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Spot a Scam

 

As “New Year New Me” rolls back around many people are beginning to put together their next step in their health and wellness plans.  With the internet at our fingertips there are literally millions of people all claiming that what they’re doing is what is best for you and your goals. Is that true? If I drink this or do that then I’ll look and feel amazing?  The sad truth is-probably not. If you’ve ever heard me talk about the fitness industry before you know the bane of my existence is the lack of regulation.  It’s a lawless wasteland full of people with bodies telling everyone what to do.  People often send me "Hey, what do you think about this..." messages. Aside from literally saying "hey I value your opinion as a fitness expert but I'm not going to use you" most of them are flashy scams. Influencers, coaches, trainers, social media, advertisements, guarantees, challenges- how do we even begin to sort through all of these to find out where we should start or what is a scam. Well, here’s your holiday guide: 6 ways to spot scams.

 

1-It tells you everything you want to hear.  Just like if you were going on a first date, if your fitness plan tells you everything you want to hear right off the bat then that is red flag city. They’re trying too hard to win you over with promises of no cardio, eat whatever you want to, get sexy in a matter of weeks rather than months… none of it is true.  Conversely, if it tries to tell you everything you’ve been doing wrong right away without even getting to know you then it’s a scam.

 

2- It has an end date. 6 weeks to sexy, 3-month challenge, 90-day program- these are all scams.  Yeah, they might work…but then what?  You can’t just keep doing what you’re doing forever. You can’t just get to your goal and stop.  These types of programs do nothing to teach you why you’re doing what you’re doing, how to progress what you’re doing, or how to maintain once you’ve achieved your goals.  They don’t teach you exercise principles, how to structure things, or even a sustainable fitness program.  You’ll either have to keep buying their tapes or be lost out in the cold with no help. 

 

3- It suggests supplements.  Say it out loud and with me now: THE GENERAL POPULATION DOES NOT NEED SUPPLEMENTS. One- to legally recommend supplements takes an advanced degree.  No one without that knowledge should be telling you exactly what you should be taking in as it is not safe.  2- Speaking of safety- supplements are not FDA approved or regulated.  Most of them aren’t even science backed.  3- they’re expensive and do little to nothing. Your protein powder is just extra calories.  Your pre-workout is nothing more than caffeine and vitamin b complexes.  And you’re skinny tea is just a laxative.  Have fun shitting yourself. Elite level athletes might benefit from supplements.  The general population will not.

 

4- It is one-size-fits-all.  Ever had a OSFA shirt?  Did it fit?  If every one of your friends tried on that shirt would it fit them also?  Likely not. Same goes for fitness. It should be specific to each individual with goals and science backed requirements in mind. The same program is not going to be good for losing weight and building muscle at the same time.  The same program is not going to meet my goals of running a marathon and your goals of killer glutes.  Any program that says “whoever you are if you do this then…” is lying through their tooth. Even if it’s three sizes fits all they’re still wrong.  People are all shapes, sizes, goals, and histories and we must take this into consideration.

 

5- It wants you to just do this one thing. If your plan has one extreme facet to it but everything else seems normal- you guessed it…it’s GREAT! Just Kidding. It’s a scam. Just cut carbs out and blah blah blah.  You’re going to have to fast between the hours of blah and blah but other times eat whatever you want.  Look at this one really complicated ass exercise that I’m effortlessly doing and it’ll make you look like me! Today is EXTREME DAY in your workout week.  All crap.  Yes, you don’t need to be eating at all hours of the day and night.  Too many calories of any macro (protein, fats, carbs) will put weight on you but don’t blame any specific one. Yes, one day might be harder here or there to push through plateaus.  However, if one thing about your workout plan or nutrition plans seems really out there then it’s not going to work.

 

6- It screams LOOK AT ALL THESE HAPPY SMILING FACES ALL THE TIME.  It’s really, really, REALLY easy to make yourself seem great online.  Ever tried online dating?  Yeah… Reviews can be faked.  Results can be faked. I mean, who is checking them?  Are you going to call them up and ask if what it says there was how they really felt?  Well, there are many places online where people will also tell you exactly how they really feel. For the big fitness pros check their reviews from their personal site, then compare them to the Better Business Bureau, REDDIT, Yelp, any of these will give you a clue as the to actual pros and cons of these pros at being cons.

 

Use your head.  Be skeptical.  Shop around.  These are good general tools to use anyway.  The bottom line is you don’t know what will work personally for you until you try it, but you should only be trying things from qualified professionals and those who have studied the body and physiology, not just how to be great businesspeople. Remember we all need cardio, resistance training, and range of motion work not only for our goals but to be considered in the healthy population. Use your noggin- ask yourself “Does this sound like it’s actually going to work or does it sound fishy?” Look at whoever is telling you and ask yourself if they really look like that because of what they’re saying you need to do, or are they doing extra also? Be smart. Be Well.