Fitness influencers are often motivational, aspirational, andlets be honestpretty darn attractive. But its not always the best idea to follow their advice without first engaging in some little healthy scrutiny. Theres too much information out there that nobodys fact checking, says Katrina Pilkington, a personal trainer certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). You have to be your own fact checker.
Doing background research to vet the content shared by fitness influencers might suck the fun out of following them, but its important for your health if you plan to follow their advice. After all, people arent qualified trainers just because theyve got your dream body. Looks arent everything, says Pilkington. Someone could have a six-pack and a heart problem. They also might not be 100 percent transparent around what theyve done to get their physique. Think of it this way: Jennifer Aniston has done commercials for Aveeno and Smartwater, but you dont assume that her entire beauty routine consists of drinking water and applying lotion, right? Apply that same critical thinking to fitfluencers, and take a few beats before copycatting their moves.
The easiest thing you can do is check the influencers credentials. Pilkington says to see if someone has a masters degree relevant to the advice theyre sharing. Im not saying it completely validates them, but it can be a little more of a credential because it means theyve had continuing education in their field, she says. NASM-certified trainer Tony Ambler-Wrightwho has a masters degree in exercise sciencerefers to this as foundational knowledge and also advises keeping an eye out for it.
You might also want to take a look at trainers professional certifications. Ambler-Wright says hes biased towards his own (NASM) type of certification, but he also recommends trainers who are certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, American Council on Exercise, orthe American College for Sports Medicine.
If someone you follow fails to possess any of the above credentials, says Ambler-Wright, that could be a red flag.
Both Pilkington and Ambler-Wright also note that just because someone is credentialed in one area doesnt mean you should follow their advice in other disciplines. The persons training should align with the advice that theyre providing, says Ambler-Wright. One of the things that I think consumers should be wary of is individuals operating outside the scope of their expertise.
For example, dont look to a fitness influencer or certified trainer for credible diet advice unless they have additional credentials as a nutritionist or registered dietician. The nutrition piece is not something that a [non-credentialed] trainer should be touching, says Pilkington. They shouldnt be recommending what you eat or how much you eat, because thats just completely out of their scope and authority. And while she admits she may have been guilty of doling out this sort of advice in the past, now that shes in graduate school for nutrition, she realizes how complicated it is to offer one-size-fits-all advice to a diverse group of people with different medical needs. You have to be extremely careful, she says.
Additionally, if someone is credentialed by a specific studio or discipline, Pilkington and Ambler-Wright say it only makes sense to follow advice related to those specific exercises. Ambler-Wright explains that he wouldnt offer advice on yoga moves, since hes not qualified to teach yoga, but he does think professionals should know where to send their clients looking for additional help. As a professional, I would want to be well-versed in what else is out there, just to be aware and guide individuals who are asking me for advice in the appropriate directions, he says.
Pilkington suggests you should also be wary of personal trainers who claim to be able to diagnose your injuries or give advice on what to do about a certain types of pain if they arent a trained physical therapist or chiropractor.
Another way to vet information shared by influencers is to look for accompanying citations and sources pointing to research or other forms of expertise from which the information was gathered. And if you want to go the extra mile, you can check those sources, too: Is it just another expert without expertise, or is it a scientific study published in a peer-reviewed journal? And if its the latter, what was the study size? Digging into the nitty-gritty is time-consuming, but it can be helpful.
Its one thing to offer exercises and another to offer a training program, says Ambler-Wright, who says that its important to differentiate between the two. I dont think its bad to look to social media for exercise ideas because variability, creativityall of thats important in keeping somebody engaged and getting them to adhere to a program, he says. But exercises dont equal training. A training program needs to take the individual into consideration, and a person on social media doesnt necessarily know their followers capabilities or limitations. In other words, just because youre copying a fitfluencers exercise routine doesnt mean youre being trained, and its unlikely youll see the results you would if you were properly training.
On that note, Ambler-Wright advises caution whenever you encounter too-good-to-be-true claims about an exercise or a programs benefits. If somethings being described as a magic bullet or the best of anything, Id be leery of that, he says.
Just as selfies are filtered, so too is fitness content posted on social media. The impressions they want you to have are not necessarily reality, says Ambler-Wright. They might make batch content where they do days of filming exercises and sequence them in a way that gives the impression that theyre doing it all at one time, in a way that is totally unrealistic for the average person.
Someone who is trained and responsible, says Ambler-Wright, should be cognizant of form and technique. If youre following along with a workout and the fitfluencer isnt narrating proper technique for the moves theyre demonstrating, thats concerning. You want to hear the expert explaining what theyre doing and how to do it safely to minimize stress on the body, he says.
To that end, its important to keep your own conditions, injuries, or limitations in mind when trying to emulate your favorite fitness influencers. Youll want to be aware of who the exercises are designed for and whether or not theyre safe for you to attempt. For example, Pilkington notes that it might be unsafe for someone who is pregnant to do exercises that arent specifically designed for pregnancy.
You may also not quite be up to the level of the fitfluencer youre following, and taking on moves or sequences that are too advanced could lead to bodily stress or injury. If something looks unsafe or risky, then you know its probably not a good idea to try it if youve never done anything like that before, says Ambler-Wright.
Last but certainly not least, it might be best to follow the advice of fitness influencers who make it a point to share the setbacks, challenges, and imperfections of their journeysnot just the good news. Look for them to be authentic and share the reality of what it takes to to get in good shape, and to improve your health and fitness, says Ambler-Wright. Anyone that doesnt talk about the effort it takes to improve ones fitness that would be a red flag in my mind.
Read the original post:
How To Tell If Fitness Influencers Actually Know What Theyre Talking About - Well+Good
