7 Striking Reasons Most Fitness Advice is Painfully Bad

#1. Anyone can give it, including me

We’re so used to off-the-wall fitness headlines I’m not sure we pay much attention to them anymore. “10 Easy Ways to Slim Down and Never Diet Again.” “Lose the Gut with these 5 Recipes.” “How I Quit Sugar and Never Looked Back.”

These are made-up examples, but I imagine I could find plenty more if I spent a few minutes scrolling my newsfeed. They imply optimal health can be hacked with a set of principles or simple rules to follow. The problem is these headlines rarely deliver on their promises.

Bad fitness advice is everywhere (for purposes of this article, fitness refers to nutrition and exercise). Here are seven cringe-worthy reasons why.

We all know someone who lost a significant amount of weight and wants to shout how they did so from the rooftops. It could be your sister’s boyfriend’s cousin or your next-door neighbor.

In my case, my social circle referred to a friend’s husband as Keto Jesus (he knew about his nickname) after he lost close to 100 pounds. You couldn’t have a conversation with him without hearing a 30-minute sermon on the evils of carbs. I get it. It’s noble to want to spread the diet gospel if you’ve found your holy grail.

This “anyone can give it” reason also includes me. I’m not a doctor, registered dietician, or nutritionist. I’m a fitness coach with a lot of practical experience who devours science like a Ph.D. candidate. That doesn’t mean I will ever take the place of an actual healthcare practitioner.

I do the best I can, but I don’t always get it right. I’ve also shared what I do so that others can see my approach to fitness. I realize it’s not a prescription that will work for everyone.

Good advice comes with a grain of salt. Some people find low-carb diets easy because they enjoy high-fat foods. Others find low-carb diets miserable and struggle to stick with them. The carnivore diet cured your mother-in-law's rheumatism? That’s awesome. But just because something works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for another.

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