Information is Not Knowledge

Greetings Fitters,
 Albert Einstein is the brain behind the quote for the title of my blog tonight. While I don't claim to be as intelligent as the man, I believe I can wrap my head around what he is getting at here. Information is a gateway into great knowledge. Facts are the atoms by which molecules of knowledge are structured, meaning it takes a great deal of information to generate a sound knowledge of a topic. Take for instance animal husbandry (my wife is a zookeeper, go with me here). I know the mechanism by which two eagles mate. Does that mean I therefore have the knowledge on the breeding season in which they most likely WILL mate? Or what environmental factors make for the best nesting grounds? Or what the two eagles will even look for in each other? So many details go into the science of this, that knowing two, three, even a dozen facts will not give me the knowledge to be an expert on the subject.

The same can be said about all types of professions, but none rings more true for me (for obvious reasons) than the topic of nutrition and exercise. I've have seen on a regular basis (and even had to intervene with my own knowledge) the outcome of an individual basing the "knowledge" they impart to a friend or acquaintance on the "information" they have gleaned from working out themselves. Exercising alone does not make you an expert in the field of exercise, for every single person is an individual, and unless your knowledge is based in a scientific base of exercise, what works for one will not always work for another.

 I am not insinuating that no one help one another in the Club or gym. I enjoy it when information is exchanged between fellow exercisers. It is fun to share anecdotal information on what has or hasn't worked for you, in an endeavor to spark new gains in each other's fitness. What I am saying for certain is to always take information for what it is, one individual's OPINION of how to perform an exercise or follow a nutrition plan.

Your best course of action? Think of the person's credentials. Does the person have an education in the field they are talking about? And even if they do, what resources are they using to back up their opinions? I drive a car every day, are you going to bring your car to me when it starts making a questionable noise? (The smart answer here is no, I am worthless when it comes to the mechanics of a car). So why simply put your health and well-being in someone who works out every day?

There are people that make it their profession to better your health and wellness. Use them.

 I always implore my clients to ask me why (as you know, I'm a Why Guy). Why are we doing this exercise? Why do we do it this quickly/slowly? Why is this exercise coming right after that last one? Why do we position our feet this way for this movement, but not that one? If I can't answer your question about my methodology, then I'm not doing my job. And when a person gives you information about the topic, look it up anyways! In the end, the person giving you this information isn't going to feel the pain of a slipped disk or strained bicep when it turns out the form they showed you is wrong, so be responsible for your own fitness and well-being. Be kind, soak in the information, and then find out if it is going to work for you with proven, scientific sources. Don't let the follies of another influence you health and wellness. Make sure you take your health into your own hands, and make sure you

Stay Fit.