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I will make a prediction:
2023 WILL NOT be slowing down the noise out there regarding our health and "how we should get healthy".
Most likely, as the past 5-7 years have (or longer) , it's only going to get louder!!
There's so much access to GREAT information out there today in the palm of our hands.
There is also a wonderful, wide variety of total BS out there today in the palm of our hands, that add to the confusion and will hold you back.
I've discussed previously that I was also caught up in the "take it all in" mindset for a few years in my career. This is where you read EVERYTHING, listen to EVERYTHING, try ALL KINDS OF methods, programs etc but never actually consistently or long enough to make actual change. The "take it all in" mindset also gives us the impression that there's always something "better" we "should" or "could" be doing for ourselves, makes us feel like we're "failing" or "inadequate in our methods" despite you feeling happy and good with what you're doing!
Culling the information, limiting your choices and sticking with the advice you trust and believe in should be all you need (in addition to yourself). That said, here's my guide to weeding out the BS in 2023:
1) Choose a few professionals you TRUST and stick to them. The rest is just noise.
When I started doing this it opened a lot of doors in regards to learning and doing things for my health, my clients health and in my career.
*Side Tip - If you're paying someone for guidance and advice, you may want to include them in your trusted info. Every doctor, physio, trainer, therapist, chiro etc will agree...
Otherwise, why did you hire them?*
2) Stay away from celebrity / influencer / athlete health advice. There is nothing worse to me than an athlete or celebrity who blurts out their political standpoints/beliefs or health advice. That's NOT their job. That's NOT what they're paid to do. It's WRONG to do it while in that spotlight in my opinion. Choose to get your health advice from HEALTH professionals.
You wouldn't ask a plumber to paint a canvas of a beautiful landscape painting for your wall would you???
You wouldn't ask a carpenter to fix your computer issue would you??
You wouldn't ask a doctor to put out a fire in your home would you???
I'm sure you get it. I had to say it.
3) Social media is NOT a good place to get health advice. Is there good information on social media? Sure there is. Usually directly from professionals. But sifting through ALL the bad is not easy or recommended. If you need to use social media for your health advice, re-read point #1. Then, those professionals you choose to follow in their related fields, follow THEM on social media.
4) Make a goal for yourself to TRY something before moving on to something else. This is a real challenge in our modern world, with info everywhere. It's also what will either allow you to progress and learn what works for you, or stay on the "take it all in" treadmill mindset. Let's say you read a piece of advice about sleep. If you've hired a health professional, maybe chat with him / her about what you read as well before making changes or assumptions. If you don't have hired help, why not call someone to set up a time to chat and get some real, in-person advice? Then, if you want, TRY IT ... FOR A WHILE(a month, 6-weeks, a few months). Don't talk about it. Don't keep telling yourself or others you may do it. TRY IT. This will help you either keep this new piece of advice / habit in your daily routines OR it will allow you to say "not for me" and move on.
5) Don't trust the media. Especially in the modern world, the media should NOT be trusted, especially with health information. Media works on 'click bait', which turns into money from them from advertisers etc... They also very easily skew research papers and other science by not providing all the details, or by taking very poor information and blowing it up to be something it's not. Once again, I'll refer you to the PROFESSIONALS. Doctors or other medical professionals, physios, nutritionists etc... who's job it is to study and dissect the information to better educate their patients/clients with informed decisions.
6) A big part of learning is DOING and EXPERIENCING. It's very easy to bombard ourselves with the latest and greatest information. But ultimately, the things that work best are most often the most simplistic and foundational things. However, even those don't work without actually DOING THEM. Aim to spend MORE TIME DOING and less time SEARCHING.
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Simple advice, but not easy right? Make 2023 a year to not get pulled in multiple directions with health advice.
- Find a few trustworthy sources/professionals
-Keep a journal / log to learn what works and what doesn't for you, to see consistencies, strengths and areas of improvement in your health practices
-Communicate with a professional. Book a chat with a Fitness & Health Coach to ask the burning questions you've had for a while, talk with your doctor about something that's been bothering you (rather than "Dr Google"), book a few physio appointments to get an understanding and treatment plan in place to help those nagging pains/discomforts...
-Stick to one thing you want to change AND go for it! DO NOT try to change or learn about multiple things at once. Take action.
Most importantly, be real with yourself. If you don't have the desire to put the time and energy into change and learning how to improve yourself, don't stress yourself out more by reading a bunch of information you're not going to use right now. Trust me, that info/other BS info or new stuff will be readily available to you once you ARE ready.
Make 2023 about YOU, when YOU want and what YOU want, rather than what all the BS is trying to force on you!!
