I don’t know about you guys, but whenever I see an article or anything that says things like “My Secret to Weight loss!” Or “My Fitness Secret!” I get very skeptical.
And then when it’s an ad for Herbalife, or Body by Vi, or Sensa, or Slim Wraps, or some other God-forsaken “diet ” multi-level marketing product, well, then I just get ANGRY. (Now, I’m not saying that every single product these companies make is absolute junk or anything, I’m sure they have perfectly fine products, but I just hate the way they sometimes act like they are the ONLY SOLUTION to weight loss, like they sell some sort of miracle potion. They don’t.)
Because here’s the thing- there really are no secrets. The information is out there for you. Everyone knows it takes hard work to get in good shape, and it seems that all many people want is a way to BYPASS hard work.
But why? So they can maybe lose 10 lbs. super quick and then gain it all back again, ruining their metabolism? Is it really worth it?
No, it’s not.
And these “diet products” do nothing but completely harm people. While they may work in the short term, they don’t offer long-lasting healthy habits, and personally it belittles those that actually DO take the time and work their butts off to achieve weight loss and fitness the healthy way.
And have you been on any Fitness themed Facebook Pages lately? Every single transformation photo says things like:
“Looks like Photoshop to me”
“That isn’t her”
“She looked better before”
“She’s too thin now”
“FAKE FAKE FAKE”
“Ew muscles are gross”
Aaaand you get the idea. It’s absolutely remarkable that people
A.) Can’t fathom that someone actually put in hard work to achieve amazing results and
B.) Pick apart the After photo just because it’s something they feel like they can’t attain.
You know, ANYBODY can get in shape if they want to. But they key is you have to want to. You have to be willing to change your HABITS. And yes, I include people with medical issues, babies- heck I’ve seen an amazing transformation picture of a man with only one leg get himself in shape. When life hands you challenges, you can either let them destroy you and hold you back or find ways to overcome them!
If you create every excuse in the book for yourself then no, you won’t achieve your goals. It takes a positive mindset and a determination to not let things stand in your way. And honestly that’s one of the hardest parts of this journey, but once you start to master this, it is also applicable to ALL areas of life.
Do you know who Chady Dunmore is? She’s one of the most inspirational fitness models out there to me.
She actually started her fitness journey later in life, after she had kids and she is one of the most respected fitness models in the world. She’s awesome!
So I challenge you- if you’re reading this looking for the next “fitness secret” out there, STOP wasting time looking for shortcuts and making excuses for yourself, and start changing your life today! There’s nobody stopping you but yourself 🙂
There are so many resources out there, and the internet is your best friend when it come to learning about fitness techniques and nutrition! Here are some good places to start:
– http://www.girlsgonestrong.com
– http://www.bodybuilding.com
– http://www.reddit.com/xxfitness (also http://www.reddit.com/fitness)
– http://www.t-nation.com
Know of any other awesome resources? Let me know and I’ll add them to this list! 🙂
2 Comments
Just speaking as someone who’s out of shape and trying to change it, those “secret to weight loss” claims are incredibly frustrating, because it makes me feel like they’re preying on people like me. People who are going through a tough transition need to be told they can do it and not that they need a shortcut. I really appreciate that you are telling people that they CAN do it. No secrets. Just hard work.
Exactly! Well, honestly, the whole reason they do that is because they *know* it doesn’t work, and it’s only going to create a false sense of need for the snake oil product.
The diet industry really sickens me because it’s not about really helping people, but creating repeat customers that depend on a product that doesn’t even work.
Kudos to you for seeing through that! You’re way ahead of most. Good luck on your fitness journey and let me know if you have any questions or if I can help!