Does health and fitness information overload stop progress?

Since I started blogging I have made more effort to read the blogs of others.

However within the last couple of weeks I started feeling apprehensive about the whole process.  Because this blog is about my obsession with perfection much of my time is spent looking at the fitness blogs.

What blows my mind is the amount of contradictory crap that is out there.

One blog recommends doing this…

Another blog recommends doing something else…

This blog says you shouldn’t do that because it causes back problems…

Another blog says something else…

From a beginners perspective, reading the Internet for training advice to get you started is a minefield.  Before even beginning you would be confused and intimidated.  Looking at online advice from other’s can be contradictory due to the simple fact that everyone has different training goals.

I do question whether I should be doing posts where I give my own fitness and nutrition advice.  I try to make clear that I am just a man who is really into his health and fitness.  The Manifesto of Perfection is just a blog where I share my passion, opinion and keep me somewhat accountable to my aims.

When reading my blog I offer some advice on health and fitness, which personally I think is quite good and works for me.  But remember:

I’m not a qualified nutritionist, therefore you can take my nutrition system with a pinch of salt (hopefully no more than 1500mg depending which blog you read).

And I’m not a personal trainer, so my ideas on improving pull-up power may be a load of crap and I’m sure with research there is a better way of improving pull-up power, but that is what works best for me.

Because there is always the slim possibility that someone stumbles on this and thinks I have the slightest bit of authority, may incorporate my advice and find themselves disappointed (okay perhaps not, but indulge me a second).

With all the other fitness and nutrition blogs on the internet I feel I am overloaded with information and question what my angle is on this jungle of putrid nonsense and what I actually add.

Am I just contributing to the white noise? – the hall of fitness blog turds selling workouts over 20 pages to increase ad view revenue or promoting the shite 37p ebook.  I try and write in a self-deprecating manner, but really am no better than six-pack shortcuts or the wolverine workout.

I guess the difference between other sites and me is they make out they have some amazing system, which will make you big, or give you a six pack and make you awesome at sex and I don’t.

On the other hand by negging on what I do am I just always falling into the same self-depreciating trap I always have done.  That is seeing people do things much better and stopping because I will never be as good as them.

Should I be contributing to the information overload I keep seeing?  I will probably continue giving advice from time-to-time and just not apologise if an individual does not look at my credentials.

Here is what I suggest to the beginner at its most basic and condescending:

• Stop delaying by reading blogs and watching motivational youtube videos and get down the gym.
• Get advice from a personal trainer or a gym instructor and train.
• Do classes to get ideas on different ways of working out
• Review in six weeks to see whether things are working, seek advice as and when needed.
• Ignore fitness magazines and the fancy fitness routines, they need to keep dreaming up new stuff to ensure readers keep coming back.
• Look at your diet and use common sense to start with (cut portions, substitute items)
• Learn how to cook
• Read books on nutrition (avoid diet books until you get more understanding)
• Don’t get too bogged down in Internet fitness advice that you don’t have a consistent workout

In future look out for me contributing to the Internet health and fitness information overload – perhaps a bit less apologetic about it next time.