We've all seen these commercials for different products that claim to make exercising fun and not time consuming. Sometimes these products can be misleading. It is extremely easy for an uneducated person to fall into the trap that some of these "too good to be true" products may be. For example, there are numerous "abdominal belts" that stimulate abdominal muscles using electric impulses. It is hard for consumers to understand that they cannot typically spot-reduce body fat when all they see are muscle bound models using the porduct.
Other products that are on the market may help to build muscle, but may be uncomfortable. A good example of this is wrist and ankle weights. They are generally very bulky and ugly (for those who care about their apperance). They are something that really can only be worn around the house and it seems to me that people who do a lot of physical activity probably would not be the target audience for this type of product.
Being a very active person and a movement science major, it is easy for me to ridicule these products, but the truth is that many overweight people have a very sedentary lifestyle. However, they are the people who are buying these products thinking that they will be a miracle product. Basically, for lazy people, these products are a lose-lose situation because the products that do not require effort do not work like they are expected to, and the products that may actually work do require a fair amount of physical activity.
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I hate the way ankle weights look but I wear them around my house or while doing yard work, I love them. I do feel like every day I see an infomercial for a new machine that sculps abs. The family I babysit ordered the Ab Circle Pro machine that I always see on TV so I jump on it after the kids go to bed and I do think that is a good work out for your abdominals.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, John, that a large majority of the population is uneducated and therefore don't know any better that what they are buying isn't actually a piece of good equipment for weight loss. When I worked at Dick's Sporting Goods, I was amazed at how many people bought equipment, like the Perfect Push-up and they couldn't do a standard push-up on the ground. For a sedentary person, they usually don't need any type of aids to workout, just a good knowledge base as to which exercises to do!
ReplyDeleteThe majority of the population John aren't really educated on exercise and weight loss so these products look more like a win-win for them because they require little effort and supposedly promote weight loss. It's the whole marketing image that these companies give to these products to make them appealing. For example putting celebrity faces on the products, or testimonials from random people that said it worked. It's a business and they're trying to make money. Yes, it's a pretty scummy way to make money but people have to realize that there is no miracle cure for obesity or a quick fix. Good post.
ReplyDeleteNot having knowledge or education about exercising is definitely a problem in our society today. I also believe that all these stupid products and workouts on the commercials are a way people can take advantage of people who are uneducated and take their money. The normal sedentary person today wouldn’t buy into these products and would just find the best root to go about a workout.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely on this post. Many people are looking for a quick fix to their fitness problems and are willing to throw away money to find a solution. Supplements can also be thrown into this situation as many companies put out that "miracle pill" that will burn body fat and give you that perfect body without exercise or a proper diet. People see this as a quick easy way to look good and are willing to throw out a few dollars to find out. To one individual it may be just $50 a bottle, but when you multiply that by the thousands of people willing to try it, that equals big bucks for a company.
ReplyDeleteI agree that many people don't know much about exercising and working out, so they buy these products in hopes to get that body they were always dreaming of. I also smile at the fact that people who are doing these infomercials are in shape and toned, and arent built like the average person who the market is trying to sell this product to. The image that the market puts out there is that you don't need a lot of time or effort to use these products because they ' do it for you' type deal. All in all I feel that this is an issue that could be argued for days because some people will still buy these products, even if they are educated.
ReplyDeleteVery many good points were made. people need to educate then buy. also, people need to stop looking for the easy way out rather than putting in the time and effort to try and lose weight on their own through proper diet and training.
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