When you think about it, the internet is an awesome place. But it’s also kind of scary.

We essentially have access to limitless information - pretty much everything humanity has ever conjured, theorized, tested, or faked.

And that’s where the scary part comes in. We don’t understand most of it, so how do we know if something is inaccurate. When you are exposed new information, think about how you might verify what you’ve read.

As a vast trove of information, the internet has created 2 extreme degrees of information acquirement: (1) Questioning and (2) Acceptance:

1.     Science is being questioned at an unprecedented rate. And that’s great because science should always be criticized in order to keep it true. But - and it’s a big ol’ booty - when individuals don’t understand the process of critically analyzing and questioning science, then how should they go about verifying information?

2.     On the other end, we have individuals accepting the claims of everything. There’s a reason why we’ve all heard the idiom “take it with a grain of salt” – You can’t just accept everything you’re told. Acceptance needs to be calculated, to an extent. If you believed everything, you’d be a vegan-paleo-keto dieter, fasting 2 days a week, eating between 8 and 4 on food days, while barbell squatting on a stability ball. Not only is that not going to get you closer to your goals, it’s dangerous.

So how do we balance our questioning and acceptance? How do we keep a critical, yet, open mind? What can create order from the chaos, particularly in the health, wellness, and performance field where false claims and erroneous training strategies are so prevalent?

First – Find Reliable and Trusted Professionals

And I hope that’s one reason why you’re reading this blog. When you find professionals with the appropriate background and accreditation, you can probably trust their opinion and claims. You can let them do the job of analyzing research and making sense of trending topics – seeing as it’s literally what we paid our educators to teach us. 

That’s essentially why we, performance coaches and dietitians, exist. We went to school, interned, and studied for exams so you wouldn’t have to carry that burden. Instead, it’s up to you to know your professional and to choose your sources wisely.

For instance, did you know Nutritionists are not the same as Registered Dietitians (RDs)? To be called a Nutritionist requires no degree, education, or accreditation, unlike an RD that requires a bachelor degree (soon a Master’s degree), an internship, and a national exam. So, when you’re wondering who to accept nutrition recommendations from, you should consider an RD as a more trusted over a nutritionist, or even a personal trainer.

So, before you open yourself up to a suggestion you see on Instagram maybe verify that the professional is a reliable source. Stay a little critical before you accept their advice. 

Second – Personal Investigation

When you are personally investigating a topic, know your sources. Like before, you want your professionals to actually be professionals in their field, not just someone writing a blog. Look for reliable sources. It’s a plural for a reason because a trusted claim isn’t trusted if only one person is advocating it.

Next time you are looking into a new exercise or reading up about a new supplement, make sure you use reliable and credible sources - visit education platforms developed by universities, read through websites of research facilities, hospitals, or private practices, or review a professional blog. That way you can trust that the information is accurate.

Third – Be Critically Honest

This is a weird one, but I think we need more of it online and in our own lives. We NEED manufacturers to be more honest about their product ingredients. We NEED supplements to be honest about their claims. But that’s not our reality right now. So, we need to be critical about what we accept.

But you also have to be honest about the relevance to you. This means looking into your needs and desires. Consider not just whether a supplement can benefit your performance, but how that degree of benefit pertains to how you progress to your goal. For instance, most supplements can offer some benefit – but do you need that benefit? Does that benefit outweigh the financial burden supplements can cost?

Be critical with your decisions. Hearing that intermittent fasting can help with body composition doesn’t mean you should simply start IF. Consider the limitations of IF and what they impose on your life. Then decide if those limitations are worth the benefits IF offer. Maybe other strategies could get you there, but not offer the same limitations. By being honest with ourselves, we can critically size up a strategy to determine if it’s appropriate for us.

Remember though, being critical doesn’t mean to being cynical. Don’t disregard strategies unless you were unimpressed with the explanation. And even then, use your resources to question the claim. Why do we do this? Well, first, to stay safe. To prevent any injury associated with dangerous strategies. Second, to keep the fitness field honest. To silence the disinformation in favor of evidence-based approaches. And finally, third, to make the best decisions for yourself. To know that the choice you make will be the best option for you.

As a professional, I’ll help you keep a critical mind. Use Preston Performance as a reliable source of information you can be open to, just be critical about how it relates to you. Start making the right decisions that consistently progresses you to your Prime Athlete.

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