Beware of Online Exercise Scams

There’s so much access to everything nowadays. Between what you can find on the Internet and what you see on social media, it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s not. This is especially true when it comes to the health and fitness industry. Here are my tips for educating yourself while you navigate your fitness journey:

1. 1. There is no magic pill, really! There are so many products claiming they can give you a quick fix with little to no work. Not true! While they make lots of fantastic claims, they are really just a waste of your money. I have actually seen before-and-after pictures stolen and used in advertisements from a few fitness professionals that I follow.

1. 1. You can spend a lot of time and money searching for the right supplements. These are to assist you with your health and fitness program, not be the quick fix. But you really need to do your research and learn about them. Take the time to learn about what you are taking, what is in it; think about your reasons and your goals for taking it.

1. 1. Don’t be fooled by before-and-after pictures! Recently, a few bloggers showed how just changing the angle of your body, the size of your clothes and how close you are to your camera can really effect the way you look in your pictures. So although those before-and-after photos are enticing, remember how they can be easily manipulated. People who are proud of their transformations are excited to show the true before-and-afters; companies trying to get you to buy their products may use manipulations to get you to purchase.

1. 1. Be careful who you get information from. You can find many people giving out all sorts of health and fitness related advice on social media. It’s great to have access to info, but unless they are certified in their area of supposed expertise, remember that they are not experts. Of course there are experts who give bad advice, but there are also a lot of people posing as experts who’ve never been trained in that area. I think it’s great that so many people share their health and fitness journey, but remember, they are sharing their experience and advice based on that, not from being officially trained in that area.

1. 1. Be wary of fad diets. It seems there’s always some new, hot way to eat. I do feel each fad starts from some truth, but it gets blown up and promoted as an absolute. Try to educate yourself about nutrition and learn what works for you.

Think of all the money and time you could spend trying to get a quick fix. If you just put in the work and educate yourself, you’ll be able to learn and make that change.

Katie Kozloff-Banks, Wyomissing, is the owner of Taffy Activewear and Katie K Active. Her closets are full of fun activewear! Her favorite activewear lines, besides her own, include Puma and Reebok. Check out her collection at katiekactive.com.

There’s so much access to everything nowadays. Between what you can find on the Internet and what you see on social media, it’s hard to know what’s real and what’s not. This is especially true when it comes to the health and fitness industry. Here are my tips for educating yourself while you navigate your fitness journey:

1. 1. There is no magic pill, really! There are so many products claiming they can give you a quick fix with little to no work. Not true! While they make lots of fantastic claims, they are really just a waste of your money. I have actually seen before-and-after pictures stolen and used in advertisements from a few fitness professionals that I follow.

1. 1. You can spend a lot of time and money searching for the right supplements. These are to assist you with your health and fitness program, not be the quick fix. But you really need to do your research and learn about them. Take the time to learn about what you are taking, what is in it; think about your reasons and your goals for taking it.

1. 1. Don’t be fooled by before-and-after pictures! Recently, a few bloggers showed how just changing the angle of your body, the size of your clothes and how close you are to your camera can really effect the way you look in your pictures. So although those before-and-after photos are enticing, remember how they can be easily manipulated. People who are proud of their transformations are excited to show the true before-and-afters; companies trying to get you to buy their products may use manipulations to get you to purchase.

1. 1. Be careful who you get information from. You can find many people giving out all sorts of health and fitness related advice on social media. It’s great to have access to info, but unless they are certified in their area of supposed expertise, remember that they are not experts. Of course there are experts who give bad advice, but there are also a lot of people posing as experts who’ve never been trained in that area. I think it’s great that so many people share their health and fitness journey, but remember, they are sharing their experience and advice based on that, not from being officially trained in that area.

1. 1. Be wary of fad diets. It seems there’s always some new, hot way to eat. I do feel each fad starts from some truth, but it gets blown up and promoted as an absolute. Try to educate yourself about nutrition and learn what works for you.

Think of all the money and time you could spend trying to get a quick fix. If you just put in the work and educate yourself, you’ll be able to learn and make that change.

Katie Kozloff-Banks, Wyomissing, is the owner of Taffy Activewear and Katie K Active. Her closets are full of fun activewear! Her favorite activewear lines, besides her own, include Puma and Reebok. Check out her collection at katiekactive.com.