Over the past 15 years I have seen a lot of gimmicks and tricks in the fitness industry. The amount of misinformation that floats around out there is scary. The flashy concepts, that have no roots in exercise science, are market to us by the pretty people. The new machine that will finally change your body, the next best exercise, it just goes on and on. Just the other day a person called asking about a 'Hollywood' workout that is guaranteed to build you a six pack abs in just 30 days. This person was so sold on the idea of getting ripped abs in just 30 days that they could not see the fact that they were being sold a dream, a dream that will ultimately damage your body.

The sad fact is that the majority of the exercises and programs available commercially and designed by 'experts' are poorly designed, use dangerous exercises and simply wear the body down to the point of failure. I will spare you the rant on why the programs and specifically the exercises are wrong and even dangerous, read my past articles for that.

Truth # 1

Nothing is guaranteed. If the product you are interested in makes a guarantee they are trying to sell you something. The old adage is true, there are no guarantees in life. No matter how good the exercise is, how well the program is designed, how strong the machine is made, no one can account for all the variables. Sleep-diet-stress-intensity-volume-technique-fatigue all factor into the equation.

Truth # 2

Machines do not work. I have stated this many times before, the research (in accredited/peer reviewed journals) supports this. Your body was not designed to contort into a machine and be forced to move in a set pattern. To buy a machine or spend the majority of your workout sitting on one will cause you to fail, quickly. As I tell all the athletes I train when they ask why we do not bench press "if you are staring at the sky (on the field/court) you lost, exercising laying or sitting is useless on the field"

Truth # 3

There is no magic supplement. Do you honestly believe that a fruit from the Amazon will cure all disease? Is there a little known mineral that prevents X ? I do not discount that some of these products that are loaded with antioxidants and minerals, I personally use some but the take home message is the more boastful the claim and the more unsubstantiated the research the more they are trying to sell you a dream. Many of the products do contain these 'super foods' but the concentration is so minimal that most of the benefit is negated by the lack of dosage. Buyer beware, there are some good ones out there but please do your homework.

Truth # 4

Wellness is in your head. Ask any psychologist about the power of positive thinking and they will tell you that to think healthy will enable you to be healthy. To constantly think healthy allows you to effortlessly be healthy, it is easy to make healthy choices in diet, exercise daily, fight off illness and be happy if you have positive thoughts. Think your way to a positive lifestyle and the barriers will fall.

Truth # 5

Just do it! Nike has it right. To simply move, to do, to be, to function, to not make excuses, to be informed, to not be sold a dream......There are a million reasons to be fit and healthy and just as many gimmicks and machines to make sure that you fail. The simple fact is that to establish a routine, follow it and live it and you will have success. If you spend your time looking for the next great fitness revolution and it just adds to the pile in the basement of the dusty old 'next best exercise machine' than change has yet to occur.

Your body needs constant change, it can never be allowed to adapt, if you are bored so is your body. There are many on line trainers, programs, videos etc., some are good and some not so much. Please do not be fooled by the flashy programs or the Hollywood workouts, they make you look good and feel bad. Some of the best exercises are nothing fancy and many of the flashy exercises are nothing but dangerous. Fitness and wellness are a self fulfilling prophecy, if you feel good you are more apt to be fit, if you feel bad then the answer is obvious.

The definition if insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result, does this apply to your exercise routine or diet?