#86 SSR: Why I Don't Always Recommend Specific Brands of Supplements To Clients.

Reasons or

Results! 

Fitness Nutrition Training

Sovereign Michael Valentine

SPN, CFT, Eft, Yft, Cft, SSc, GFI, CMCht, CERT, Reiki Master

206.225.9647

email: sovereignmv@gmail.com

web: bnbbs.myshaklee.com

Special Report #86

Part of the

“I see you to succeeding"

series.

Why I don't always recommend specific
brands of supplements to clients.

 

The quickie answer:  Decades of experience! I know what gets results…I know what helps clients and what can get in their way…I know how clients get in their own way, too!

The complete answer: There’s a whole bunch of reasons why I don’t promote specific brands of supplements with regard to folks’ general questions regarding  nutrition. 

For people who are intent on being unhappy, they attempt to maintain such a neurosis by locating the best expert in an industry, take a program that is scientifically proven to work, and then attempt to pick it apart, to prove it doesn't work (to themselves)...without ever really applying it and then saying they have tried everything (except what is known to work).

Big picture first:

First off, I’ve been doing this nutrition stuff for a long time now. I know what works and what doesn’t. I know how to recognize when a supplement is actually producing positive results versus a person having a bias to a particular product which really isn't improving their health.

I got to where I am, by doing stuff incorrectly so many times that the only thing left was the correct ways to proceed. It didn't matter what my ego thought or wanted to be right...nature decides what is healthy and helpful and I pay attention to Nature.  The learning curve for personal trainers is steep. When a trainer completes their fundamental training and goes out into the world to begin applying what they have learned with real, paying clients, well…it’s at that point that they realize how ill-prepared they actually are.

“Knowing” information and applying information to get specific outcomes (weight loss, gaining lean mass, gaining endurance and gaining strength), are very different things. If it were just a matter of knowing the stuff, I don’t think 80% of the population would be over weight and out of shape. This is where the idea of "pet-theories" comes into play: most trainers promote outdated, unsafe, under-nourished ideas that don't hold up to the scrutiny of body composition nor blood chemistry lab results. But, most trainers never check their work to find out where they are wrong...if they do find out they are wrong, they generally quit being a trainer.

In my experiences, much of the population is so comfortable, even when they are very out of shape and unhealthy that they really aren’t motivated to get healthy and in shape. In America, we can be very unhealthy and still have a comfortable life...until the de-generative dis-eases kick in. And even if things get real bad we can take anti-depressants to check out from the emotions related to being unhealthy and pain killers to check out from the physical pain of being unhealthy.

The real challenges for personal trainers, as is evident and accurately shown on the television program The Biggest Loser, are the mental and emotional games people play with themselves to NOT take action to do what they should do anyway simply as a matter of course of daily life.

If anyone thinks that show is all drama, then they haven’t likely trained overweight people and come head-to-head with the emotional and mental challenges associated with the concept of weight loss. One of the things I love about that show, is that is so accurate, both from the trainer’s perspective as well as the clients’ perspective.

In my experience, by the time someone gets to where they are overweight, they have mastered the principles of getting fat while simultaneously mastered amnesia for how they got there and how to undo what they have done to themselves…in other words, weight loss is a science and art of exercise and nutrition…that’s it! More often than not, people think that by simply saying they intend to lose weight, the years of self-abuse will simply reverse itself.

BUT, people who are struggling with being overweight, generally will do anything BUT exercise and eat correctly. They will do ANYTHING in order to not have to exercise and eat healthy including crying, spitting, puking, screaming, yelling, lying, falling down, hurting themselves and every other possible scenario of acting out emotionally…while simultaneously, out the other side of their mouth insist they will do anything if you’ll just show them how to lose the “weight”…they’ll put more energy into trying to convince the trainer they are committed than actually doing the actions to demonstrate their level of commitment.

In other words, the exercise and nutrition are the easiest parts to do, but the least likely for anyone to do…the greatest challenges generally relate to the emotional aspects of weight loss and health building.

In my experience, and evidently in other top trainers’ experiences, the more a client knows ahead of time what specifically they have to do to get the results they say they want, the more defenses they conjure up attempting to avoid the task at hand. In other words, people tend to play so many mental games with themselves in order to not do what they have to do, that they spend four times more energy to not do the thing than the thing itself requires.

In terms of weight loss itself, if you tell a person (before they commit with time, energy and money) what the training will entail, they suddenly develop an allergy, symptom, dis-ease, allergy, joint problem, disorder or whatever they can imagine in attempt to manipulate the trainer to see if they can remain the same (in terms of lifestyle, dietary habits, exercise habits, etc.) yet still get the results the trainer promises from doing the thing correctly.

In other words, they are attempting to perfect the neurotic behavior. This type of behavior is expressed when people say things like, “I’ve tried everything, nothing works for weight loss”.

