Why Exercise Diets and Gadgets Don’t Work

by admin on March 14, 2010

If you’re anything like me, then you’re privy to bouts of wonder on occasion. In one of my recent pensive moments, I began to wonder why diet supplement pills (for weight loss) are sold in 30, 60, and 90 day increments. Mediate of it this way: If diet pills realistically do what they’re supposed to do, which is aid in the loss of weight, then why would people need to continue their use after the desired weight is gone?

The answer is pretty simple. The diet pills don’t really work. Certain, they may suppress appetite, or increase one’s energy so that he/she is constantly fidgeting. But logically, why would anyone want to suppress the one internal function that was designed to alert humans to their need for food consumption. Many of the drugs used to create weight loss supplements have proven to be very dangerous to the human body. Yet consumers continue to be cajoled into purchasing the “dream” of the perfect figure/physique. The same is true of exercise equipment. If you’re unlucky enough to have insomnia at 3:18 in the morning, you’ve probably happened upon three or more different infomercials toting the next best piece of exercise equipment since the invention of the vibrating belt.

THE GADGET CRAZE

With the hundreds of consume inventions to hit the market in recent decades, it’s a miracle that no one has broached the subject of validity. In other words, how do we know that these interesting looking machines really have the ability to help us chop out the body shapes we want? The irony is that all the machines have the potential to help consumers develop better muscle tone, and lose weight. But here are some examples of gadgets that are virtually useless when compared to alternative exercises which can be performed without the utilize of expensive equipment.

1) THE SLAM MAN- Remember this little guy? This was the black and aqua “dummy” old to help cardio workouts and help train amateur boxers.. The device itself was nothing more than a colorful half-mannequin with an internal computer capable of storing pre-programmed workouts. The lights on the body show the user where to punch. Aside from consume in police departments, or some other self-defense training, few consumers could actually find a suitable use for the SLAM MAN. With the exception of being droll, the workout provided is just too simple to require a computerized device. A punching bag is actually just as good for the workout as the SLAM MAN. It also costs less.

2) THE FLUIDITY BAR- Ballet dancers beware! Exercise developers are now marketing your excellent physiques with the use of a new gadget, The Fluidity Bar. Consisting of a built-in “wall” which connects to a dancer’s “bar”, this arrangement is designed for those who would like to obtain the dancer’s body. It is accepted knowledge that the ballerina’s workout contains a series of stretches. These particular stretches target areas of the body which are conducive to all that leaping and spinning. The Fluidity Bar comes along with an instructional DVD which displays the various foot positions ballerinas use when doing their exercises. The concept is fabulous.

But realistically, $200 is a lot of money to spend for a machine which does nothing but sit there. The same results can be had by leaning against a chair, table, or some other object.

3) THE AB ROLLER- This was perhaps one of the most purchased pieces of utilize equipment in history. Touted as the best method to develop rock-hard abs, the Ab Roller actually was not a flop. The rounded handles allowed for ease of movement, which people liked. Physicians also mentioned that the device’s design would prevent the neck from curving during repetitions. It seemed that the world’s best abdomen exercise invention had been found…that is until people realized that they had to actually do the sit-ups themselves.

4) THE AB LOUNGER- The Ab Lounger was very similar to the Ab Roller, in that the major function was befriend of the back and neck. This machine however, had more appeal to consumers because of the fact that one could lie down on it. Again, it was a fairly decent concept. But consumers complained about the device being too heavy. It also does not fold, which is a deterrent to people with limited status in their homes. Because of the machine’s slick design, it’s almost TOO easy to use. Some consumers said that they could not even tell if it was working after about a week of use. The bottom line is that regular floor crunches would do the trick much faster. Plus, there is no tricky “hardware” to move around your home.

5) THE BODY DOME- Costing at around $120, this is yet another piece of equipment that is better left in warehouses. The method which is essentially an inflatable dome with two long cords attached to the sides, is supposed to help tone and sculpt your entire body. The dome can also be used in Yoga and Pilates exercises. The infomercial depicts its use in a number of ways-all of which can be performed without it, for FREE-with the spend one’s own body weight and the floor.

WHY THEY ALL FAIL…

There is a reason why all these gadgets (and tons of others) usually destroy up in the basements, garages, spare bedrooms, and trash piles of the average consumers who buy them; they simply don’t work. People are attracted to original and innovative mechanisms that claim to help people burn fat and calories. But the truth about these machines is a bit uglier than we’re ready to admit.

1) Humans are inherently lazy.- Face it. People would not even bother with infomercial exercise equipment if they were not looking for a quicker, easier way to reach their fitness goals. Consumers buy into the belief that the Ab Roller/ Lounger, and other pieces of machinery are going to take away the pain of working out. This just isn’t the case. Once buyers get the equipment home and assembled, they often become disillusioned with the amount of work still required in order to see results.

2) Advertisement executives are brilliant. – How many overweight demonstrators do you typically observe in infomercials? Probably enough to count on one hand. Tune in to your average fitness paid advertisement, and you’ll discover a group of beautifully toned experts and volunteers gathered around to prove to audiences how easy the equipment is to exhaust. What people fail to realize is that these expensive devices are merely props that facilitate natural movement. Leer that you never see them grunt or strain, or imply that the movements require any real force at all. This is the ploy used to trick the consumer into thinking that the machines themselves make the utilize easy.

3) One machine alone cannot turn an overweight person into a hot bodied model. - This isn’t to say that the machines themselves don’t help in strengthening muscle. But the general public is under the assumption that buying one machine in particular is the retort to all its fitness woes. The truth is that the combination of a healthy balanced diet (as usual), reasonable cardiovascular exercise, AND strength training are the ingredients to a slamming physique. Unless you employ all three, you can count on adding that Slam Man to the pile of fitness junk sitting in the basement.

It’s a harsh criticism to acquire of the human condition-to call people lazy and unimaginative. While that’s certainly a far stretch, it’s completely plausible to admit that humans in general place more focus on the machines themselves, than the work required to achieve the results they crave. Marketing and advertising executives are counting on shiny colors, “comfortable” positioning, and limited physical movement in order to sell the items that they claim are the next best thing in fitness. They are counting on the fact that most people don’t think about the activities they actually LIKE to do. In doing so, people would probably get entertaining and enjoyable ways to exercise their muscles and lose paunchy. But until the average consumer settles on a complete lifestyle change, no Wonder Gadget is ever going to help him/her transform into the fitness gods and goddesses seen on TV.


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