information overload
Drink this, not that. Eat this, not that. Low carb. No carb. High fat. Low fat. Sugar is the devil. Why you should eat sugar. CrossFit will kill you. Kettlebells are the only way to go. HIIT is the new thing. Do it every single day and you will look amazing. Lose 10 pounds in a week. Do this to debloat. Before and after pictures are fun. Before picture: looking sad and pasty white. After picture: looking happy and beautifully tan. WTF???!!!
There is so much information out there. How do you know what to do. How do you know it’s legit. How? It can be so overwhelming, especially when someone is new to the fitness game. When there is so much information, shut down occurs. Who the hell cares occurs. Screw this crap occurs. You end up doing nothing and feeling completely frustrated.
There are so many things. So many products. So many workouts. So many programs. So much information. How do you choose? How are you even supposed to choose? How do you even start? Where do you even start?
Take a look at the fitness magazines. They usually come out monthly and if you start paying attention, the information is just recycled month after month, but said in a slightly different way. Some of the cover headlines are just as confusing—build your best booty, 18 minute fat blast, 12 workouts that burn 500 calories, get lean faster, sexy legs now, strong and lean, 6 supplements to build muscle, burn fat and fight aging. Blast fat with a barbell. Transform your body. That is just two different magazines. Information overload for sure.
The thing that is so interesting about this is that these things are never individualized. It’s all cookie cutter stuff. It’s all the same. The thing is through, every single person is different. Their bodies respond differently to different things. What works for one person might not work at all for another person.
What’s the solution? Wondering where to start?
Start small. Quiet the noise. Filter it out. Try a fitness class. Try ONE of the programs in the magazine or get a trainer. See if you like it. Consistency is key and so is liking what you are doing. If you absolutely hate running, why the hell are you out running? On the other hand, if you like kettlebells and you can get one hell of a cardio blast from kettlebells, do kettlebells. It may take some trial and error to find what you like, but that’s the beauty in it. Even though there is so much information out there, it can be kind of fun deciphering it and also learning new things.
The same goes for eating. You know that if you are eating fast food and donuts and candy every day, you are not going to look your best and more importantly, you are not going to feel your best. Don’t pretend you don’t know that stuff isn’t good for you. And for crying out loud, quit supersizing everything. Control your portion sizes. Control what you put in your mouth. If you are trying to eat better, a good thing to do is to add more vegetables for starters. Keep your rice or noodles or bread if you want, but try cutting your normal portion in halves or thirds. Eat your meat and eat some fat. That will get you going on the right track. Experiment with things and listen to your body to see how you feel after eating them.
Do your own trial run. What have you got to lose? Because life is trial and error. There is no clear-cut path. Do what works best for YOU.