When I answer a question in an article most of the time my answer is 'it depends'. Why can't I just give you a simple yes or no answer? Why do I rarely say that something is definately bad or definately good?

The reason for this is because a lot of things in fitness and nutrition depend on the situation and the person. Everybody is different, they have different goals, different lives, different routines, different bodies etc. Without knowing all this information you can not give an accurate answer for every person.

An example is the recent article I wrote about honey. I did not say you must eat honey and I did not say that you must avoid honey. I said it depends on your situation and that most people can include honey in their diet as long as it is in moderation.

Unfortunately telling people this does not always sell books or products and this is the reason that you will be told that something is either good or bad.  The truth is that there are very few things that you should totally avoid (However I will always advise that you try and keep fizzy drinks, refined carbohydrates and added sugars to a minimum).

The same thing happens with exercise and fitness as well. You will find books, articles and programs telling you that one exercise or type of training is the only thing you should do or that you should totally avoid it. This isn't true because it depends on the person and their goals. Telling a long distance runner that they must lift heavy weights and not do steady state cardio training is wrong. Telling a person that wants to build strength and muscle to run 5 miles every day is wrong as well.

The best advice is to have a healthy, balanced diet and have things in moderation. Decide on your goals and choose an exercise program that will help you achieve those goals. More importantly choose an exercise program that you enjoy and that you will stick to!