We can learn new information without it replacing what we previously learned/currently know.

The health and fitness industry is abundant with opportunities to regularly entirely switch beliefs and actions. This is a fundamental reason why so many people have tried a high fat, then low fat, then high carb, then low carb, then training like a bodybuilder, then like a running back, then like a yogi, one after another after another ad nauseam. It appears that we all too often get become drawn in by tribal belief systems that on one hand create inclusion within that group and as a result, isolation from others.

I am fine with people finding their people (like-minded thinkers and doers who aid their growth and happiness through support and encouragement). And yet, when we become so heavily entrenched in our own silos, we can quickly lose perspective and the ability to think critically about all the information available to us and can easily throw the baby out with the bathwater.

In training, nutrition, and health in general we’ve got plenty of options, and utilization of one option doesn’t negate the usefulness/effectiveness of another. What may be a good option for you may be a terrible option for someone else.

I share this with you because I have been here too. It was easy to put butter in my coffee and tell myself it was for my health (butter is delicious after all). It was comforting to tell myself that all trainees needed to do all movement patterns to get results regardless of preference and preparedness. And most critically of all, it was easy to tell myself that the only way to be successful was to grind, be selfless, and to suffer to be valuable to others because that’s what the few but convincing books I had read told me.

Now, a question I aim to ask myself every time I am in a conversation with someone, in a group learning environment, reading a book, or taking on any information at all really, is when something I don’t understand or currently appreciate comes up is to ask “what are some other possibilities?”

This filter question allows me not to pass judgment, confirm or deny, or form immediate opinions.

Instead, it allows me to hear the content without bias. It could very well be information that can contribute to a greater understanding and application of what I already think, feel, and do. But it won’t if I reject it or believe it 100%.

When we read things like “you should do this 1 thing for X”, or “the only way to get X is to”, and “you need to do X to be Y”, it behooves us to take that information at face value, and then if it seems worthy of greater exploration and understanding, research it.

There are certain inalienable principles that apply to us all. Outside of this, it can easily boil down to preferences and suitability.

If this got you thinking about your own beliefs about fitness, nutrition, and health in general, and you’d like some help sorting the most effective and efficient methods to help you get you to your goals, then that’s where I can help. As a coach in both training and nutrition, I take an empathetic and pragmatic approach to sorting, designing, and executing the highest impact actions with you.

For the month of January, I am offering a free 30-minute consultation to anyone who would like help with their training and/or nutrition. Click here to book your free call.

Thanks!