Taming the Chaos of Information Overload

With all these fitness information from coaches, personal trainers, physical therapists, chiros, and others in similar fields, it seems as if there's so much info to process. For example, you ever see a coach mention your back should be straight in a deadlift different than how another cues the same exercise but allowing some slight rounding in the low back? Now, you're stuck, confused, and don't know what to believe which is the "correct" or "optimal" form.

Well I have good news for you, there IS a way to make all this information seem more meaningful to you and to where you can make the right steps into seeing the results you'd like to see.

Paralysis by Analysis: What is it?

When we are bombarded with all this info from so many credible sources and can't seem to make any actions, this is considered paralysis by analysis. In other words, you feel you have all this good information but because you aren't sure what would be the BEST thing to do, you feel stuck and paralyzed. I've definitely been in this situation a ton of times a few years ago when I decided to go all in for running my own business.

"So how do you break out of this trance of paralysis by analysis?"

Here's 4 crucial steps I took in order to take action:

Prioritize and filter information. Sometimes having way too many sources can make us unsure of what exercises is 'safe' or 'optimal' for us to perform. In this case, cut out unnecessary noise to listen to one, single credible source! Unsubscribe to things, mute other information, and stick to what you believe sounds good to you. Then apply the info for a few weeks or months and see if it benefits you. If it doesn't, look onto your next credible source that you value from the top of the list of coaches/trainers/etc. that you see value in and do the same thing again.

Take key notes that resonate towards you. For me, I get a ton of information from many coaches from newsletters, peer reviewed articles, and even Instagram posts but I only jot down the key takeaways that is truly needed for me at the moment. I also would consider jotting down other specific notes that may be useful down the line when I feel I would ever need to use that information again.

Set up a plan for action. We can do so much with having a plan in our minds that we don't necessarily take action. What I've done is write it out on a piece of paper or on a word document on your computer. This gets those thoughts into a physical copy instead of a mental note. If it's hard to even make the first step in the plan, do something rather than nothing because movement is medicine. Eventually, you'll be loosening up the gears and down the line you'll be doing the right thing rather than be at a stand still with trying to get results.

Check in with yourself last day/first day of every month. I remember when I would do so many productive things that I wouldn't even do the actual 'thing' I'm supposed to be doing. So it's imperative to check in on yourself. You can read all the info or watch as many things you as you want but you have to ask yourself frequently; "Is this the actual thing I'm suppose to be doing to get the results that I want?".

How I Coach My Clients

When a new client signs on, I do my best to give the most ideal information that helps cater to their needs and to have them stem away from any unnecessary noise. And the rest is history! They start to see results, create a system that works for them, and eventually, start to build their foundation for a healthier life.

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