I'm no expert...

The word "expert" in the health and fitness world is a misnomer.  And I say this because of the many certifications that are available to anyone who is willing to pay the fee...and who has a high school diploma or equivalent.    A "certified" fitness trainer is considered an expert in the field but after working in the fitness industry for over 25 years, I am very skeptical if not cynical toward many of the certified "experts" that are out there.  What gives ME the authority to make such a statement.  I'm not exactly sure because I am not certified in the field (I was, but I let it expire).  I do have a BS degree in Kinesiology - the study of human movement -and I've worked as a fitness instructor for 25+ years.  During that time I also coached men's and women's college cross country teams for 10 years.   I created Yogamamas (Yoga for expectant mothers and mothers and babies) and Great Energy (Gentle T'ai Chi designed for Seniors).  Both of my businesses gave me such joy when I saw that what I created had given my clients positive results!   My experience also comes from the fact that I exercise daily and have for most of my life.  And I've learned that the food choices I make play a role in how I feel when I exercise.  No, I don't have a lot of letters behind my name but I do have these real life experiences with a lot of different people, not to mention, myself!    Not that all of it makes me an expert,  but these experiences, along with my education help me know when a "fitness/nutrition expert" may actually be full of nonsense.  Although I did not study nutrition, I did study how the body uses food as fuel.  Thinking of food as fuel really helps to influence my choices about what I want to/should eat.  So, when my sister says to me - "I don't eat bananas.  My trainer told me they make me fat." - I get kind of mad.  I get mad that this so called "trainer" gives my sister false information.  I get mad that my way-too-gullible sister actually believes her trainer over ME!  Here's the facts:  Bananas are fuel!  They provide the best kind of easily digested energy to fuel the body making them a perfect breakfast before a  morning workout.  They have potassium which the body needs during AND after a workout as muscle glycogen stores are replenished.  They are also cheap and in their natural form - no processing required (other than photosynthesis).  I sometimes wonder if the certification business and the protein powder business are in cahoots.  Actually if you've ever seen a P90X video, it's obvious that the statement I just made about being in cahoots is true.  The ads on this particular fitness DVD are for protein bars/powders - both highly processed but with promises to transform your body into that of a super model-beach body god/goddess.   These statements that a highly processed powder/bar can give you your dream body is just as bad as stating that a food makes you fat.   There is absolutely no food that makes a person fat and there is no secret formula to give you the perfect body and the "experts" that go around telling gullible people like my sister these false notions are misusing those letters behind their names.  Because I don't have all of the letters behind my name, I am often not taken seriously so I have considered just jumping through the hoops to get the darn letters so that I will be taken seriously.  But, instead of wasting my money I have decided to just prove it to myself and leave it at that.   Ever since my sister made this bold statement - about bananas making her fat - I've eaten a banana every day.  And as I said in my previous post, I eat whatever I want - every single day.   So 6 years later,  here's the shocker...bananas have not made me fat!   I know that what makes a person fat is choices, but not the choice to eat a banana.  It's the choice to eat mindlessly or absentmindedly.   When you choose to eat mindfully you will make wise choices that make you feel good while giving you the pleasure of eating something that is delicious.  Why waste your time eating any other way?  Life is too short for silly food rules.  Stick to mindful moderation and don't trust the fitness trainer/nutrition expert with a bunch of letters behind his/her name... ;) especially if  he/she tells you that bananas make you fat!.