The truth of weight loss is the same for everyone…exercise and nutrition…those two things HAVE to be in place for weight loss to be sustainable and health enhancing. Even people of healthy weight require exercise and nutrition to be healthy!

If a trainer says the client has to do a back exercise the client may say their back hurts. If they have to do an arm exercise they say they had a surgery 50 years previous and the doctor said that while they were healing from the surgery they should rest the arm. If they are supposed to take dietary supplements they say they can’t remember to take them (although they can remember to eat a whole cake) or that they are allergic to nutrition or that they don’t believe in nutrition…duh, no wonder they are over-weight. In other words, they have become masters of the weight–gain strategies…doing what definitely doesn’t work and skipping what definitely does work.

So, Reason #1 why (for the most part) I might not talk brands during my Fitness Nutrition classes and casual conversation is that until a person has committed their time, energy and money to attain their goals, any answers to their questions they have about dietary supplements will, more often than not, be simply used to manifest imaginary reasons why they, the only person in the world, won’t be able to take the suggestion and act on it.

Until they have committed with time, energy and money they are looking for reasons NOT to act and ways to figure out how NOT to succeed at weight loss. 

People will find the most accomplished expert in any industry, then (when they haven't decided to change themselves, look for something to focus on that they can say the aren't willing to do). Then (in their mind, its not their fault they haven't lost weight...it's because of this "thing" outside them that isn't up to their amazing standards: "Oh, I tried that trainer, but she recommended a bad kind of supplements...so I just couldn't lose weight".

Reason #2 is that telling a person what to do rarely is successful. Giving a person an experience / demonstrating what to DO is the most likely way for them to succeed. By telling people what to do, there is no accountability on their part…they can say they understand…claim they are doing what they supposedly understand…skip the fundamentals…get no measurable results…and then say it didn’t ‘work’.  Yet another program that failed 'them'. When someone is told something, it’s left to their imagination and interpretation as to what the ‘teller’ means…and today, more than ever, any reason a person can find to not do something, they will not do it. BUT, when we give someone an experience of doing the right thing, using the right supplements for their goals, they have an experience which is the essence of life itself, is undeniable and ultimately what they want more of. 

Body composition & blood chemistry number don't lie. 

Reason #3 is that doing this kind of work takes an immense amount of energy anyway, not accounting for people who say they want help, will pay for trainer time and ultimately not follow through. By not telling people a specific brand of dietary supplement, which could give them another way to take a good thing and apply it incorrectly, I talk about brands only with people who want the support, guidance and follow up required to succeed. How to know which clients might want that? They are willing to invest their own time, energy and money for individual attention. They demonstrate: "Show me what to do".

Reason #4 is to protect the integrity of the information. It seems that ever where we turn today someone is selling something. The only thing that separates a ‘seller’ from a true health professional is the expertise of the individual expert and the true quality of the products they recommend. When we go to the doctor and receive a prescription do we argue about the brand of the prescription? Some people do. The people who don’t plan on following through on their physician’s advice will argue even more. The person who really wants the individual expertise of the person they hire will follow through on the suggestion without question…and then find out if it worked by applying it…not by arguing about details.

 

My chiropractor uses a device on my neck when it goes out of place to put the vertebrae in place. I don’t know the brand of it. My naturopath suggested some products I used…I don’t know the brand of them. The acupuncturist used needles on my body…I don’t know what brand they were. My massage practitioner used some oil and lotion on me…I have no idea the brands. I had a hernia surgery, I have no idea the brand of the anesthesia, suture or bandages they used on me…I simply wanted the promised results. I don’t even know the names of all the people on the surgical team.

What’s the point? The people who are going to follow through don’t care about brands as long as the claims I make about quality and benefits I promise come true. While the people who are looking for reasons to not follow through will nit-pick about every single detail as a way of avoiding the emotional work they have to do to reach their goals. The people who want results essentially have a, "Show me what to do" attitude.

That’s who I attract and work with…they get my time, energy and attention. It’s not about the brand of supplements I use and recommend…it’s about the type of service and expertise I offer that makes all the difference in the world…a less experienced trainer won't be able to get results with the best supplements in the world...they don't know to just put the supplements in and let nature take over...anyone who wants to discount my expertise and minimize it down to a brand won’t follow through on my suggestions anyway…so why give them a chance to discount my three decades of expertise?

The people who follow through and report amazing stories of the benefits back are not people who want to debate brand nuances. If they don’t trust my judgment or aren't ready to do the work, then they shouldn’t even ask me what brand I recommend. Some people are more concerned about feeling like an expert themselves than getting the results they claim to want.

