As a personal trainer and someone into fitness and living a
healthy lifestyle I often get approached by people wanting me to try their
weight loss products and other supplements. They claim their products has
helped them meet their goals and others and they believe it will help me
achieve my goals and of course my clients goals. Me being the person I am which
is skeptical, start asking 20 questions and that is when I find out that this
person often doesn't know a thing about the product itself or what is in it.
Kind of scary huh, knowing that companies will have just about anyone selling
their products promising great out comes with little knowledge of what is
actually in it.
I am one who doesn't
like to use supplements to achieve my goals anyways. That doesn't mean I don't use supplements. I
take a daily multi vitamin and BCAA's during my work out and on occasion I have
a protein powder paired with a piece of fruit for a quick meal on the go. I try
my hardest to stay away from highly processed foods as much as possible and
rely on what nature gave us. My reason for this has a lot to do with my
Epilepsy and the medication I take. Certain combination of foods and
ingredients in supplements can interfere with my medication and can cause me to
have a seizure if I am not careful. I do encourage my clients to eat healthy
whole foods as well and NOT to rely on supplements and "quick fixes"
when it comes living a healthy lifestyle especially when it comes to losing
weight.
As many of you know
there are so many products out there that promise you fast results whether it
be to lose weight, build muscle or even to detox. But how does one know if
these products are true to their word? In this day and age you find information
is rampant on the internet and is continually being revised and created and
this is no exception when it comes to diet and exercise products. Internet
information comes in many forms such as facts, statistics, stories and
opinions. This information is created for many purposes such as to entertain,
inform, to persuade, to sell, or to influence an individual and varies in
quality from good to bad. Many claims you will find are misleading and are
supposedly backed by scientific sounding statements making it difficult for
even informed consumers to separate fact from fiction.
But with all these
products that promise fast and permanent results and the vase information that
is on the internet how can you tell if a product is true to what they say or
just another product out to get your money? The general rule of thumb is: If it sounds too good to be true, it
probably is. The following are "red flags" that may help you spot a
"quack".
- The promoter claims that the medical establishment is against him or her and that the government won't accept this new "alternative" treatment. If the government or medical community doesn't accept a treatment, it's because the treatment hasn't been proven to work. Reputable professionals don't suppress knowledge about fighting disease On the contrary, they welcome new remedies for illness, provided the treatments have been carefully tested.
- The promoter uses testimonials and anecdotes from satisfied customers to support claims. Valid nutrition information come from careful experimental research, not from random tales. A few people's reports that the product in question "works every time" are never acceptable as sound scientific evidence.
- The promoter uses a computer- scored questionnaire for diagnosing "nutrient deficiencies." Those computers are programmed to suggest that just about everyone has a deficiency that can reversed with supplements the promoter just happens to be selling, regardless of the consumers symptoms or health.
- The promoter claims that the product will make weight lose easy. Unfortunately, there is no simple way to lose weight. Again, if a claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- The promoter promises the product is made with a "secret formula" available only from this one company Legitimate healthy professional share their knowledge of proven treatment so that other can benefit from it.
- The treatment is available only through the back pages of magazines, over the phone, or by mail-order ads in the form of news stories or 30 minute commercials commonly known as infomercials in talk show format. Results of studies on credible treatments are reported first in medical journals and then administered by a doctor or other healthy professional. If information about a treatment appears only elsewhere, it probably cannot withstand scientific scrutiny.
If you need any guidance on diet or exercise you can contact me at alisha@fancifit.com and I will be glad to help you.
