There are a lot of things that bother me about the fitness industry. Mostly, these center around the deception in advertising. I appreciate honest representations of the transformations that people are making through exercise and nutritional changes. I don’t appreciate distorted realities that are presented.
Few people can maintain “photo session” fitness 365 days a year. More often than not, the fitness model isn’t even doing the program being advertised. Those actors? They are preparing around the clock for the next movie.
There is one advertisement that is currently under my skin because I see it almost daily. In it a former NFL player tells us that the program he is selling is the only way to a lean physique and that just exercising hard is not enough. (I am taking a bit of poetic license, here, but it is not far from what is said.) In the ad, he is shown working out quite intensely. He actually looks in great shape (as he is), but, when he pulls up his shirt, he reveals a soft and flabby body—that is clearly not his. Not only is the image deceptive, but the ad gives the unhealthy impression that overly lean should be the target above and beyond performance (because being named the “fittest NFL player” is not enough, one has to be the leanest, too).
Being lean is an important fitness goal. There is much evidence to suggest that eating less will contribute to one’s longevity and that being overfat contributes to disease. There are limits, however, to what is “healthy lean” and what can be reasonably sustained for the average individual. Supplements are not the solution. Excessive diet and exercise approaches are not the answer, either.
Sustainable fat loss involves proper resistance training and cardiorespiratory exercise, consistent caloric balance and macro balance, and dedication to healthy habits. Thirty- or sixty-day “challenges” are great to kickstart a fitness plan, but they are hardly transformational. Acceptance of your best sustainable body is the best counter to yo-yo dieting and changing programs with the publishing of the latest fitness magazine or blog.
The best programs are sustainable, simple, and physically challenging. The don’t promise quick results. They require consistency and effort. If they offer anything else, they should be questioned.
Don’t be fooled by deceptive marketing. Trust the professionals that know the biochemistry, physiology, and psychology behind exercise, and present it honestly. If it sounds good because you can’t understand all the scientific terminology they are throwing at you, it is probably a truckload of bull****. Trust the professionals who will be honest with you.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!