Media Muscle: Don’t Believe the Hype

The media saturates us with fitness products and programs promising miracles in the wink of an eye. According to the hype, you can get washboard abs in three minutes a day, loose those love-handles overnight, drop inches and pounds on a daily basis, and firm and tighten your thighs, hips and buttocks in just a few weeks. It certainly seems to have worked for the super-buff, trim and tanned spokespeople that promote these products and programs. The before and after pictures are compelling too, not to mention the heartfelt testimonials of all those satisfied customers who have had their lives completely turned-around.

The problem is, in reality, goals such as the building of cardio-vascular and muscular strength and endurance, trimming the body and increasing flexibility are only achievable in the long-term, involving slow and steady incremental gains over many weeks and months. No matter what the hype, and no matter what the media machine would have you believe, no individual can safely drop significant amounts of fat, nor significantly boost their cardio fitness, add lean muscle mass or increase their flexibility in such short periods of time. This is not however, to suggest that the fitness industry is simply trying to exploit you for your money.

While there are some companies and spokespeople that unashamedly seek to prey-upon peoples desire to be fit and healthy, most of the companies that make fitness products and design programs, as well as those who are hired to promote them, genuinely care about helping people to achieve their health and fitness goals. Companies that have been around the block also understand that their continued success in the health and fitness sector is dependant upon delivering results and providing high-quality service and support to their customers. At the end of the day though, companies are in business to make money, and competing as they are in the ultra-competitive health and fitness market, many resort to base tactics in efforts to boost their sales, gain market share and build profile.

It is fair to say that companies usually transmit through the media evidence, imagery, and opinions that are based on ideal outcomes. The marketing tends to focus on individuals who have achieved impressive, and often freakish, results, many of whom hold biased, solicited opinions. The phrase “individual results may very” is often the only acknowledgement marketers are willing to make of the fact that you, as the customer, are unlikely to experience anything even remotely resembling the outcomes they promote as being fairly typical and achievable for all. Evidence has shown however, for every one person that sings the praises of a particular piece of equipment or fitness system, there will be three or four who found it impractical, uncomfortable and ineffective.

When you enter into exercise by outlaying all sorts of money for programs and equipment that promise the world, you are bound to have high expectations. The problem is, while it can have a great effect in getting you excited about exercise in the beginning, being part of the hottest new trend or owning a piece of cutting-edge equipment does nothing to overcome the period when your initial reserves of energy and enthusiasm for exercise dry-up, usually somewhere in the first 30-45 days (4-6 weeks). It is for exactly this reason that so much fitness equipment quickly ends up as rusty, dusty junk in the attic or garage.

Tragically, this can also be the end of the line for many peoples efforts at getting fit, some of whom may be so discouraged they will wait many months or years before trying again, if at all. Even more remarkable, many of these same people will jump back on the fitness bandwagon by purchasing an all new super-system or mega-machine. And so, many people become trapped in a cycle of failure, forever taking one step forwards – and two steps back.

To avoid this trap, learn to be critical of the media hype and build realistic expectations. Many machines and programs advertised in media can be very beneficial in your quest to boost your fitness levels, but your efforts to get fit should never revolve around one single machine or program. Likewise, never get sucked-in by the idea that they will weave some sort of magic or give you some form of special advantage. Be cautious about expert or consumer testimonials, remembering that they do not represent the typical result, but have been recruited because they embody optimum results and provide compelling testimonials.

Regardless of the slogans and catchphrases, a period of 3-6 months is a much more realistic outlook on achieving significant changes to your physiological state of fitness, and possibly longer depending on your specific goals. Furthermore, if and when you attain your goals, you will need to continue to exercise to maintain your fitness, as muscle tissue and cardiovascular efficiency will degrade over time if you do not engage in regular exercise that is challenging and stimulating. The bottom line is that getting fit, and staying that way, is a lifestyle choice, not a fad.

Arron Stewart Is 26 years old, lives in Hamilton, New Zealand, and attends the University of Waikato as a graduate student in Sport & Leisure with an additional focus on Sociology and Human Resource Management. A website has been established featuring more information and selected articles of his work: http://www.geocities.com/arron_stew_79

August 13th, 2008