Are you an “Information Junkie?”  Do you research and  “collect” information on how to do things without ever getting around to actually doing them?  Do you enjoy finding facts about an activity more than doing the actual activity itself?  If so, you’re probably an information junkie.

I saw a cartoon once about people being in the Afterlife somewhere up in the clouds.  There was an escalator going up into a bright light with a sign at the bottom that said “Heaven” and an arrow pointing up.  Next to it, there was another sign pointing to a classroom that said, “Seminar on Heaven.”  Needless to say, all of the information junkies were in the seminar.

At the other end of the spectrum, “Action Addicts” only need a barest amount of information before they spring into action.  All they need is a sign that points them in the right direction and they’re halfway down the road.  Action Addicts would have jumped on the escalator to Heaven without even trying to find out what the qualifications were, what to pack, what to expect along the way, and so on.  They figure they can always find out any details they might need along the way.

Learning to Know versus Learning to Do

Many of us approach health and fitness the same way.  Some people (including myself), have an entire library of information on every kind of diet and exercise routine available but yet, never seem to have the time to eat right and exercise.  In contrast, the Action Addicts are too busy to read because they’re at the gym exercising all day.

One approach I’ve learned to help keep me balanced between these two modes has been to ask myself, “What do I plan to do with this information once I get it?”  If the answer is that I just want to “know,” then I jump into Information Junkie mode.  On the other hand, if the answer is that I need the information in order to “do something,” then I shift move towards Action Addict mode.

You see, there’s a big difference between learning something in order to know it, and learning something in order to put it to use (ie: to do something).  In the first cast, I can take my time and savor every detail.  I can picture things, real or imagined,  in my mind and arrange the information any order I want.

Learning to do, on the other hand, requires a different type of learning.  There, the emphasis is on action, on getting started so I would scan the material quickly only looking for Step 1.  I can’t afford the time to read all the details and I definitely can’t afford to get the order out of sequence.  I only need just enough information to get me to the first step, at which time I can go back and figure out how to get to the next step, and so on.

You Need Both

We need to be able to balance both types of learning.  You need to know how to exercise safely, but you also need to actually do it.  You need to know how to make healthy food choices but you also need to do it when you’re at the market, or at the buffet line.  You need to know, but you need to also do.

So before you pick up another book or magazine on health and fitness, ask yourself, “What do I plan to do with this information?”  Be sure to be honest with yourself.  If you’ve picked up a book of exercise routines just to see if someone has invented a new way to do a Bench Press, then go ahead and enjoy reading the entire book including the footnotes, index, and bibliography.  However, don’t try to justify buying the book by telling yourself that you really intend to do any of the exercises because all that will do is set you up for a guilt trip later on.

On the other hand, if you really do intend to get into shape and the book seems like it will help get you there, don’t spend all your time reading the whole thing.  Just get enough information to get started, and then get started.

Asking yourself what you plan to do with the information will save you time as well as make you much more effective.  It will also reduce the stress and number of guilt trips.

Try it for yourself and see…

Hiram
Certified Nutrition Fitness Coach and
Personal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

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