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June 10, 2026
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Obesity rates are rising, prompting more people to adopt healthier lifestyles. However, the surge of fitness influencers offering workout and diet advice poses risks, as many lack proper qualifications and promote unproven methods.
Dr Ivan Puah, a qualified expert, distinguishes between accurate and misleading fitness tips. It's crucial to seek informed, science-backed advice rather than follow trends from unqualified sources.
We are living in a time when obesity rates are reaching crisis levels, so it is a step in the right direction that more and more people are making lifestyle changes and adopting healthy habits.
However, the problem arises with the meteoric rise of fitness content creators who influence many around the world with their workout and diet tips.
There's no denying that this group of personalities has unprecedented influence, both in their own country and worldwide, making millions through endorsements for "carefully designed" workout programs and meal plans.
What's the problem, you ask?
Well, the major issue is the lack of credentials among many of these fitness influencers: the vast majority have little to no training or qualifications and often advocate methods with a severe lack of scientific evidence.
This can lead to long-term damage if the individual practises incorrect techniques for an extended period of time or subscribes to certain diet programmes ill-suited for their body.
10 Fitness “Advice” By Influencers: Can You Tell Fact From Fiction?
To find out if the fitness "tips" commonly dished out by bloggers and influencers are accurate or just plain bogus, we reached out to Dr Ivan Puah, who has received a Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine offered by LKC Medicine, and has an in-depth understanding of fitness, injury rehabilitation, and weight management, to separate the good advice from the bad.
1. Are Detox Teas And Cleansing Diets Good For The Body?
From daily juicing and cutting down on certain groups of food to only consuming foods from certain colour groups, there's no shortage of detox and diet trends that celebrities and fitness influencers are championing in recent years – some of them even claim that their recommended diet can help shed the pounds within days or weeks!
Dr Ivan Puah, however, opines that having a well-balanced diet is more important than succumbing to fad diets pushed by influencers.
👨🏻 "Here's the truth: the body is a complex machine which requires balanced nutrition to function at the optimal cellular level. If you look up the definition, the term 'diet' actually has little to do with what we eat momentarily. Instead, it relates to the food and drink we consume regularly to keep our health in tip-top condition.
The only diet I will recommend is one tailored to each person and focused on maintaining health. That means, a 'diet' (food and drink) that is well-balanced and meets your daily needs – a good amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, fibre, and minerals.
Drinking good-quality water is vital for life. Water is the structural component of macromolecules and acts as a solvent for substances such as minerals, amino acids, and glucose, while helping maintain acid-base balance in our bodies.
2. Should Beginners Follow An Intense Workout Routine First to Burn Fat?
According to Dr Puah, this may be more fiction than fact.
👨🏻 "When we exercise, our body generates energy either via the aerobic or anaerobic pathways. Aerobic pathways occur mainly via oxidative pathways, which metabolise fat and/or glucose as energy sources.
Meanwhile, anaerobic pathways occur via glycolysis, which mostly burns glucose. So the key concept we must remember here is: the more intensive the exercise, the more our body's fast muscle fibres, which utilise glycolytic metabolism, will be activated.
In short, high-intensity workouts are likely to burn more glucose than fat, while exercise routines of mild to moderate intensity are more likely to activate fat-burning metabolism."
3. Do You Need To Train At Least Five Days A Week To See Visible Results?
Here's another "advice" that commonly makes the rounds on the Internet, and more often than not, it comes from those who probably have unrestricted access to premium gyms plus exclusive personal trainers and nutritionists on speed dial.
But the reality is, many of us with full-time jobs won't be able to squeeze in a full workout session every day of the week. So does that mean you won't see any results if you don't sweat it out five days a week?
👨🏻 Dr Puah remarks, "The amount of exercise required to be fit or healthy varies for different individuals. It will also depend on the intensity of your workout. In general, I'd say that one may need at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intensive exercise per week to be healthy. For example, if you exercise moderately for 30 minutes each day, you are advised to do it five times a week."
Having said that, Dr Puah does recommend committing more time if your goal is to lose weight, with 300 minutes of moderate or 150 minutes of intensive exercise weekly being the ideal commitment.
4. Do You Need To Give Up Carbs If You Want Your Body To Change For The Better?
A no-carb diet is probably one of the most typical pieces of advice you'll hear when it comes to losing weight. But it's really not as simple as that, says Dr Ivan Puah.
