In our industry we are constantly meeting people looking for a QUICK FIX to their health related problems. They want to be thinner NOW. They want to run faster NOW. NOW NOW NOW. The truth is that it took YEARS to get into the condition they are trying to fix, and the truth is that NOW isn’t realistic. That’s not what they want to hear.
If you are someone trying to get yourself in better shape please stop and take a moment to think about what the honest truth is…do the math on how long you have had bad habits (or even uneducated habits because you just didn’t know better).
If you want honest lasting results for weight loss, for example, you should aim for 1 lb of weight loss every week. And that may not happen in the first 3 weeks! And changing long-term bad habits is NOT EASY. The greatest success on something like this is when an entire FAMILY works together, or a few friends together – keeping each other in-check and accountable.
People see THE BIGGEST LOSER and want what those contestants get: 3-16lb lost every single weigh in! It’s amazing! WOW!! We only get to see 40 minutes of the actual work they did in a full week. That is in between more false promises of the magic formula to lose weight…eat this low calorie bar…drink this lowfat shake…eat this chocolate that will actually burn your fat…chew this gum. It’s is nauseating how far marketing people will go to trick you into a lie.
You cannot safely lose that much weight and live a NORMAL lifestyle. Normal meaning you have a job and a family to be a part of every day. Plus you need to get sleep squeezed in there. Oh, and don’t forget vacations and fun time with friends (you aren’t going to be a hermit and cut yourself off from all of this, correct?).
The people at the Biggest Loser show are whisked away from everything EXCEPT exercise – zero distractions. And who really knows what they are actually eating every day? Again, we only get to see a few moments here and there.
Now look close to you and the advertising in your life. It’s everywhere! Promises, guarantees, for-sure – lots of things we want to happen NOW NOW NOW. It’s irresponsible and lazy to advertise like this. Does anyone actually follow through on the guarantee? Probably not. Read the fine print.
We are all smart people. Somehow we’ve managed to survive PLANET EARTH up to this point in our lives. We’ve been through a lot already. So wake up to the truth and reality of your personal health situation. Stop being treated like an idiot.
We are each different in every way. The common sense and most honest way to improve your health (lose weight, get off medication, get stronger, get more energy…etc) is to eat nutritious food and increase your physical activity EVERY DAY. It’s not rocket science!
Here in Simi Valley we have hundreds of options – from FREE to EXPENSIVE. You get to pick!
Here are some ideas if you are in the Simi Valley area. In your own town or city you can search “exercise”, “free”, “Boot Camp” “Parks and Recreation” or similar to find ideas.
There are incredible trails and the Rancho Simi Trail Blazers have regular hikes you can join FOR FREE.
www.RanchoSImiTrailblazers.com
You can take your family to Rancho Santa Susana Park or Lemon Park (Rancho Tapo Park) where the city has kept a dirt track perfectly manicured to walk or run on (less impact on your body). Go to the Rancho Simi Recreation and Parks website to see the many different parks, surely there is one in your neighborhood.
http://rsrpd.org/
Have a gym membership? GO! Find a few friends and pick out some classes you’ve never tried before. Do it together (it’s much easier that way). Most gyms sell their majority memberships over the New Year Resolution “season” and you pay every month. Chances are you stopped actually GOING but you are still paying.
You can always pay a personal trainer or join a boot camp (come check out ours!) but that’s not always realistic, right?
But don’t sit still.
Do SOMETHING to push yourself toward a better lifestyle that you can actually maintain. Reduced calorie diets are TRAPS. They are responsible for more weight GAIN than LOSS. WHY? Because you cannot continue reduced calorie diets forever…you need to EAT. You’ve got to stabilize your metabolism and burn at an even pace by EATING regularly. We want you to eat foods that have VALUE (not 100 calorie packs or frozen lean cuisine type foods). It doesn’t take much to learn this too.
Go to your local library and check out books about nutritious eating (not low-calorie, low-fat, no-fat).
The bottom line for each of us is that if we want lasting results we have to put some “skin in the game”. You cannot get lasting results in 4 weeks or starving yourself of calories. Set a 1 lb per week goal and then you have to get MOVING and EATING NUTRITIOUSLY.
We’ll always see advertisers promising more than they can deliver, sometimes even adding the buzz words “GUARANTEE” to it. Read the fine print on those guarantees. Like our parents ALWAYS told us “if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.”
Good Luck!