I admit it; I had the morning show on in the background while I was doing some work this morning.
I can guess what you’re thinking… but I was actually waiting for a segment on health and fitness that was coming up soon.
Before that, an infomercial came on making grand claims about some new exercise equipment that would change your life without you having to do anything strenuous.
There were two attractive young women using this machine with big smiles on their faces, hardly breaking a sweat while the promoter claimed you only had to exercise for a few minutes a day and didn’t have to even get out of breath. Doing just a few minutes of gentle exercise you were guaranteed to lose kilos of weight, tone your abs and have long shapely legs and butt.
It sounded fantastic and they guaranteed that if you weren’t happy you could return the machine and get your money back. Then they had ‘happy customers’ making outrageous claims about how much weight they had lost, how many dress sizes they and dropped and how their whole life had turned around.
I get so frustrated when television channels run these advertisements. While the equipment might in itself be okay, anyone that claims you don’t have to put in some effort or breathe hard is kidding themselves and conning you.
As good as any exercise equipment is, the key to getting fitter is to push yourself out of your comfort zone and to do a variety of different exercise not just one action on a machine.
And while I have been telling you to exercise with more intensity for less time, you won’t get fit dong a few minutes a day if you aren’t prepared to push yourself.
So next time you are tempted to pick up the phone and order that wiz-bang exercise machine that is going to change your life, remember you still have to do the work and do a variety of different exercises.
And next time someone claims that this one piece of equipment is all you need, get off the couch and do some exercises. You’ll soon realize you don’t need buy anything to get fitter.
You just need to put in the effort.
I totally agree. I too catch glances of these commercials and get so very frustrated! My knowledge is only part of yours David, but I get angry at how tv can take advantage of peoples ignorance when it comes to exercise and weight loss and/or health improvement…everyday, 100 times a day…whether it be with a wham-bam piece of equipment or a quick-fix diet…the ads get fired at viewers constantly!!