Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts with the label Advice

How to find the right "expert"

  Getting and giving advice over the internet is risky. It's also incredibly easy.  The problem with receiving advice from a stranger is that this person is not responsible for what happens next. For example, what if the nutrition advice you receive negatively affects your health? What if the training advice you receive causes an injury?  There are a lot of self-proclaimed, unqualified "experts" out there. And even if a person sounds reputable, advice targeted to the masses doesn't mean that advice is right for you.  You can't receive safe, realistic, practical advice from an expert without giving that expert a detailed assessment of your health, fitness and your past history. More so, just because one expert experienced success in weight loss, diet, health, athletics or career, this doesn't mean that what worked for him/her will work for you. Also, tips dished out by "experts" can be heavily skewed to fit an agenda, such as selling a service or pro...

Finding the right professional

With so many experts out there who are doing what I do for a profession and so many experts who have decades more experience than I do, I carefully select the mentors from which I learn from and the same is true for the professionals that Karel and I welcome into our life to help us with our own needs. Seeing that a mentor has experience, I find this valuable as I want to understand different approaches and methods to help me determine the most appropriate advice that aligns with my philosophy and that will help me better serve my coaching and nutrition athletes.  With so many experts out there, here are some ways that I select the professionals that help out with our coaching athletes (ex. physical therapists, sport psychologists, PhD researchers, other coaches, etc.) as well as the experts who I look up to and consult with as mentors.  1. You believe in his/her philosophy. When you have insight on how an expert approaches situations and how he/she helps others, you will...

Are you seeking help?

Do you find yourself using forums to gather advice on yourself when you are vulnerable and in need of help? Did you ever consider that the people giving you advice are strangers, knowing nothing about you, your life, your struggles, your needs, your journey and your goals? While forums can be a great place to learn, don't just seek help from anyone. There's an expert out there who is a professional, trained to help you with your individual needs. Often times, when a question is asked on a forum, there are dozens, if not hundreds of responses, from all types of people. The same goes for articles and information on the internet. While some information may be valuable and credible, it becomes very difficult to decipher between all the "this works for me" advice vs. what will work best for you. Rather than getting a concise or clear "right" answer, you end up more confused and overwhelmed than before you asked your one question. Be careful and very wary whe...