How to Learn Fitness & Nutrition Information

Getting fit is essential for good health. Finding reliable fitness and nutrition advice can be a challenge. With so much information available at the click of a button, or mouse, it can be overwhelming to sort out fact from fiction. Know the criteria for evaluating fitness and nutrition information. Learn to be the judge of what constitutes helpful advice as you work to improve your health through better fitness and nutrition. Be an educated consumer, not one who falls for the latest health gimmick.

Instructions

• 1

  Check with your doctor before embarking on a new fitness program.

  Consult with your doctor. Your doctor has a record of your personal health history and can help you tailor changes to your particular needs.

• 2

  Read up-to-date wellness books by reliable authors.

  Read all about it. Even in this digital age of internet sources, books can provide reliable wellness information. For example, Dr. Dean Ornish outlines a comprehensive and successful plan for reducing the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure in his book "The Spectrum." With recipes and lifestyle recommendations, he lays the foundation for establishing health and wellness routines for a healthier life.

• 3

  Your pharmacist can help you decide whether a weight-loss supplement is right for you.

  Ask your pharmacist about information regarding over-the-counter weight-loss supplements. She can double-check to make sure they are not contraindicated with the medications and vitamins you currently take.

• 4

  Read labels carefully.

  Shop wisely. Check the first ingredients on food labels, as they are in the highest quantity. Beware of marketing tricks, such as listing something as a natural-grain product. That is not the same as whole grain. Become familiar with terms that are used interchangeably, such as all the names of sugar. Fructose, dextrose, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup are just some of the names that the sweet stuff is called. And the terms "low-fat" or "no-fat" or "reduced-fat" may mean in comparison to a fattier product but do not necessarily mean the product is good for you.

• 5

  Double-check your information with sources such as the National Institute of Health.

  Check your sources. Before reading an article or website about nutrition or fitness, scan the page to see whether the author is selling something. A salesperson may have a nodding acquaintance with nutrition but may not be a reliable authority on matters of health. Double-check the claims against more reliable sources. According to National Institute of Health doctors, it is important to know the difference between reliable weight-loss information and weight-loss myths.