I have written a series of posts and created a number of podcasts over the years entitled “Consumer’s Guide To Health” (CGH). The long-term goal has always been to promote consumer awareness, provide resources for competent self care strategies, and to gradually shift our system of health and the accepted standards of care towards evidence-based principles. It has also attempted to debunk many health myths.

These myths exists in clinical practice: in the assessment and treatment of patients. They also exist in the coaching and training world, where many training “theories” continue to have little to no relevant sports science at their root.

The live streaming CGH podcasts will resume on January 19, 2012. I will also be focusing a series of episodes and posts specifically on training myths. Here is an abbreviated list of some upcoming topics that will get you thinking:

Consumer’s Guide To Health – Training Myths

1. “Fat burning” workouts;

2. Heart rate training;

3. “Long slow distance” training and endurance;

4. “Muscle memory”;

5. Core strengthening and the transversus abdominis;

… and more.

Unfortunately, we have a lot of perceptions and beliefs that drive what have become “acceptable standards” more so than the research- and “evidence-based standards”. Many health myths (if not all) are built on a foundation of perceptions, beliefs, anecdote, and theories based loosely on science. Logical fallacies are pervasive in our current system of health and human performance. As I mentioned in the introduction to “RunSmart”,

“Our inability to challenge our belief systems in the face of good scientific evidence is the primary limiting factor in the advancement of both health care and coaching, as well as human performance and injury prevention”.

“Consumer’s Guide To Health” will continue to challenge these currently accepted standards. I hope you will join me in the discussion!

Photo credits: pheezy