Where the words come from

Editorial Policy

You should be able to see where a fitness claim comes from and what it can tell you. Here is how we prepare reference content, distinguish editorial checks from professional review, and handle corrections.

Our English reference pages use AI assistance for research, drafting and checking. Publication does not mean that a qualified coach, dietitian or clinician has reviewed a page. Professional review remains open for some exercise, nutrition and safety material.

Maintained by: Fitness Instructor AI Editorial TeamUpdated: October 31, 2026

A woman seated on a bench, looking at a white smartphone while wearing black workout clothing. — Illustrative reading scene. ADDICTIVE_STOCK / Envato.

Start with the claim

A source needs to support the wording

These are the standards we apply when creating or substantially revising a reference page. We look for a source that answers the question being discussed, open the relevant material and check the claim against its context. A citation on its own is not proof that a sentence follows from the source.

For example, we do not rewrite “muscle activity during a set” as “more muscle growth over months.” The wording should describe the outcome actually examined. NCCIH's guidance similarly asks readers to look for research that supports a health claim and to distinguish that evidence from opinions or testimonials. [1]

What we check for different kinds of content
Question	What we check	Boundary we keep
How is an exercise performed?	The named variation, equipment, setup and movement in relevant exercise references.	Instructions for one variation do not automatically cover every exercise with a similar name.
Does a training approach produce a result?	Relevant research and guidance, including the participants, comparison and measured outcome.	A group result is not a guaranteed outcome for an individual.
What does a food or recipe amount provide?	The stated food, quantity, data source and serving assumptions.	An estimate or serving calculation is not a laboratory measurement or a personal eating prescription.
What does a calculator show?	The implemented equation, input units, worked examples, rounding and invalid-input behavior.	A numerical prediction is not a measurement of the reader's body or performance.
What does a product offer?	The named provider's current public documentation and the scope of any testing actually performed.	A documented feature is not evidence of an independent product test or a training benefit.

When sources disagree

We check whether they address the same people, exercise, quantity and outcome before treating them as competing answers. We may explain both positions, narrow the wording or leave a conclusion unresolved. We do not give a claim a stronger label simply because a paper calls itself a review or a guideline.

Who checked what?

Editorial checking and professional review are different

AI assistance helps organize sources, draft explanations and check consistency. It does not establish that a coach, dietitian or clinician has reviewed the material. Our current editorial credit describes who prepared the page; it should not be read as a medical qualification.

Specialist human review remains pending for some material. We do not treat publication, a citation list or an updated date as proof that this review has happened. Where professional review is identified, the attribution needs to state the real reviewer and their role. We do not invent people, credentials, testimonials or testing experience.

The Authors and Reviewers page explains attribution. Google also advises publishers to make authorship and substantial AI assistance clear and warns against fabricated expert profiles. [2]

Keep the example honest

Examples, images and estimates need clear labels

Worked examples

Show what the numbers represent

A calculation example can use fictional values to explain a method. It should say so, rather than appearing to be a measured food record, a training result or a personal recommendation.

Food and recipes

State the amount being counted

Food estimates need an identified source and quantity. A recipe calculation also needs clear ingredient and serving assumptions. We do not present a calculated total as a laboratory analysis or an unperformed recipe test.

Visuals

Describe what is actually shown

We use original or licensed visuals and credit third-party assets. A stock image illustrates a topic; it does not establish that the person shown is our author, coach or research participant.

Our nutrition-label guide, for example, identifies its practice-food values as fictional. The arithmetic explains how a portion changes the numbers. It does not tell the reader how much to eat. The FDA likewise distinguishes a label's serving size from a recommendation about an individual's intake. [3]

When we discuss a product connected with this project, the relationship should be disclosed. Descriptions from a provider's help pages are identified as documentation, and we do not present them as results from a hands-on comparison we have not performed. You can see that distinction in our comparison guide.

For workouts and programs, we separate what a plan contains—its exercises, schedule and progression—from evidence about its results. A written plan is not a trial. We do not claim to have followed a program or tested a recipe unless that work is documented.

A date tells you when the page changed

We update the modification date when the main content, explanation or supporting references change substantially. A newer date does not make the evidence stronger by itself. The source's own date and the scope of its findings still matter.

Errors can remain, and references can become outdated or unavailable. If a source no longer supports the wording, the response may be a clarification, a correction or removal of that claim. This policy is not a guarantee that every page is complete or error-free.

Help make a claim checkable

Report a citation, wording or calculation error

Send a report to [email protected]. Include:

The page URL and the exact sentence, number or reference you are questioning.
A brief explanation and a supporting source, if you have one.
For a calculator, a reproducible example using non-sensitive values and the result you expected.

A link and a precise description are enough to start; personal medical details are not needed for an editorial report. Reports give us a claim to recheck. We do not promise a response time or treat a submitted report as a correction already made.

References behind these standards

NCCIH: How Do You Know the Information Is Accurate? — checking support for health claims and separating research evidence from opinion.
Google Search Central: Creating Helpful, Reliable, People-First Content — original value, accurate authorship and transparency about AI assistance.
FDA: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label — serving information and the distinction between a label amount and a personal recommendation.

The evidence for a specific movement, outcome or formula belongs beside the relevant explanation on its page. These general references do not establish that an individual article has received professional review.