Side Pattern

Infomercial. One word that causes most people to cringe. They take over our favorite TV channels late at night and on the weekends in an effort to try and sell us something they think is new and exciting. However, any of us that have fallen victim to the hype and purchased something from one of these As-Seen-On-TV deals, typically realize that what we end up with is normally junk. From a magic hair removal system to spray on sealant claiming to fix your roof leak, these companies will claim a lot of outrageous things to get you excited about their product. Unfortunately for us this rings especially true with fitness related products and programs.

We’ve seen everything from ab chairs and rollers claiming to give you an immediate six-pack, a weight you shake in your hands that will get you ripped, to even a 10-minute-a-day workout program that will shed the pounds in bunches. These are the types of gimmicks that often target the population who are looking for a quick fix with minimal effort. Unfortunately, many of these items and programs end up collecting dust in a closet when the buyer figures out that the results they promise often have huge disclaimers that go unnoticed.  The age-old adage of “if it looks too good to be true it probably is” is very fitting when it comes to these types of products. If you step back and really look you can easily see that the spokesman didn’t lose 30lbs and end up looking like a bodybuilder by sitting in a chair and doing some modified crunches for 5 minutes a day. It took a strict diet, cardio training, and several resistance training sessions a week. But they conveniently leave that part out.

Here’s the point of this rant, when it comes to fitness and health, there are no shortcuts. It takes dedication, hard work and most of all consistency to achieve the results you want, and more importantly to keep them.  There will always be fitness products and programs, both on TV and not, that will promise quick and incredible results, but these are typically proven to be fads as the results, if any, are short lived for most participants. The most proven and trusted method for long term success is a mixture of a balanced diet, cardiovascular training, and resistance training which helps ensure our entire body is taken care of from the inside out.   Rather than continue to look for the quick fix or easy way out, if we want success, we must be willing to put in the effort and make the necessary changes. So next time you find yourself getting excited about some new infomercial fitness product or fly-by-night fitness facility, just remember that your success is based on your hard work, and it will take hard work, and commitment. But it will be worth it!