👨🏻 "Carbohydrate is one of our major sources of nutrients, so it's really unhealthy for someone to give up on carbs totally. The amount of carbs required will depend on your health, activity level, and lifestyle, among many other factors.
However, it's worth pointing out that excessive intake of carbohydrates over time may lead to weight gain, poor metabolic health, high blood pressure, and increased risk of heart disease."
So the key takeaway? Cut down on carb intake if you like, but don't cut it out completely from your life.
5. Should You Cut Fruits Out Of Your Diet Because Sugar Makes You Fat?
According to Dr Puah, sugar – just like carbohydrates – does little harm to you when taken in moderation.
👨🏻 "The more important thing to note: fruits are an important source of vitamins to keep us balanced and healthy."
Translation? Excess calorie intake is the culprit of weight gain, not sugar.
6. If You're Not Dripping In Sweat By The End Of Your Workout Session, Did You Exercise Hard Enough?
Any of us who has exercised before is probably guilty of this, because perspiration is widely regarded as an indicator to tell you if you've worked out hard enough.
Dr Puah, however, opines that this couldn't be further from the truth.
👨🏻 "When we exercise, our body generates heat, and sweating is one of our body's regulatory mechanisms to dissipate heat and prevent overheating. The rate of perspiration depends on several factors such as body temperature, humidity, body thermoregulation, and heat acclimatisation, among others.
For instance, you may sweat more in humid weather compared to less humid weather, even though you're doing the same amount of exercise. Hence, the amount of perspiration may not be an accurate indicator of how much workout you have done."
7. Do You Need To Change Your Exercises Often To Shock Your Body And Muscles?
Finally, a fitness tip that carries more weight. In Dr Puah's opinion, changing your workout routine regularly can be more beneficial for your body.
👨🏻 "That's because doing the same exercise routine repeatedly will condition your muscles and brain to allow them to perform more efficiently, requiring less effort for the same amount of work. A change in your fitness routine will 'shock' your body into 'unfamiliar territory', requiring it to put in more effort to complete the sets."
8. Should You Avoid Cardio Because It Burns Muscles Instead Of Fat?
As mentioned in point #2, most of us are probably burning more glucose than fat since high-intensity workouts have been all the rage for the last few years.
And for many of us, glucose is the primary source of energy during exercise (though there are exceptions, of course).
Dr Puah further explains that the average person usually has enough glycogen stored in the liver and muscles to last for 1 to 2 hours of continuous cardio.
👨🏻 "By the time you have depleted your body's stored glycogen, you are likely to be completely exhausted," he adds.
However, depending on your physical fitness, diet, conditioning, exercise intensity, and duration, your body may utilise varying amounts of fat as an alternative energy source during exercise.
So, it is still possible to burn fat doing cardio exercises. Dr Puah shares that minor muscle wear and tear during exercise is very normal for everyone, but full recovery can be expected with proper rest and nutrition.
All in all, you do not burn or lose muscles doing cardio exercises, unless under extreme conditions such as extreme physical exhaustion and heat stroke, among other reasons.
9. Is It True That The Faster You Get Results, The Better?
Ah, the trope we get bombarded with everywhere: 'Lose 10kgs in a week.' 'Get abs in two weeks.' We'd probably be millionaires by now if we got a S$1 for every fib of such nature that we see on social media.
Here's what Dr Ivan Puah has to say:
👨🏻 "How much and how intensive your workout is will depend on your fitness level and physical condition. Those who are fitter and better conditioned can, of course, start at higher levels and step up their training faster, while less active individuals will need to do it at a much slower pace. Pushing yourself too much and too fast in your exercise routine greatly increases your risk of injuries as well as adverse health effects."
10. Can There Be Any Gain Without Any Pain?
Just as some will tell you that your workout isn't effective if you're not sweating enough, many others believe that pain is another good indicator of results.
In Dr Ivan Puah's opinion, this is not only false but also has severe consequences if people continue to buy into it.
👨🏻 "Pain is often a warning signal indicating a certain level of stress, injury or damage from a particular tissue. You should find out the cause of your pain before continuing your exercise. Working out when you are injured may worsen the condition or prolong your recovery."
