t get me wrong, experts have their place. The good ones anyhow – there are some very smart and talented people out there. But you sure have to sift through a lot of toddler poop to find that shiny penny. Here are a few of my (non-expert) tips:
1. Look for someone who agrees with basic common sense. It is true that taking out processed crap foods and getting a little exercise will help everyone. So if the expert tells you you can eat cookies all day long and get your exercise via surrogate by watching The Biggest Loser, then you can bet they are selling you something. (Jillian’s new diet pills, anyone?)
2. Look for someone who isn’t just in it for the money. Sure people gotta make a buck; I’m not going to begrudge them their hard-earned money. But if they want your credit card number before showing you anything of substance then run fast and far (hey, that’s good exercise too!). I’m especially wary of the ones hawking “product”: special machines, shakes, pills, supplements, gadgets, teas and other proprietary-buy-it-now-before-I-run-out-forever stuff.
3. Look for someone who will personalize it to you. While every body will respond to basic nutrition and fitness, after that the tweaks are individual. If they say they can make you look just like them be very wary. Find someone who says they can make you look like you – just better.
4. Look for someone who ISN’T touting a “secret” or the “ultimate solution” or “the last diet you’ll ever need.” There just isn’t any magic formula. Your body is always changing and adapting and so you’re going to have to too.
Well, that’s my (ahem) expert opinion. What say all of you? Did I miss anything? Anyone else have a run in with an Expert you’d like to add to the hall of shame?
Oh thank GAWD!! I thought I was the only one confused about the expert advice dolled out every.single.day in the mags and books I read- not to mention the advice from this trainer, that trainer, the guy who measures my fat %. My head is spinning. So the answer then, is that there IS no answer. My suspicions are now confirmed. There, I feel soo much better! Thanks, Charlotte!
Oh dear… I am still trying to be a low-carb-eatin' mostly vegetarian. Yes, I am nuts. And oats.
I figure it's okay to have the Ultimate Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, so long as you don't expect everyone else to take you too seriously. Plus, it helps to know where your towel is.
amen sister.
I like to think that even back in the DAY when I was a trainer (the internet was a new thing as was this cool site called "amazon" where you could order!any!book!) I didnt think my way worked for everyone.
(in all honestly I dont wanna reflect back and think about it as I fear YOUTH plus a LITTLE knowledge…)
now I 100% know that what Im doing works only for me & if Im an expert at anything it's reminding people of that and trying to help em uncover their own path.
I'm so totally with you on this. I pretty much go with "conventional" wisdom on the basics that everyone agrees on. And if there's some new twist (like green tea burns fat or whatever) I have to read it from a bunch of different reliable sources to believe it might be true.
But then I still find myself curious about whatever the latest "secret" is, and there's a part of me always tempted to try some new superfood or simple exercise that's going to boost my metabolism and help me live forever.
But I don't want a guru giving me the answers; if the information is that helpful I figure I'll hear about it from a number of different places.
Oh, and congrats on Men's Health, that's awesome!
I would say: A good trainer is one who understand basic principles of fitness/weight management and exercise, but is willing to put in the extra work needed to make a plan for different clients based on who they are as individuals. I would also say that a good trainer would put together a routine to do in between meetings so you know what to do even when you aren't working out with them. I had two trainers — one who would put together a weekly plan for me and one who was too lazy to do that. Unfortunately, the good trainer wound up moving away so I was forced to go to the bad one, but within a few months of working with the bad one, I quit the personal training altogether.
I loved this post Charlotte! I have people ask me a lot about what I do BUT I always tell them what works for me is not what may work for you PLUS if we don't find the food/exercise program we can live with for life, it ain't gonna work. Like me, I am a gym rat but many people hate it. I like solo but others like team sports or classes!
The one thing I do say is that food is a huge part of it along with moving. Personally I feel weight resistance is important so I do talk to that bit how one goes about it can be different. I also feel some cardio & flexibility or needed as well. I also tell them my mistakes like eating WAY too few calories & too little healthy fat.
BUT, the key is to work out something that is right for you! Just like you said Charlotte!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Charlotte! I don't know if I'm an expert or not, I do know I feel very grateful for being able to help many people over my years of practice, even if we have met by accident!
You are close enough to being an expert for this doctor 🙂
Congratulations, I'm a squirrel.
Hilarious!! I cringe at all the stuff that's out there, all those 'miracles' in particular. Heck, I'm a biologist; if I don't understand the basic more exercice/better food I'm not in the right field!! Plus what I call reliable sources are scientific publications (pubmed!), call it a professional deformation if you want. I'm capable of making up my own mind about what works for me or not; I'm only lacking the motivation (the kick in the butt after more than a couple of weeks):)
A personal trainer should not act like they know everything there is to know about fitness. If you talk to a trainer who admits that you'd be their first pregnant client, but is willing to research the restrictions, they'd be better than the trainer who claims to have had several pregnant clients a few years ago.
