When concepts are so outside of our current understanding we tend to disregard them even when the evidence is clear. Why then would we expect anything different when it comes to those things where the proof is not so clearly linked? When it comes to the human body there are many variables and when that human is living a life over a period of years it is simply impossible to even identify all of the variables, much less to track them to analyze how they might be playing a role. From a research perspective this leaves us with very isolated short-term studies which provide us information that we extrapolate to apply to real life - as well as to other lives - and much broader epidemiological studies where a large group of people are observed over a period of time with the intent of finding correlations.
But what happens when you bring new information or a new perspective to an individual about his or her specific body? I can tell you that from my experience there is often skepticism. I have had clients that respond to the information of the Initial Fitness Review with questions like "Why did none of the doctors at (fill in prestigious medical center) tell me this?" or "Why did my surgeon not mention this option?". These are not questions that I can answer nor even speculate on because at the root of these questions seems a belief that one individual could have all the answers and, frankly, this is just not possible. Certainly there are many providers that have an amazing ability to help, but all of that help relies on you determining what is in your best interest.
The way to determine what is in your best interest is to pay attention and gather information. Just like the tedious process of tracking your diet can yield surprising results - some of you might recall my goat cheese story - testing and tracking other variables of your health and fitness can do the same. However, much like the epidemiological studies, you must simply record data without bias and save the interpretation for a separate time. It is far too easy to record details with a bias and fail to gain any information that could be helpful. An easy example of this is how tracking your daily food intake can change the foods that you eat because you don't want to have to write them down. While this can be helpful if your goal is to change your diet, it is not at all helpful if your goal is determining if there is a food that your body is having a reaction that is unexpected.
If you are trying a new resistance training program for a goal of building larger muscles in your quadriceps you need some baseline for future comparison, but you also need to record the details of the exercises. All of the variables can play a role: sets, reps, weight/resistance, type of exercise, order of exercise, time of day, amount of rest between sets and between bouts of exercise and this doesn't even include the impact that the other Keys of the 5Keys of Fitness (cardio, nutrition, flexibility and rest) can have on the success of your goal. As you can see, this one simple goal can quickly lead to an overwhelming amount of information to pay attention to and, thankfully, most of us are not at a training level where we need to go this in depth. At the elite athlete level you try to narrow down the variables through things like eating the exact same amount of the exact same food every day - no longer is food an enjoyment, it is simply fuel.
Outside of the level where every detail must be paid attention to is the level that requires some discernment as to what is important. This is where professionals can be very helpful and where you as the body owner need to get involved. Ask questions. Ask specific questions that relate to you and things you know about your body. Question everything, but don't allow your skepticism to hinder your ability to find new things that could be very helpful to you.
As always, let me know how I can help.
Adam
But what happens when you bring new information or a new perspective to an individual about his or her specific body? I can tell you that from my experience there is often skepticism. I have had clients that respond to the information of the Initial Fitness Review with questions like "Why did none of the doctors at (fill in prestigious medical center) tell me this?" or "Why did my surgeon not mention this option?". These are not questions that I can answer nor even speculate on because at the root of these questions seems a belief that one individual could have all the answers and, frankly, this is just not possible. Certainly there are many providers that have an amazing ability to help, but all of that help relies on you determining what is in your best interest.
The way to determine what is in your best interest is to pay attention and gather information. Just like the tedious process of tracking your diet can yield surprising results - some of you might recall my goat cheese story - testing and tracking other variables of your health and fitness can do the same. However, much like the epidemiological studies, you must simply record data without bias and save the interpretation for a separate time. It is far too easy to record details with a bias and fail to gain any information that could be helpful. An easy example of this is how tracking your daily food intake can change the foods that you eat because you don't want to have to write them down. While this can be helpful if your goal is to change your diet, it is not at all helpful if your goal is determining if there is a food that your body is having a reaction that is unexpected.
If you are trying a new resistance training program for a goal of building larger muscles in your quadriceps you need some baseline for future comparison, but you also need to record the details of the exercises. All of the variables can play a role: sets, reps, weight/resistance, type of exercise, order of exercise, time of day, amount of rest between sets and between bouts of exercise and this doesn't even include the impact that the other Keys of the 5Keys of Fitness (cardio, nutrition, flexibility and rest) can have on the success of your goal. As you can see, this one simple goal can quickly lead to an overwhelming amount of information to pay attention to and, thankfully, most of us are not at a training level where we need to go this in depth. At the elite athlete level you try to narrow down the variables through things like eating the exact same amount of the exact same food every day - no longer is food an enjoyment, it is simply fuel.
Outside of the level where every detail must be paid attention to is the level that requires some discernment as to what is important. This is where professionals can be very helpful and where you as the body owner need to get involved. Ask questions. Ask specific questions that relate to you and things you know about your body. Question everything, but don't allow your skepticism to hinder your ability to find new things that could be very helpful to you.
As always, let me know how I can help.
Adam
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