Hello Warriors! Do you often wonder if the program your friend is on is beneficial? Or maybe if the supplement you keep seeing advertised is worth your money? Most clients and students I’ve worked with over the years ask about these things at least once or twice. It seems, especially with the rise of social media, that we are seeing more and more of this. And I want to share with you my vetting process.
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a Master’s in Exercise Physiology. I’ve also worked in various different capacities in the exercise and wellness arena for two decades. I am a science girlie. Meaning that before I recommend anything, I want to know if the research backs it up.
Now, to that end, there is a lot of science out there and not all of it will apply. For instance, if you are interested in a pre-workout supplement for muscle building, you can ignore the volumes printed about weight loss. Unfortunately, that also makes it difficult to find the proverbial needle in the haystack.
Luckily for you, Warrior, you are reading this post and given my background, I can help. I’m sure you are asking yourself why I would teach you this. Because understanding the steps I’m about to share are key in being able to make informed decisions. Beyond outright lies, a lot of what is out there tries to hide the facts to get at your wallet. So, bookmark this post or take some notes and let’s dive in.
Consider the Source
We are bombarded with exercise and nutrition information from so many places. Your first step is to evaluate the source sharing the information. If it’s coming from an individual you have a personal relationship with, then it is likely that they aren’t purposefully trying to hide anything. It may be that this person is on their own journey and is just following the crowd. There is nothing wrong with them sharing what is working for them. Just start from a place that recognizes you are a different person, with different needs and pain points.
If the source is the internet at large, proceed with more caution. A lot more. Ads, especially on social media, can look a lot like research. Especially with their fancy numbers in red and before and after pictures. Even scarier are the influencers. Now, to be fair, there are some that are just recommending products because they themselves like them. But they aren’t sharing their own vetting process. So, grain of salt territory there. Of course, there are the influencers who are trying to sell you something, in which case, red flags abound!
Google It
So, your product or program has made it past the first hurdle. I want you to Google it. Yes, you read that correctly. If you are looking at a product or supplement, you should find multiple pages. You are looking for the product manufacturer’s page and a third party source that will have reviews.
On the manufacturer’s site you want to find several things. First, where is the product actually manufactured. If it is a supplement of some kind, are the ingredients verified through a third party check? Ideally you are looking for a USP or NSF seal. These are agencies that conduct testing on nutritional supplements to ensure safety and efficacy. You also want to look for how to use the product. I know it seems silly, but there are plenty of supplements out there that only induce the desired effects if you follow strict (and crazy) instructions. Obviously, if it’s something you aren’t willing or able to do, then you’re done. Also check for any warnings. Working in fitness centers, we receive samples all the time and the warning labels on some of these are absolutely terrifying.
On your third party source, you are looking for reviews. And I don’t want you to read just the first five or ten. Sort these by lowest rating. You’ve had this product recommended to you already, meaning that somebody likes it enough to pass it on. Now you want to find out who disliked it and why. Sometimes things just don’t work for individuals and that’s okay. Sus out the sus, though. If users are noting heart palpitations, sleep or mood disturbances, or other unwanted side effects, those, again are huge red flags. Run.
If you are looking at a program, it will depend on exactly what it is. For something general, like using Tabata intervals for your workouts, you’ll want several sites that describe how to use this method, and you can probably guess that I’m going to tell you to find reputable ones. Info from Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinc, Johns Hopkins, ACSM, or NSCA is amazing. If you can’t find those sources, I find Healthline and VeryWellFit to be decent. Again, you are looking for big red flags. Huge time commitments, extremely intense workouts, exercises that aren’t shown with options, or the need to buy something in addition all count.
If the program is fairly specific, you’ll want to follow a similar approach as with a product. Go to the creator’s website and vet them. They should have a degree and/or certification specific to exercise, fitness, or nutrition. They should have a fairly detailed outline of the program and what is expected of you to reap the promised rewards. You should also be able to contact them easily with questions and they should respond. Creators are going to cherry pick reviews but take note of the reviewers. How similar are they to you? The more similar, the more likely the program will work for you.
Peer Reviewed Academic Research
Anybody can compare two products on themselves and call it research. But the findings are only applicable to that individual. Peer reviewed academic research is what you want. And here is where things can get very tricky. If you aren’t used to finding this info, or reading it, it can be overwhelming.
PubMed is a free searchable database of academic research housed by the National Library of Medicine. Google also has a free searchable database that focuses on academic research. Google Scholar might yield results in a more familiar format, but it is also Google and will show multiples and things that aren’t necessarily relevant, so I’d start with PubMed and then go to Google Scholar if you are struggling.
You largely won’t be able to search for the exact product or supplement. You’ll need to generalize. Tabata workout yields 2 results on PubMed. Google Scholar yields over 3000, but many of them are articles and not actual research. How do you tell the difference? Academic research will be listed via the journal the study was published in, appear with an abstract (summary), and contain a lot of numbers, graphs, and charts. Other articles will appear as they are or link to something to buy.
For supplements, this gets problematic because most of them nowadays are comprised at least in part of proprietary blends. That’s a fancy manufacturer’s way of saying, “we don’t want to tell you exactly what or how much.” This has an additional challenge because varying amounts and types of ingredients can affect other ingredients and how they are available and used by the body. Truthfully, I proceed with caution with proprietary blends (unless you find that USP or NSF seal already discussed).
Narrow down the research based on your goals. Then, reading the abstracts will give you the info you need. Who were the subjects? The more diverse and large the subject pool, the more likely the results will generalize. Did the researchers do some crazy convoluted intervention or was it pretty simple? As with most things, simple is better. And lastly, what were their big conclusions? Even through the academic bravado and effusive delivery you should be able to understand the findings. If the researchers can’t articulate that, their study won’t get published.
If you have made it through to this point without any huge red flags, congrats. First, on going through the whole process. It’s a lot, even for someone like myself who knows what to do and what I’m looking at. Second, for finding a product or program that may be worth your time and money.
This process takes time and patience. If you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments!
