There I was, wondering what I could write about today, when I came across an article written by a blogger. I will be honest, after reading it I was very disappointed. The whole article was based on all fitness magazines and how great they are. How they have facts and information to create an improved body and healthier lifestyle. Then it goes on to say how the majority of fitness magazines provide straight forward, no short cuts advice with reliable information. Finally it states that the advertisements in these publications are the best bit; focusing on supplements and equipment that concentrate on our wellbeing.

Some Good Information, but…

It was quite a read and it left me feeling a little let down. You see when I started my training in the gym these magazines were read regularly by myself and my gym companions. To give them their dues they gave some really good information, or so I thought! But once I had trained to be a fitness professional I discovered that these types of magazines were the laughing stock amongst fellow professionals. Surprised? Well don’t be because remember at the end of the day their job is a numbers game. They have to sell as many magazines as possible to make money. (You mean they would rather make money than care for the wellbeing of their readers? Shock horror – Beeble). So how do they make sure they sell as many as possible?

We Want a Perfect Body Now

Well just look at their covers, very, very toned men or women with larger than life muscles matched with larger than life smiles with the title “Would you like a stomach like this in just 6 weeks?” Now picture another magazine, same picture but this time the title is: “Would you like a stomach like this in just 2 years?! Or more – depending on how much weight you have to lose….” I think we know which magazine would sell the most copies and they do this constantly by playing on all our weaknesses, where we want body perfect and we want it now. It doesn’t seem to matter to them or us that it is just not possible. In fact if you asked one of the models if they have a stomach like that as a result of training for 6 weeks, they will be able to tell you that it actually took them several years of intense training to get the physique they have today.

Health Products and Supplements

What I really hate about these magazines is that somewhere along the line they have confused actual information that will help people, with complete lies that give people false hope. (They have sold out! – Beeble). The amount of pages stuffed with adverts rather proves my point. My blog colleague seems to like the adverts and finds them beneficial. Whereas in my opinion and the opinion of countless other professionals is that these miracle protein muscle building, fat burning, food replacing shakes and snacks are nothing more than a con. Yes, some will help you on the way to body beautiful and others do work but they work alongside a lifestyle change and it is this that is misleading. They sell the idea that if you just consume their product that will be all you need to attain the goals you desire. (Rubbish – Beeble) and it is rubbish, it’s no more true than the “6 minute abs” or “6 weeks to a beach body”. It takes the majority of us years to get truly out of shape and so you must understand that it will take years to get back in shape. It is unhealthy for your mind and your body to think otherwise and besides you will just fall into their corporate trap and continue to help these companies make millions on false hopes.

What are fitness magazines good for?

I have been very cruel to the magazines but as you can probably tell the article I read hit a nerve. However it is not to say that the magazines have their place. They do give some good advice and they do show some good diet and training tips but it is sometimes difficult to find it amongst all the rubbish. Here are some tips to take on board before you read your favourite fitness magazine again.

If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

If it says you will see significant results in anything less than 2 months then don’t believe it.

If they say that “you too could have a body like this” then set it as your ultimate goal but realise that it will take a huge amount of time and effort.

If they show a before and after shot next to a packet of pills that will make you lose weight/gain muscle then don’t believe it because it really won’t be true.

All I am trying to say that there is a lot of information out there and the majority of it is nonsense and it can be difficult to find the good stuff. I know how it can be really hard to achieve the goals we want but don’t fall for the short cuts, they will just let you down in the long run. Just be sensible and think about it before acting impulsively. The good magazines to read will be the health magazines where they don’t focus solely on fitness but on your overall wellbeing. The fitness magazines are good for exercise tips and ideas but just be careful. If you are reading this on the website then you will find adverts underneath this post, you must apply the same rules to them as I have advised above for the magazine adverts.

If you have any questions on your own routines, whether it be diet or exercise or any magazine articles you have read, then please send me a message either through the comments section or in the contact section and I will do my best to give you a completely unbiased point of view.

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This entry was Posted on Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 at 10:56 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.