The modern gym-goer is privy to more fitness<\/a> advice than ever before, with various social media<\/a> platforms placing thousands of insights at their fingertips. The problem is, while much of it is structured to grab your attention, not all of it is helpful, or indeed accurate.<\/p>\n Experienced personal trainer, Everything Fat Loss<\/a> author and self-professed research nerd Ben Carpenter<\/a> is trying to stem the tide of fitness misinformation. To do this, he offers a free public service: TikTok and Instagram users tag Carpenter in videos that make eyebrow-raising claims, and the fitness expert swoops in to deliver a science-backed rebuttal. <\/p>\n \u201cI think navigating misinformation is extraordinarily difficult, especially when it\u2019s not your domain,\u201d he tells me. \u201cThe way I have described it in the past is, if a mechanic tells me what is wrong with my car, I don\u2019t have the knowledge to fact-check that. So if two different mechanics tell me something completely different, I don\u2019t think anyone would expect me to know who was telling the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf someone is not a health<\/a> or fitness professional, I think it\u2019s really unrealistic to pin the blame on you as the individual if you are struggling with misinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n However, over years of calling out dodgy content, Carpenter has noticed a few recurrent red flags \u2013 things you can easily be on the look out for as a conscious consumer of online content. Here are his top three tips for sorting the wheat from the chaff during your next scrolling session.<\/p>\n Nothing in fitness is revolutionary <\/p>\n If someone online is telling you something is revolutionary, chances are it isn\u2019t, especially if their pitch involves you parting with some cash. <\/p>\n \u201cThe reason I think this is so important is that, in health and fitness, the things that we know work aren\u2019t revolutionary,\u201d Carpenter explains. \u201cWe know that exercise is good, and we know that certain dietary habits like eating fruits and vegetables are good. But people will often make something sound shinier than it is to sell something, and I think that is one of the biggest red flags.\u201d <\/p>\n He adds that, if something truly revolutionary was uncovered such as a \u201cspecific diet tip or exercise programme\u201d, the likelihood is that one person would not have a monopoly over this information. <\/p>\n \u201cI would be making social media videos about it for free,\u201d Carpenter says. \u201c[People like me are] not trying to hold the best information from you, we\u2019re trying to put the best information out.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>This is how much exercise you should be doing per day, according to experts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Beware of \u2018fear porn\u2019 <\/p>\n A negativity bias in the human psyche means we\u2019re hardwired to pay more attention to negative information than positive. Content creators have cottoned on to this. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a growing trend on social media for something that\u2019s described as \u2018fear porn\u2019 \u2013 people are being lured in by the things that sound scary,\u201d says Carpenter. <\/p>\n \u201cRather than saying something is good for you, videos are now saying, \u2018Never eat this specific ingredient, it\u2019s killing you\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n This is his second red flag when trying to spot health and fitness misinformation online. <\/p>\n \u201cA real health and fitness professional would say, \u2018We know that added sugar should probably make up less than 10 per cent of your diet. That\u2019s well-established health advice. If you look at the World Health Organisation<\/a>, it will often say to keep it to less than 10 per cent because if you consume too much it\u2019s linked to things like obesity, weight gain, type-2 diabetes, teeth cavities and so on. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s very different to someone saying, \u2018You can never eat sugar because sugar is killing you\u2019. If people are making things sound really scary all the time, it\u2019s often clickbait and a hook. They are trying to grab your attention by making you scared, and I don\u2019t think health and fitness advice should be scary.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>Will the run club replace the pub? Why choose when both can help fight a deeper issue?<\/a><\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Our brains are hardwired to focus on negative messaging when scrolling social media (PA Archive)<\/p>\n Show your workings<\/p>\n This final tip starts with a social media video making a hyper-specific claim. If someone is doing this, and throwing around scientific-sounding terms as they do so, Carpenter wants to see them substantiate this information with cold, hard facts.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who are genuinely scientific will show you what they\u2019re talking about,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you\u2019re watching my video and I say a food is good or bad for your health, I\u2019ll show you the research that I\u2019m citing that from. <\/p>\n \u201cIt sounds like it\u2019s nerdy, but generally speaking I think people who are trying to educate you should show that they\u2019re educating you. They will show you the science they are talking about. It\u2019s not about trying to sell you things, it\u2019s showing what the research says and putting it on the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n In contrast, extreme claims with no substantiation or supporting evidence should set alarm bells ringing. <\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t have to cite them, but generally speaking I think it\u2019s a red flag if someone never references the research they\u2019re talking about,\u201d Carpenter concludes. <\/p>\n It\u2019s generally advisable to take influencer advice with a pinch of salt and to do your own research. Trends on social media will come and go, but when it comes to fitness, the fundamentals are usually the same. This means if someone is selling you a \u201chack\u201d or a bypass, with no studies or proof, it\u2019s probably too good to be true.<\/p>\n Read more: <\/strong>We\u2019ve overcomplicated fitness \u2013 these six simple things will make you healthier than most people<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Our](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2e18b4434b40dd0f8db3aeb9ed0ce7d8Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzUwNTAzMDIx-2.41898774.jpg\")
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