Some people are so unhappy inside...so unhappy that they NEED to lose weight, that instead of  simply applying the nutrition and exercise, they try to appease their emotional instability by trying to make the health professional / trainer wrong, so (in the moment) they feel "right" even though they are still unhappy and fat.

 Reason #5 is to avoid personalities whom are:

-Defensive, 

-Tire-kickers, 

-Info-junkies, 

-Argumentative, 

-Curiosity-seekers, 

-Mental-masturbators, 

-Non-compliance behaviors,

-Competitive-intellectualizing,

-Time wasters / procrastinators, 

-Those with a commitment phobia,

-Suspicious, paranoid or otherwise lack time sensitive, tangible goals &

-People who say they are coachable / trainable but who in reality don’t want to be told what to do.

Given the opportunity, there are people who will sit and ask about every detail, factoid and nuance of every possible detail for hours and hours knowing full well they aren’t going to follow through…as a way of avoiding doing their part. Doing a nutrition talk, writing a book or article, doing a nutrition appointment is my part. Next comes the client’s part…doing the suggestion…taking the B.N.B.B.s. 

If they don’t follow through on the easiest part there’s nothing else I can do for them…it’s that clear. I had one potential client who after asking me every in and out of everything I suggested who said, “Well this won’t even get to my husband if I don’t approve of it.” Yay, you have to be a wise consumer, but if you don’t have a way to know when a real expert is telling you the truth, then what’s the point of paying them…to see if they confirm the actions you have been doing that haven’t been working to this point?

They pulled out some S.A.D.C.R.A.P. quality dietary supplements that even one of my nutrition trainees could see were full of artificial coloring, preservatives and junk ingredients, asked what we thought about them and then insisted she didn’t believe what we were saying.

Hint, hint…if you aren’t getting the results you want, what’s it going to hurt to give the information a real go to find out for yourself?...it doesn’t matter what the potential client ‘thinks’ is valid or real…if they don’t put it to use themselves then all they are really doing in essence is arguing with themselves…and that makes up about 30% of the population seeking help from every health professional from massage practitioner, personal trainer, nurse, pharmacist, psychiatrist, ND and MD.

In other words, some people are simply working their own emotional baggage out and they at least feel better if they get into an academic tit-for-tat. They feel justified in their ignorance and for the time, feel better about winning a conversation that actually benefiting from the expertise of the person they hired to help them. Know anyone like this?

Reason #6 is to find people who want long-term solutions. Generally, people who just want a brand name thrown out there will talk themselves out of following through…they simply haven’t decided to take the action to reach their goals…and they haven’t made any kind of commitment to follow through, so they aren’t really ready for the information…so why give them something they aren’t ready for?  That would be dis-service. People who simply want a brand name thrown out are often looking for a quick fix…they don’t want to do the fundamentals of long-term health…they want to keep doing what is hurting their health and take a magic pill to make up for all their ills…another thing that doesn’t work….that way they can say, they tried it and it didn’t work. That way there’s no commitment on their part but they have the luxury of discounting what could have helped them…in other words, they’re in the driver’s seat, but lack self control.

Reason #7 is that I specialize in people who want fast results, consistent results and long-term solutions. I look for people who value what I have to offer. If they don’t apply the very basic information I cover in their initial consult appointment, I’m certainly not going to meet with them again to give them more advanced material…each step builds on the previous step. If the client wants to act like they know more than me or that they have power of ‘veto’ over the information..they’ll simply miss out.

I work with people who are going to return with success stories…that’s what my business is about…fast, consistent and long term results.

Hence, my business is called Reasons or Results!...you’re either getting results from applying the information or you have reasons why you didn’t…the only reason the stuff doesn’t work is when people refuse to apply it. I work with the people who apply it.

I do offer unlimited follow up for the one-time fee of $50, but if someone doesn’t follow through on the basic info from the first appointment, there’s nothing else to follow up on: 

I do my part, you do your part.

Reason #8 is that I offer brand name supplement information for discerning and discriminating individuals who have already tried stuff that didn’t work or do what is was supposed to…so that they can tell when something is really working and doing what it’s supposed to (ability to recognize value).  Or they at least have the ability to tell when someone is telling them the truth. If someone can’t tell when someone is telling them the truth, then they’ll be at the mercy of marketing scams capitalizing on their inability to discern between credible science and pseudo-science (most dietary supplement companies are mere marketing companies) and a there’s about a thousand different nutrition companies that come and go every year. The supplements I have used for 22 years have been around since the late 1950’s.

If I just throw brand names out there, what’s the point of learning the fundamentals of good health?…the emphasis becomes a brand name quick-fix, rather than fundamental habits that build optimal health and ultimately peak performance…there’s no short cut and dietary supplements do not fix poor nutrition habits. People like to say dietary supplements aren’t necessary, we can get all we need from food (even though they never eat right to begin with)…then why do they insist knowing what brand supplements I recommend?

