If you can earn a legitimate Doctorate using the Internet (and you can), it should be a simple matter to dig out useful health, wellness and fitness information. Yes it is, and no it isn’t. Along with the growth of the Internet as an information tool, has come the growth of the Internet in dis-information and plain old quackery as well.
So what is a person to do? The answer should be plain. There are “authorities” in any subject matter that are generally recognized as offering valid advice and information. For a hunt for information on any particular topic, you might begin your research at university sites, recognized reference sites, professional “societies,” and then use your judgment on all the rest. For “fitness” or “wellness” I would go to the same or similar authorities. “Ma-Jones-Herbs-and-Horses-shoed-While-You Wait-dot-com” isn’t one of them.

One measure to use about whether a site has something useful to offer, is whether or not that site is being used to hustle you to buy something. If the come-on is too strong and seems too much like a snake-oil salesman making his pitch, it probably is just that. Move on.

An example of some of the simplest advice that we all perhaps know, but have either forgotten of not taken to heart are the following tid-bits from www.worldguide.com/Fitness/med.html.

On exercise
   “Physical Activity Levels for Body Fat and Weight Loss: The amount of physical exercise you get has a profound effect upon your level of body fat. If you increase your physical activity level, you will expend greater amounts of calories and fat, depending upon how long and at what level of intensity you exercise (expending 3,500 calories burns up one pound of fat). Here are some general guidelines: Consistent aerobic/cardiovascular exercise (20 minutes, three times per week) will improve your cardiovascular system, increase your metabolism, and burn body fat. For additional details on cardiovascular training routines that will suit your needs, consult the Cardiovascular Training section. Consistent weight/strength training (20 minutes, three times per week) will increase your muscular strength, enhance your muscular endurance, result in a leaner body mass, and favorably affect your bone density. For in-depth coverage of strength training routines, consult the Strength Training section. Stretching before and after exercise will increase the range of motion of your joints and muscles. Increasing your flexibility also decreases your risk of injury while exercising.”

On body fat

“Body Fat Myths and Misconceptions: There are a number of common myths and misconceptions about body fat. Banish these from your mind if you want to set yourself on a course for greater fitness and health.

Myth Number 1 is that fat can be turned into muscle, or vice versa. Muscle is a tissue and fat is a substance. Therefore muscle and fat cannot create one another.

Myth Number 2 is that if you weigh more on the scale, you must be overweight. This is untrue. Muscle (lean body mass) weighs approximately 75 percent more than fat. In other words, you can increase your actual body weight without increasing your body fat. Indeed, you can increase your body weight and at the same time decrease your percentage of body fat!

Myth Number 3 is that weighing yourself on a scale is the best way to determine if you are overweight and have too high a body fat level. In fact, feeling how your clothes fit on your body is a better way to measure body fat loss. You’ll also get a better sense of whether you ‘re losing body fat by looking in the mirror with no clothes on.”

Should you take any of that to heart? It certainly makes sense, and from what I have read over the years, seems to comport pretty well with generally accepted practice. However, in the fine print or buried in a paragraph is almost invariably the admonition to consult with your physician before beginning any physical fitness or diet regimen. Good advice! There are too many variables to assume that any diet or any exercise or group of exercises is safe for everyone no matter their age, health or age.

Do you want information directly from a medical professional before seeing that physician? You can visit the AMA website which is a comprehensive website as a starting point. It links to the MEDEM site, which is hosted and vetted by several medical societies. There you will find the following statement:

“In late 1998, a group of national medical societies convened to share perspectives on consumers’ rapidly growing use of the Internet to obtain healthcare information. Aware of the power of the Internet and the lack of quality standards within the medium, the group pursued a joint venture, which resulted in a consolidated, powerful, and trustworthy source of medical information. Collectively, through Medem, this “critical mass” created by the societies has succeeded in becoming the most comprehensive and trusted source of healthcare content on the Internet.’

And indeed it is. This website will be a good starting place for your search for answers and advice. A word of warning is in order. The most difficult part of obtaining information about health and wellness issues, is not a lack of information, but rather just the opposite. There is such a wealth of information it is hard to know where to start, or what to believe. In the end it falls back, as usual, on your best judgment. Good hunting!

(Editor’s Note: Jim Kendall is the owner of Telebyte NW, and a board member of the Washington Association of Internet Service Providers. He may be reached at (360) 613–5220.).