Buyer Beware...Do Your Own Research Before Buying

The title of this post seems pretty generic and very cliche doesn't it????....It is meant to be that way and, in all seriousness, is a very matter of fact serious statement. With the current climate we live in, people from all walks of life and business are doing what they can to take advantage of this situation and the people living through it...That's right...I said it. "...taking advantage...of people". We are all familiar with scammers calling us on our cell phones, home phones, sending us bogus emails. But now you can also notice, if you pay attention hard enough, these ads are coming in the form of things we actually need.

What I mean by this is that people and companies are attempting to generate a sale from selling you things that would benefit in this period of time....No...I am not talking about toilet paper (haha). I am talking about masks, exercise equipment, exercise programs, and other devices that they feel we "must have" but at the same time may not be as beneficial as we are lead to believe.

We all have experienced the Billy Blaze workouts, Nordic Trak, and Chuck Norris Total gym commercials from years ago but now with everyone being at home things have shifted and even in some cases doubled down on receiving exercise in a "virtual" capacity. If we look at effective and proven methods of getting people to move and exercise we can look at the Peloton biking or treadmill system and for my endurance athlete friends out there, Zwift. These platforms are great not only for being able to run, walk, or cycle from the safety of your home but allows you to compete with friends, socialize, and record your workout data all from the comfort of your own home. What else could you ask for than to do the exercise that you enjoy while at the same time do it with friends?!?

This brings me into the next point I want to speak on and to the first portion of the above paragraph. With many of us sitting home a good amount of us may have the television on, whether we are sitting in front of it or if we have it on in the background. Let me set the scene....

You are watching TV and a very enthusiastic, slim, toned woman bounces into the screen promoting an exercise video series that is just right for you to get off of the couch and moving. It contains X, Y, and Z different styles of workouts that are designed specifically to burn fat and lose weight to stay healthy. Sound familiar???...I am not done...Then, in the next commercial, a "new piece of exercise equipment that is going to take the world by storm!" They continue to pitch about how this piece of equipment burns more calories than standard workouts and you are using more muscles than going to the gym and continues to burn calories after you are done working out...Does this sound familiar also? I am sure it does...If not, I am glad you don't watch TV because since Covid-19 hit I have personally seen a massive uptick in these ads and products (and I really don't watch TV much at all)

What's my point to all of this? If you are continuing to read up to this point I appreciate the same concern I have about all of these ads. Now, if you have been following any of my other content up to this point then you know that I am an advocate for movement and doing so in appropriate ways. You will also know that I am an advocate for exercise and a healthy lifestyle. What I have a problem with are programs like these that use cookie cutter style, vague, surface formats that address nobody specifically, including you sitting in your home viewing this ad. They make claims that their product, whether a program or device, is the "best" thing on the market and THE THING that will get you in shape and into the best body of your life. Does that also sound familiar?

I am sure most of you can agree with that and I hope none of you reading this find yourselves buying into any of these. Don't get me wrong if you did buy in and use the product, getting you your desired results, I highly applaud your efforts and happy for you. However, the issues I have with these programs and devices is that a lot of the claims they make are false and make you dependent not only on the plan or device itself but make you feel you need to buy more into other things they sell you next because it is "better" than the previous product.

These programs and devices is that they are not designed for you. Every single one of you is unique with very different needs, desires, goals, and abilities. None of these products gives you that or even fulfills that wholeheartedly. The best suggestion I have for you whether you want to lose weight, or even to just be more active and get healthy is to do your research. Figure out what you exactly want. Educate yourself on how movement can help and exercise as a whole to make sure you fully understand what you need and what you are doing. You don't need to do enough research that you get a degree because of it but enough to understand what and why you are doing it. I mean, even if you buy these products, how do you know they are actually working if you do not understand how it works for YOU? Or is it just the fact that you are moving more than you were before that is what is causing changes and you feel better JUST FROM MOVING??? If movement is the only thing that "actually works" from the product then you just spent your hard earned money to move ( I will let you decide whether that sparks some significant emotion or not)...Is that good? Is that a bad thing? I will let you decide but if you are moving more you do not need to spend money to do so.

Based on my last Blog post "Motion is the Lotion" ( https://www.ascentptny.com/post/motion-is-the-lotion ), movement is key and motion will help you live healthier but you need to have some idea of what is going on with yourself and what you are doing to ensure it is the best for you and your needs. What do I recommend? Pick an activity you love to do or would prefer doing (cycling vs walking vs running). It does not matter what it is, but if it is a type or style of exercise that you enjoy....go do it!!! It is literally that simple to get started!!!

Next, is to figure out what goals you have for yourself and your health. Once you have that down, now you have to figure out what steps it takes to get to that goal or goals. This is the part that may take some time but if you nail it right, then you will be able to reap the rewards of the work you sowed. This can be taken in the form of researching "how to be better at BLANK" on the internet/blogs/YouTube, etc. It can also mean initially starting with a professional such as a personal trainer, physical therapist, exercise physiologist (you will have to do some research on these people as well to ensure that they are the BEST FIT FOR YOU). When you learn how to enhance and perform your knew found skills and continue to progress on your own. From there, you will not be dependent on anyone else to help you achieve your goals. Not only will this make you feel accomplished, but very proud that you have been able to achieve what you initially took as a thought or dream.

Wrapping this up, I know I spoke about a lot of things that can all be separate topics. Many people out there (especially right now) are anxious, desperate, and some are not doing much other than sitting at home with nothing but (some) money to spend. If you are someone who is thinking about buying into these programs like Beach Body on Demand or the new one I saw today Fluidity Barre (which was laughable with the claims it was making) please do your research first. Between the body shaming, blind claims, and "models" of people they put on their B-roll saying how much the program benefited them. Yes, before and after shots are not fully true either because sometimes they hire people to do them without even using the product ...I personally know some of these people who were asked to do so. You deserve better than this!! You ARE better than this!! Do your research first. Find what works for you and do the activities you love to do. Loving what you do helps you to better love yourself!

I hope you have found this beneficial and I look forward to you reading my next post. If you have any personal questions please feel free to reach out to me through my website, Facebook, and/or Instagram.

Stay safe out there and remember....Buyer Beware....