Confused About the Latest Fitness Info?

Written by the English Teacher

If you are like me, you get a little extremely confused about the articles online or in fitness magazines-- you know the ones like this:

 

In and of themselves, the articles aren't so bad. It's that, if you read fitness articles frequently, you'll notice that today's breaking fitness news often contradicts last month's latest research news. And that can leave a person:

• eating low/no carbs one month and practically nothing but carbs the next month. 
• stretching before exercise one month and not stretching the next.
• lifting heavy weights for low reps one month and light weights, high reps the next.

So, what does a person do? Educate yourself about educating yourself. (Segue into English class.) When looking to see if research is reliable, check:

1. The size of the study. A study done on a handful of people does not yield reliable results.
2. For bias. An article posted on a website for runners could be biased towards running. 
3. For credentials. Does the author who wrote the article really know what they are talking about, or are they just a blogger with an opinion (like me!)?
4. For references. There should be a list of sources used that clearly show where the information discussed comes from.
5. And double check. If the information contrasts with something you already know or have read, dig deeper. Google the topic; look for journals and publications by universities.

Check here for more official instructions on research.