Is Your Health "Expert" or Fitness "Guru" a Fraud?

I'm getting tired of all these health and fitness "authorities" who don't look very fit, or even healthy themselves. I'm tired of TV documentaries interviewing "Health Expert Dr.so-and-so," who always turns out to be some pasty, disheveled academic and who looks like the last person on earth I'd want to model myself on. And I've had enough of seeing fitness "gurus" and dieticians and the like lecturing people about "healthy lifestyles" when they clearly don't look the part themselves.

Now, call me fussy, call me old-fashioned, but I can't see how anyone without an impressive body - or at the very least who doesn't look at all healthy - can dare offer advice to others. And yet for some reason these people are held up as experts, and society swallows all their so-called wisdom. Sorry, but I have no time for this "Do as I say, not as I do" nonsense.

[Mind you, this happens in other places too, not just the health and fitness world. It always makes me laugh to see people flocking to "How to Make Money in Real Estate" and "Secrets of the Stock Market" seminars instead of asking the self-made millionaire who's actually done it for real. No-one has ever been able to explain to my satisfaction why the "gurus" doing the teaching aren't actually out there themselves like, you know, actually getting rich in property and shares instead of teaching seminars. If you believe it's because they've already made all their money and now genuinely want to "give something back," please give me a call - I have 50 million dollars stuck in a bank in Nigeria and I'll share it with you if you help me get it out.]

But anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, my recommendation is always to judge someone based upon what results they have achieved themselves. Not opinions; not theories; not explanations - just results. It doesn't matter if it's a personal trainer, a sports scientist, a nutritionist - whatever. I don't care how many books the person's written or how many times they've appeared on Oprah - none of that is important. Always try to see beyond the hype and ask yourself if this "guru" has ever actually done what they are claiming to teach others to do.

Often someone will ask me for some advice on how I got into the shape I'm in, but then immediately interrupt my reply with, "But all the books say that you should..." I've learned long ago not to waste my time with the "all-the-books-say" crowd. As soon as I hear those words coming out of someone's mouth, that's pretty much the end of any discussion.

I do wish, however, that people took the trouble to check out what shape the authors of "all the books" are in; they might find it amusing. For example, there always seem to be several popular diet books on the market, written by people with all sorts of fancy titles and degrees. But what do these authors look like in real life? Just type the person's name into Google and search under images. Do they have outstanding bodies? Do they look a lot younger than most people their age? If not, then what does that tell you?

Now don't get me wrong. There are lots of good programs out there and plenty of excellent trainers you can hook up with. And there are many good books too. My way isn't the only way, and that's perfectly okay. What isn't okay, however, is for you to waste your time, energy and money with someone who talks a good talk, but has never walked the walk.