The WIYLDOI Challenge

THE “WIYLDOI” CHALLENGE

Here’s some information about my perspective on what to consider before giving or taking fitness advice on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, or even in general.

I’m going to title this the “what if your life depended on it” (WIYLDOI) challenge.  

What do I mean by this?

Before you give or take fitness advice, I invite or challenge you to ask yourself, “Would I act or respond this way if my life depended on it?”

For example. If someone asks, “Is a low carbohydrate diet like Keto or Atkins good for weight loss?”

Would you instantly say, “Yes it is. Me and my friends have done it and we all lost weight”. Or, “No, it’s not healthy, it just makes it look like you’re losing weight on the scale, because you have less glycogen and experience more water loss”.

Or, will you take the invitation or challenge and ask, “How would I respond to this if my life depended on it. If I was to get anything I wanted by getting this answer “right” (1 billion dollars, physique of your dreams, freedom, etc.), how would I act?”

I think this mindset shift can give you a different stance, attitude, or opinion about giving or taking fitness advice, no matter what the topic is.

I’ll explain below how you might approach this specific question, and why I’m doing this challenge below (or in part two if I make another video).

PART TWO:

If you haven’t seen part one yet, this video will make no sense to you. So go back and watch the video or read from the beginning of this post before you read the rest of this.

1. In this case you might start off by questioning the question.

Is there a definite truth to this question? “What actually causes weight loss? Can eating a no or low carbohydrate do the opposite and cause weight gain?”

2. After this you might decide to research the highest quality, unbiased, scientific information you can find. The type that’s been proven to be as true as it can be, time and time again.

With this specific topic, you would find a calorie or energy deficit is ultimately what produces fat loss, independent of the amount of carbohydrates consumed. You would even discover that you gain weight and body fat by eating a no carbohydrate diet, when you create a calories surplus with it.

3. Next you might become aware that you need to gather an enormous amount of background information about the person as an individual. That you should know their circumstances and situation to give a possible helpful response.

4. After this you might find you need to gather real life experience.

Maybe you experiment on yourself, and/or turn to coaches or other folks who have successfully achieved fat loss themselves, or with their clients/patients.

By doing this, you would confirm the research you’ve already done, which shows their are many different methods you can use to get leaner, but yet again, an energy deficit is what leads to fat loss success, independent of the diet you follow, times you eat, or how many meals you consume a day, etc.

5. Finally, you might form your more deserved answer to the question, and get ready to give or take fitness advice.

PART THREE:

Only to realize…

A. You don’t want to force your opinion on others because you now understand there are too many variables you may not have thought of.

B. You’re in a better position to respond, know the answer, and all that’s left is deciding whether you’re going to give or take the advice or not.

C. You should send them this challenge instead:) Maybe you came across too much information you don’t want to decipher, or believe they’re not in the right mental state to hear what you have to say, or you’re not interested enough in the topic.

The goals of this challenge are to help you…

1. Learn more.  
2. Actually, like for real, be able to help others (or yourself) when the time is right.  
3. Hold yourself (and others) to a higher standard, so less nonsense is spread around.
4. Promote better thinking and action based decisions within the fitness industry.
5. See how a different set of eyes ponders, and gain some perspective you may not have already been aware of.

Will you accept the invitation, take the challenge, and ask “how would I respond to this if my life depended on it”.

Just some insight:)