Thursday, April 4, 2013

Gimmicks and reality

Everyone has seen pictures of people they wish they could look like. You watch infomercials for fitness programs, read an article on how to lose 10 pounds in 10 days, join challenges that come to an end and eventually leave you back at square one, set unrealistic goals based on misbelief about fitness, or fall for the latest fad diet and wonder why you never get to where you want to be.

The frustrating thing about fitness is that you get fired up and look for dramatic promises, fall into the trap of marketing gimmicks, and never truly dig into what it REALLY takes to be healthy and fit. The truth is, if you are being promised dramatic changes and expect to achieve them, you have to do dramatic things to get there. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with dramatic results or dramatic work. I'm saying that most of us in this world don't have the time it takes, much less the desire, to do those things. And we certainly don't want to have to maintain the results.

If your desire is to be uber thin, you have to take extreme, unhealthy measures to get there. If your desire is to be uber shredded, you have to spend a lot of time working out and maintain a very strict, high protein, low carb/fat, also unhealthy diet.

What I find frustrating, is that the "happy medium" or "average" fit body doesn't get people's attention and doesn't make the marketing companies any money, so that's never advertised as a desired goal.

We live in a dramatic world. Drama sells. Drama is what people respond to. But then when you fall for the dramatic gimmick and get normal, real, or average results, you feel like you have failed.

I seriously get so angry about how distorted these companies are and how the messages they send have the opposite affect on people then they should have. You're "sold" a dramatic, unrealistic promise that doesn't deliver and then feel like a failure. How is that promoting health and fitness? Come on...

So this is my attempt to interrupt the lies you're falling for, and hopefully get you thinking differently. When someone wants to sell you something, they're going to SELL you something! I'd like to see more people take that energy they have when they are fired up about getting fit, and put it toward realistic efforts with realistic goals and results.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to find accountability. Consistency is always key. Reality is key. Determination is key. Inspiration is key. Accountability is key!

I encourage you to read more blogs like this. Follow real people that did real work to get real results and are really maintaining. Set your own goals that don't lead you to failure, but rather to success. Expect realistic results. Understand that you should be working toward healthy living. Don't fall for gimmicks. Don't fall for promises. The only promise you need is the one that you make to yourself to never quit. Don't be a victim of the media and marketing agencies. They have a job, and that job is to sell you stuff. And don't fall for the dramatic TV shows that need ratings. Drama gets ratings.

Just to be clear, I don't think there is anything wrong with extreme fitness. Hard work pays off. The harder you work, the more it shows. What I do believe is that you should never take unnatural approaches to accomplish your goals. If your goals require you to take extreme, dramatic, unnatural measures, you need new goals.

If you have questions, need help, need accountability, or are looking for someone to show you the healthy, natural way to live healthy for life, email me at lacysfitnessblog@gmail.com. I want to help you do it right. I want you to succeed. I want you to see what you are really missing out on.

Good luck to you in your journey!

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