What if someone asked you:
Is it okay for me to run a 10 minute per mile pace?
Do you think a 2,000 calorie plan is right for me?
Are Hoka shoes good for my feet?
Is a strict vegan diet optimal for my health and performance goals?
Can I skip breakfast?
Is it a good idea to fuel with 150 calories per hour for my bike workouts?
How would you answer?
If you didn’t answer with “It depends” (the polite version), then there is room for some enlightenment.
[The not-so-polite but still accurate response is “how the hell would I know?!”]
It all comes down to the C word:
CONTEXT
Even though nutrition and exercise planning don’t have to be complicated, there is no way to give blanket recommendations that will work for all people. It seems like most people know this (from an intellectual level) when they take a minute to think about it, yet quickly forget about it when doing Dr. Google searches a la “what should I do for XYZ problem?” or soliciting for suggestions in Facebook forums.
Run away from any health or fitness professional who responds to your questions with “just do what I do” or tells you what to do without asking in depth questions about YOU. There is no consideration of your context with this approach… and it is a complete disservice to you.
But you can also help yourself by building in detail and oomph in your inquiries. While it’s great to be curious and I totally high five folks for wanting to learn what is more optimal for their personal needs, respect must be given to the process of getting to those answers.
The bottom line is “What is right for you” requires us to get more nitty gritty and into the nuts and bolts of who you are…
Respect for context.
-Dina
“Taken out of context, I must seem so strange.” — Ani DiFranco