Be Wary of Fitness Facts

Health and fitness loves a clear solution. Unfortunately, clear cut solutions are often impossibilities. Here are a couple of examples of common wisdom that would like to be rooted in fact, but simply aren’t.

Plantar Fasciitis – For anyone who has had plantar fasciitis, the desire to know why it happened is strong because you definitely don’t want it to come back. This generally leads to the desire to say, “I had plantar fasciitis and it was caused by…(insert your cause here).” Armed with the exact cause, you can now tell yourself or anyone else how to deal with the problem. The reality, however, is that nobody can say for certain what causes plantar fasciitis. A popular belief is that it has to do with overpronation, or flat feet. This has not been shown to be the cause, only to be associated with the condition. Other associations include lack of ankle mobility, increased body mass index, prolonged weight bearing, and tight calves. Which of these is the real cause – who knows? The important thing to remember is if you’ve successfully rid yourself of it that’s great, but whatever you did might not be a black and white solution. There could be a number of factors that contributed to the recovery.

Cramps – The fact is we do not know for sure what causes cramps. Just like plantar fasciitis, there are a number of associations with the phenomenon but no clear answers. Factors that are associated include dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, sudden changes in temperatures, simple over-flexing of the muscle, or even age. In other words, upping your banana intake, using electrolyte drinks or tablets, or drinking coconut or some other special mineral water are only possible solutions. Don’t buy into marketing that presents “facts” on these matters, because we don’t really have them.

These are just two examples that I commonly come across. When it comes to fitness, realize that simple solutions usually aren’t the answer.