I'm sorry I didn't get a post up yesterday. We wound up spending the whole day running errands 'til I had to work and then I was just pooped.
I did promise you a WINNER for the giveaway though so here we go!
Random number generator says APRIL! E-mail me your mailing address at squatlikealadyATgmailDOTcom =)
Thanks for all the great comments on my post about why we [as a nation] are struggling with obesity. If you guys haven't checked out the comments section over there you definitely should -- some very thought-provoking comments!
I wanted to continue that discussion today, talking about the unrealistic expectations many Americans have when they begin working out.
There is no question that in this day and age, Americans have come to expect things to be done and achieved quickly. Our culture sets us up for this: want pizza? No matter the day or time just call and 20 minutes later you'll be feasting!
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Or, heaven forbid you wait that long, Taco Bell's drive-thru is open til 3am or later in most states now.
Fraudulent colleges appeal to this built-in desire for quick results by proclaiming, "Associates degrees in 6 months or less!"
The diet and fitness industry is following suit, with ads for diet pills and supplements claiming tremendous results ("Lose 6 sizes in 2 months!"), and consumers are taking note.
I lurk around, and occasionally post on, the forums at bodybuilding.com, and it seems that every day there are a slew of new posts like "Is 30 lbs in 2 months realistic?"
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Normally I'd say, "Whatever, their loss." But the thing is, all this disease -- hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, cancer -- negatively affects society in many ways: the loss of a productive, competitive workforce; the rising cost of healthcare; the personal toll for many of us who know people who have fallen prey to these ailments. So something has got to be done.
I can't think of anything else -- or anything better -- to do than tell those I love the truth about how much time and effort a fit lifestyle takes, but also its rewards and payoffs.
And, ya know, maybe publish a women's magazine that tells the truth.
Happy Memorial Day weekend, everyone! Drive safe! =)
can I get an AMEN to that!! Great post and I agree. Have you ever read the book Slow Food Movement? Its a good read for sure on this topic.
ReplyDeleteSable, I have so wanted to do the magazine thing about the truth! It really frustrates me - this ab thing too. I always write a comment that you better eat right or all the core work in the world ain't gonna show the 6 or 4 pack or even a flatter tummy... I am so with you on all of this.
ReplyDeleteI have even posted on Fitness Mag FB page about their Cover contest & how all the entries they pick look the same & why not show some older people too....
You are right on in your post & thank you. I might continue the discussion at some point!
how awesome would it be if all of us liftin' blog ladies published a magazine? haha..although no one would buy it because no one wants to hear the cold, hard truth..
ReplyDeleteit makes me cringe how EVERY fitness magazine always has some kind of "GET ABS NOW" crap on the cover..ALWAYS. if buying that magazine could give you abs in 4 days, don't you think we'd all have abs by now?? geeesh.
So true -- people are just IMPATIENT!! Of course the magazines just do it to see copies, and man have I fallen for it in the past! Even now there's a little part of me that finds it seductive, even though I know it's BS. It is so hardwired into our brain from such an early age. Bah.. :(
ReplyDeletelosing weight and getting in shape can be so HARD for people because food is so much more than just food. think about it, since we were little food has been used to comfort & celebrate. it makes sense that people want the easiest way possible to lose weight because the psychological pain of denying foods can be very difficult to deal with at first!
ReplyDeletei agree with you. these magazines are setting up people for failure by promising quick and easy results. support and encouragement are necessary - but not false advertisements of success!
Another great post. Love these actually. I did a paper one time on magazines and those insane promises splashed all over the cover. No wonder people give up - you can't look like that model in 2 months if you've never so much as looked at a weight or run a mile. I'm sorry, you just can't. And it's wrong to make people assume you can. So yes, let's publish a magazine that's just flat out honest.
ReplyDeleteYeah, what they should say is "six pack abs instantly!*" and then in tiny print at the bottom "*with gratuitous photoshop usage".
ReplyDeleteThe instant-fitness-gratification thing always drives me nuts. It had taken me 2 years of lifting to get to the point I am at, and it annoys me when people who've been working hard for 6 weeks lament their lack of "progress."
ReplyDeleteI believe that the reason why the 90 day diet fails is because of day 91. What is this get-fit-quick person going to do on day 91? Quit? Fitness is a lifestyle, not a short-term fad. It took me an entire year of hard work in the gym to go from total unfitness to a fit body.
ReplyDeleteI too am sick of getting magazines with sloppy digital erasing of the edges of already skinny bodies. I'm just disgusted with Fitness Magazine and their missing belly buttons and super-shadowed to reduce every possible curve of bikini clad women. I did NOT subscribe for another year.
Further, my son pointed out a Nike poster in our local Kohl's department store with a woman who was so photo-shopped that one arm was about twice as thick as the other one and her legs were not even close to the same size either.
Oh, I also wondered how your Mom is doing with her workouts.
Great post, Sable! :-) Marion
A good 2/3 of my emails at the moment have a subject like 'Lose 203lbs in just 2 weeks!'. Bah!
ReplyDeleteAs much as I lurve the biggest loser, I think people do need to start looking at that and similar concepts as a competition. In real life, losing 20lbs in a week is not healthy (to be honest, it's not healthy on BL either, but that's a whole other topic). Most people (in the past, me included) feel 2lbs a week isn't enough. Serious weight loss is a long term project, not a short term dalliance, and the sooner society recognises that, the better!
This is so true Sable! I use to think this way and use to worship those fast food places. I don't go near them now, nor do I ever want to go back. Its an every day battle of choices and depending on what we choose will be the body we have to live with. I choose the healthy, happy and thin one!
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