Google \u201cfitness influencer\u201d and you\u2019ll instantly bring up\u00a0more than 76 million results. Mind-boggling. There\u00a0are literally hundreds of thousands of supposed fitness\u00a0experts vying for attention online and on social media,\u00a0and pretty much all it takes to become an influencer is to\u00a0declare yourself one. Which is, in fact, how many people\u00a0who got in on the ground floor of platforms such as\u00a0Instagram became \u201cexperts\u201d \u2014 they lost a little weight, posted their\u00a0transformation for the world to see and boom \u2014\u00a0they were instantly an \u201cexpert\u201d on weight loss. Yet\u00a0if you do a little digging, you\u2019ll find that many of\u00a0these influencers have no certifications, education\u00a0or background in any associated health, weight-loss\u00a0or fitness field.<\/p>\n
The obvious ramification of the anyone-as-expert\u00a0phenomenon is the rampant spread of\u00a0potentially dangerous misinformation. \u201cSocial\u00a0media influencers are able to connect with\u00a0their followers and shape their attitudes and\u00a0behaviors,\u201d says Christina Sabbagh, M.Sc., from the\u00a0organization Obesity Action in Scotland. \u201cIn weight\u00a0management, this is a problem because there are\u00a0no requirements for influencers to be qualified in\u00a0any way, and these individuals could be spreading\u00a0opinion-based \u2014 not evidence-based \u2014 advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nResults from\u00a0a recent Parade<\/em>\/Cleveland Clinic\u00a0Healthy Now survey\u00a0revealed that 44 percent\u00a0of people have\u00a0taken personal health\u00a0or fitness action\u00a0based on information\u00a0or advice obtained\u00a0via social media. The\u00a0top three categories\u00a0cited were trying a\u00a0natural remedy (20\u00a0percent), changing or\u00a0adapting a fitness\u00a0routine (18 percent),\u00a0and changing or trying\u00a0a new diet (18\u00a0percent).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Hit and Misinformation<\/h2>\n
And it\u2019s true \u2014 cyberspace is teeming with misleading information.\u00a0A recent study presented at the European Congress\u00a0on Obesity found that out of the nine most popular wellness\u00a0influencers in the U.K., only two were adequately qualified and\u00a0only one had an actual degree in nutrition. There are other\u00a0well-known cases in which fraudulent experts have been\u00a0exposed, such as the so-called wellness guru Belle Gibson,\u00a0who claimed to cure herself of terminal cancer through\u00a0healthy diet and lifestyle, as well as \u201cfitness expert\u201d Brittany\u00a0Dawn who \u2014 though completely unqualified and unaccredited\u00a0\u2014 scammed thousands of people out of money selling\u00a0fitness programs and advice.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, influencers often use their platforms to sell their\u00a0own products and build their brand. \u201cAlso, other companies\u00a0may be paying them to promote a product or service to their\u00a0followers,\u201d adds Jaime Schwartz Cohen, MS, RD, senior vice\u00a0president and director of nutrition at Ketchum Public Relations\u00a0in New York City. Recently, regulations were put in place that\u00a0require an individual to disclose a paid relationship on social\u00a0media, but it\u2019s often still unclear, and people still get duped.<\/p>\n
Culling the Herd<\/h2>\n
While there are plenty of bogus experts out there trying to make\u00a0a quick buck, there are also plenty of influencers who are more\u00a0than qualified to deliver solid advice \u2014 you just have to do a little\u00a0legwork to find them. These four questions can help you determine\u00a0whether an influencer is worthy of your time and trust.<\/p>\n
1 | Does he or she have appropriate\u00a0qualifications?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Look carefully\u00a0in the \u201cabout me\u201d or bio section\u00a0of their platforms to see whether\u00a0they\u2019re certified or accredited from\u00a0a science-backed organization. For\u00a0instance, the American College of\u00a0Sports Medicine and the National\u00a0Academy of Sports Medicine are\u00a0two very reputable certifying bodies\u00a0for personal training and coaching.\u00a0\u201cWhen you follow an influencer\u00a0with credentials like these, you are\u00a0assured that the information they\u2019re\u00a0sharing is science-based and that\u00a0they\u2019re abiding by a professional\u00a0code of ethics,\u201d Cohen says.<\/p>\n
2 | Is there a disclaimer anywhere\u00a0on their site, in their posts or in their\u00a0copy?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u201cA disclaimer is a legal statement\u00a0that limits the liability of the\u00a0influencer, which means the information\u00a0on the blog doesn\u2019t constitute\u00a0true medical or other legitimate\u00a0advice,\u201d Sabbagh says. In other words, the information they are\u00a0delivering is opinion-based and this expert might possibly be\u00a0unqualified to be delivering such advice.<\/p>\n
3 | Have they referenced the advice they\u2019re giving?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Sabbagh\u00a0says any advice should be sourced through peer-reviewed\u00a0journals or organizations to ensure it is evidence-based information\u00a0(as opposed to a non-evidence-based statement in which\u00a0a blogger cites one of his or her own previous posts to support a\u00a0claim they are making, for example). References in the form of\u00a0footnotes or links should be embedded within the post copy or\u00a0listed at the end of the post, and they should be from studies conducted\u00a0within the last three to five years.<\/p>\n
4 | Is an influencer\u2019s social presence or personal branding\u00a0his or her main focus?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
A professional should always be more\u00a0interested in his or her career than in social media, and while\u00a0having professional credentials is a must, look to see whether\u00a0an expert has influence outside of cyberspace, Cohen says.\u00a0For instance, is she quoted in the media as an expert? Does\u00a0he hold leadership positions in professional organizations and\u00a0associations? Has she written books or been involved in scientific\u00a0research in the area of their expertise?<\/p>\n
The Bottom Line<\/h2>\n
Some fitness influencers are well worth\u00a0a read and a follow, but regardless, they should not replace\u00a0working one-on-one with an expert to meet your personal\u00a0health, fitness and weight-loss goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Google \u201cfitness influencer\u201d and you\u2019ll instantly bring up\u00a0more than 76 million results. Mind-boggling. There\u00a0are literally hundreds of thousands of supposed fitness\u00a0experts vying for attention online and on social media,\u00a0and pretty much all it takes to become an influencer is to\u00a0declare yourself one. Which is, in fact, how many people\u00a0who got in on the ground floor of platforms such as\u00a0Instagram became \u201cexperts\u201d \u2014 they lost a little weight, posted their\u00a0transformation for the world to see and boom \u2014\u00a0they were instantly an \u201cexpert\u201d on weight loss. Yet\u00a0if you do a little digging, you\u2019ll find that many of\u00a0these influencers have no certifications, education\u00a0or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[114,204,205,206,203,207],"class_list":["post-2611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens-health","tag-healthy-living","tag-mind-and-body","tag-motivation","tag-style-and-beauty","tag-womens-fitness-personalities","tag-womens-health","post--single"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2611"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2953,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611\/revisions\/2953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/high-end-life.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}