Ditto for wanting to improve your mileage times (you'll get a blank look from me), become a better surfer, whatever. Someone who doesn't bat an eyelash about that, saying he can easily come up with a program, despite never having trained someone with that goal, and never went after that goal personally, doesn't know what he's talking about.
There's a saying that the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know, meaning that you realize how much there still is that you haven't learned. A trainer who claims to know it all probably knows less than the trainer who admits that they're a far cry from an "expert". Further, the know it all trainer is going to be rigid in his workout plan for you. If it doesn't work, it's because you aren't doing it properly, not because the plan doesn't work for your particular body.
I've had my moments where I felt like my way was the best way. Then I just have to slap myself awake and realize that of course different things work for different people.
My mother and stepfather just went on a new diet which is supposed to reverse heart disease – vegan, no sugar, no oil, no processed foods. So overnight, she went from olive oil being the nectar of the gods to it being an evil from which you must run screaming. And she's the type to evangelize her way and think that it is the best way to the exclusion of all others. It does get tiresome. Wonderful that it works for her, but it's not going to happen chez moi.
Merry is my new best friend with all the Douglas Adams references. Thank you!
Personal trainers are exactly why I avoid going to an actual gym. Even at the Y they try to get you while you're taking a quick warm-up lap around the indoor track. The other reason I avoid the gym? Nature has everything you need. Track=Nature Trail, Sturdy Branch=Pull-up Bar. The same goes for an elementary school playgrounds (after school hours and on weekends, of course; you don't want to be creepy). They have pull-up and monkey bars plus usually a spongy surface you can do push-ups and whatnot on without killing yourself. I'm just saying. Cheap is in!
-Joshua
http://techparent42.blogspot.com
This sounds like the post of an expert to me!! 🙂
The other thing I've learned is that what worked for me THEN might not work for me NOW, and what works now might not work in 10 years. Not only are individuals different from each other, but we also change over the course of our lives.
I have to admit that when someone tells me they have the Magic! Solution! to Everything! I tend roll my eyes so hard they are in danger of falling out of my head and skittering across the floor.
Wow! You nailed it! I think if you read enough blogs, or listen to enough media – it's easy to fall in this trap. So many people spout NONSENSE that, if you've read a million books and had a bit of science and experience, it's tempting to set them straight. I'm totally guilt of being a false expert. I'm by no means super fit, but compared to some folks who know absolutely nothing, I am a genius.
But, in my old age (30) I've started to step back. So, you witness someone running on concrete while you are running on asphalt. No need to give advice. Maybe they are training for a concrete-road race? So your friend eats only a bag of Fritos for lunch everyday and gets fainting spells. No need to lecture her on nutrition. So your mom weighs 300 lbs and thinks half a pie is a normal portioned dessert, then groans about losing weight? So?
Yeah, it's hard to be humble and keep the lips zipped. But, no one loves a know-it-all.
Well, everyone knows the answer is 42. It's the QUESTION that's important!
If one thing made every single person on the planet happy, healthy, skinny, rich, famous, etc., we'd have a very peaceful but extremely boring population.
In the past 3 years alone, I've heard, from "experts," that it's better to be a single-digit size than double (size 8 is "always" better than size 10), Pilates and yoga cannot be used for strength training, no woman should lift weights heavier than 3 pounds (remember that one?), fruit should never be eaten with protein, oh wait, fruit should ONLY be eaten with protein, my kids have Autism because they were immunized, they have Autism because their environment is tainted, they have Autism because G-d is punishing us, walking is the best exercise EVER!, walking doesn't burn enough calories, I have to run, slow and steady wins the race, interval training is what'll do it for ya, go primal, go vegan, wear a hat.
(OK, that last one I've been hearing since I was a toddler, and it's actually very good advice.)
There's more, but I've purposely blocked it out. The sad thing is, up until a few years ago, I tried to follow all of it. And went a little nuts.
Now I follow my own instincts and some of the advice from people I trust.
And that's it.
This is one of the best posts I've read in a while. I have a blog, have lost a lot of weight (150 pounds), and kept it off a long time (12 years). I still don't claim to be an expert!
It actually makes me upset when I visit some of these "health/fitness" sites that scream at people with huge banner headlines. It seems to be such a scam.
I'm with you on that the Magic Formula is the one that all of us intuitively know. Eating good foods, moving our bodies, and portion control is the formula that will work.
Thanks for this post! By the way, I loved Dr. J's article, and you are right – he is an expert.
Whew… I thought I was the only one confused about all this stuff!! I actually stumbled upon your blog looking for the answers!!! On a side note – I am so sad Jillian came out with a diet pill 🙁
I just figure that everyone is full of it, that makes it easy! 🙂 Unless they're not. I'm a big fan of common sense, and if it doesn't make sense, it's probably bs.
hey Charlotte, I used to think my buddy was the running expert. After all, he had completed nearly a dozen marathons and an Olympic triathlon. Turns out he's walked in every marathon and never come close to cracking 4 hours! And his training consists of "oh, I have a marathon I signed up for in 2 weeks…I better go run." Yeah, I don't listen to him anymore. Instead, I listen to Dr. J. Cause he makes me happy. 🙂