Sometimes silence IS golden

At the gym this morning, as I was changing songs on my workout mix, I happened to overhear a somewhat disappointing conversation. I’m a little fanatical about my workouts, so ordinarily I’d just turn up the volume to drown out the people around me and get to work, but this conversation struck me.

A woman who just recently joined was soliciting one particular gym rat about supplements, particularly pre-workout drinks. If you’re not familiar, pre-workouts are designed to provide energy and stamina and generally have some type of stimulant compound in them (caffeine is common, but not the main ingredient in most of them). I should stop here and tell you that this isn't a post about the dangers/benefits/controversy over using stimulants or energy drinks, so stick with me. The woman was soliciting an opinion regarding whether or not her teenage son should take a pre-workout before coming to lift weights. His answer could easily have been simple, concise, and to the point... But if that were the case I’d have nothing to post today.

For the next five minutes, our highly enlightened gym rat comrade saw fit to enlighten this woman (who was genuinely seeking good counsel) about the evils of “energy drinks.” He told her that it was just sugar, the same as drinking a soda. That she should just crush up some caffeine pills and give those to her son instead. That he would probably die of a heart attack if he took it. I could go on, but why?

Regardless of your feelings about the use of supplements, most people know that what our rat friend said was, at the very least, misinformed. He spoke from a position of absolute authority though. So my question is this: Why do people exaggerate their capabilities and knowledge when it is usually very easy to identify the fraud?

It really is OK to admit you don’t know something! I try to remind myself of that often. In my professional life, when someone asks me about a regulation or interpretation and I don’t know the answer, I admit it. The key is getting over that lack of knowledge and using it as an opportunity to get better. Take the time to do the research, ask more questions, and find the answer. You’ll be a better person for it, and your words will have much more meaning than they would have otherwise.