My Biggest Coaching Regret

Even coaches can fall prey to harmful information, but as 
professionals, it's our responsibility to do better for our clients.

Last week I got a marketing email from a fellow health & fitness professional promoting a "challenge" that consisted of paying several hundreds of dollars for a month of cutting out caffeine, gluten, dairy, sugar, and probably most other things edible.

This sh*t makes me so frustrated. Give me half of that cost and I'll let you eat food and help you feel better about it.

PLEASE DO NOT PAY PEOPLE TO TELL YOU NOT TO EAT FOOD.

Yes, the cost includes "support" and "access to a private group" because you're going to need a support group when you're basically starving yourself. It also includes supplements, which makes this whole scam even worse, because supplements are not regulated by the FDA and are potentially more harmful to your health than any of the "toxins" (note: not actually a real thing!!) you have to eliminate.

And in case you're wondering, this is totally not a diet! It's a lifestyle reset! And it's not restrictive at all! You know, except for all the stuff you have to eliminate in order to "detoxify." My eyes are rolling so far back in my head thinking about this that it physically hurts.

Just so we're clear, you do not need a cleanse or a detox or a reset to "detoxify" your body and restore digestive health. You were born with organs that already do that (and if you were not, you are probably already receiving valid medical intervention and should really, really not do a detox).  

So...what exactly do I regret?

As a new group fitness instructor, before I was even a trainer, I didn't yet have the education or training on nutrition and overall health that I do today.

(This will be a separate email soon, but personal training certifications also have very little nutrition instruction, and personal trainers are NOT qualified to give anything except very basic nutrition advice unless they have additional certifications/education.)

I had been steeped in diet culture, which emphasizes restriction and exercising off your food among other things, and I didn't have the experience or knowledge to push back against things that were wrong. Basically, I didn't know what I didn't know.

Some of you who have been working with me for awhile might remember Les Mills GRIT and the infamous "GRIT Challenge," which was basically the same dumbass restrictive crap in the email I described above. As part of the original instructor team that launched GRIT at The Arena Club, I promoted the same things that I cannot stand today, and I inadvertently encouraged disordered eating patterns.

It was wrong.

As GRIT Coaches, we were provided information and resources to use with our classes, and as an instructor team, we coordinated when the challenge would run. Although I didn't personally participate -- because I was teaching far too much and couldn't function on so little food -- I was part of something that was damaging and harmful to my participants.

It continues to be damaging, as I know some people from that GRIT era, including instructors from other clubs, still return to the "GRIT diet" when they feel they need to lose weight. It only works because you're cutting carbohydrates significantly, which reduces the amount of water molecules your body stores, which means the number on the scale goes down even though body fat doesn't. (Same strategy as Keto, etc.)

And just to really lay all the cards on the table, the timing of the challenge during the sessions was strategic, so participants would see dramatic results and be motivated to continue. True freaking story. It's ugly, it's dangerous, it makes me sick to think about it today, and I am so, so deeply sorry for my role in promoting that.

To be clear, I don't believe any of us did this maliciously. We literally didn't even know to question it, and that is the most dangerous part.

As health and fitness professionals, it is imperative that we continue to learn and grow and evolve, relying on research and credible sources of information to break down our own misconceptions in order to better serve our clients.

Now I know better, and I can do better, and that includes calling out the bullshit when I see it. It means providing you with better information so you can save your money and your physical and mental health.

Stick with these Keys to Better Health and beware of "quick fixes," "detoxes," "cleanses," "challenges," and anything that takes your money and doesn't promote eating real food!!