Reason #9 is that you can walk into a nutrition store and see a thousand different supplement brands, but few people are getting the kinds of results they are plunking down money for. It’s obviously not in knowing brands. Some people attend my Fitness Nutrition class, sign up for a personal consult, pay me the $50 to get the “brand” and still don’t follow through…once they know the brand, they take it upon themselves to find a different brand…huh? Then, months later they tell me they aren’t getting the results I talked about. 

Screening people allows me to provide brand name information to people who are capable of utilizing the information for their benefit. The testimonial collection I have is based on people who follow through, not make excuses.

Reason #10 is that all the information contained within the Fitness Nutrition class is the fundamental information that is a pre-requisite before I will accept anyone as a nutrition or personal training client. It’s all the information that someone needs in order to get the five main benefits I offer:

1. Burn fat faster,

2. Gain strength,

3. Gain lean mass,

4. Improve endurance &

5. Prevent the top 10 de-generative dis-eases.

Without that information they won’t succeed in the short run, let alone have long-term, sustainable  success. Within that class I would estimate I answer no less than the top 50 questions they are going to end up asking me anyway, even if I do tell them the brand of supplements I use and recommend.

So again, minimizing the information to talking “brands” is a discount of the information. More than likely, most people aren’t getting the results they want simply because they are discounting fundamental principles of performance nutrition…they might already have the info and be able to say, “Oh, I already know that…you didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.” BUT, my job is to help them apply it…it’s not about how much you know or think you know…it’s about how much of what you know you’re applying…and I apply all I teach and then some. And believe me, I do waaaaaay more than what I expect others to do.

Reason #11 is that I don’t want people to utilize information that is meant for someone else who has a different health status, different goals, different needs. During my Fitness Nutrition classes, people always ask questions relating to their particular health and in times past, people who had a completely different situation hear a remark to another person and without asking for more detail, go an apply the information even though it wasn’t right for them. Sometimes it’s information meant for women and a man thinks I’m talking about his situation or vise versa.

Sometimes a person with heart dis-ease thinks the diabetes tips are for them, and the list goes on and on. So, I cover the What? and Why? of Fitness Nutrition but the How? For each individual is covered in their individual session as it relates to information I have gathered about them in particular. I mean think about it…if it really relates to their long-term health and vitality would they reasonably want to rely on free, over heard, hear say directed at someone they don’t know?

By reserving the information to personal sessions, it gives me the opportunity to follow up with them, make sure they are applying it correctly and to make sure they are getting the results I talk about…if not, I get to make changes to help them get back on track. If I just recommend a brand, there’s no way for me to follow up with them and it’s unlikely that if they wouldn’t invest a onetime fee of $50 that they will ever pursue a follow up question for their own benefit…they simply haven’t committed their own time, energy or money.

Reason #12 is that many people who teach classes and talk nutrition are paid by a company or companies to promote products. In other words, they might talk about quality and the like, but in reality it’s more of a commercial. I have companies after me all the time to promote their products and I don’t. I teach what I know to be true and accurate regardless of whether people agree with it or not…I’m loyal to the results that I and my clients get…that’s where I’m coming from.  I’m rooted in results rather than preaching proprietary concepts and then doing a bait and switch with poor quality products.

Reason #13 is that people can show up to the class knowing they aren’t going to get a sales pitch for products. The generic classes cover the what? and why? of nutrition and if they want more detail for themselves they can hire me to assure me that they truly want the how? information as it applies to their particular needs. If they don’t want it, they are free to ignore the information as well as apply it to feel and perform better than ever. 

The surest way to know if someone is likely to not follow through is when they insist I tell them the quick answer…a brand…it points to a history of expecting a long-term solution from a  short-term fix.

 

And ultimately, when I do tell a person upfront what brand of supplements they'll have to take to get the amazing results my clients get, its most likely to screen out the people who aren't intending to follow through...you see, the people who will make excuses about why they can't do nutrition and exercise will make the brand name of a supplement the locus of their excuses and I don't have to put any more energy into people who aren't intending to follow through anyway...excuses are excuses, nothing more nothing less.

The person who comes in wanting to argue with the trainer has an agenda other than simply doing what works. They aren't here to get results, they are here to feel better about themselves and they believe that to make their trainer wrong, they will make themselves right...they'll still be fat and unhappy, but they feel JUSTIFIED...still fat / still unhappy...but justified.

When you hire a professional, they only way to know if what they are saying is to 1) apply it exactly how they show you 2) measure your body composition every 30 days and 3) check your blood chemistry lab results every 3-6 months. 

If you're losing less than 20 pounds per month of (fat), gaining lean mass and improving your blood chemistry numbers, either your program isn't designed for your goals, you aren't following through as good as you think you are or your supplements aren't being absorbed. It's that simple.