We actually wanted to avoid the following subject matter but no matter how we look at it these things need to be said. They need to be said if there is going to be any possibility of our fundamental point of view making sense.

In our last post we made clear our pride in being part of the 100% natural fitness movement. It’s well known (but perhaps the details are somewhat of an insiders secret) that the world of sports and fitness athletics of all types is riddled with drug use – not a lot of drug use but an immense amount of abuse. Furthermore, the use of genetically gifted individuals most often coupled with these illegal narcotics, deceptive marketing and plain old photographic enhancement is the norm in the sale and trade of fitness.

Diets, exercise schemes and any number of the bazillion fitness products available are hyped through what amounts to plain old exaggeration and even fraud. Surprisingly we consider the main problem with this to be you. You who innocently think you can distinguish between the real and the fake so much so you let the manipulation erode your better sense. You who just can’t help wanting that quick fix. You who yearn for that amazing element to hurdle your body past ‘reasonably fit and healthy’ to what amounts to top one percentile status. More disconcerting to us are those of you who simply turn away, shunning yourself or excusing yourself because you don’t stack up to the pro’s. You who rationalize ever decreasing inner physical health and choose instead to patchwork your looks and physical feeling.

-Newsflash- the better part of the fitness elite were born that way and even more cheat or have cheated extensively with powerful pharmaceuticals.

Our field of fitness is so saturated with fakery and misleading advertising it’s a wonder it doesn’t implode like a ponzi scheme. The fact is though it is your susceptibility which feeds this nonsense. Harsh as this may sound we have been in the trenches for years and barely a week goes by we aren’t astounded by what people think in regards to diet and exercise. We work with all ages from a diverse set of backgrounds and the misnomers know no boundaries.

It is difficult to pinpoint the source but it’s as if the general public has been hypnotized for the last few generations. It’s almost as though some deep, primitive instinct were being preyed upon viciously and highly effectively by a giant cash devouring fit…well you get the point. We’ll forgo the psychobabble and just leave it with a not so gentle request to wake up please and thank you.

We want people to awaken to the significance that most of us do not have these rare genetics which not only scream “I’m attractive look at me” but also pass for fit and healthy. Realize that the better part of the supposed best of the best are likely now or have been, drug enhanced. Pick up on the fact that those skinny girls in magazines are not even as lean as they appear. Bone structure, starvation diets, lighting, one in a thousand poses and plain old fancy make up effects not to mention photoshopping account for most of it.

We know…why all the negativity and what about your photo’s? Are we just jealous of others in the industry? Let’s make one thing clear we know the tricks. We manipulate water levels, practice posing till we’re blue in the face and diet like mad for competition. We give up a lot for a temporary glimpse at our best…but we don’t use drugs and we don’t mislead people about what it takes to hit a personal pinnacle.

So blah blah blah, how about some practical points, how about sharing something that relates directly to getting and being in shape? The thing is if there was only one chance to state our fitness advice from knowledge and experience it would be…check your sources.

True story, in all our years as fitness geeks the number one element we have learned to be linked to failure is bogus advice. It isn’t laziness, quitting or a lack of desire it is plain old crappy info which tops the unsuccessful list. It is the “didn’t do much for me”, “worked for a while then stopped then reversal” or “I got hurt or felt far too much pain/discomfort trying to make it work” which blocks the way. Lame advice, silly schemes, falsified predictions are most often the cause of poorly performing returns.

Believe it or not the general fitness searching public is willing, not only to pay but to work at it to get results. Wanting it in a neat package or style they find provocative or relatable is the initial sidetrack. Add in false promises backed up by carefully and crookedly constructed proof and the stage is set for the typical tragedy. Short term pain for long term gain gets fully reversed. The long term pain is the wasted time, money, and effort not to mention the discouragement which can become ingrained.

Forget celebrity endorsements and drive the fads and fanciful fitness fluff out of your decision making process. Realize you are you a unique person with your own solutions and protocols to discover. Take the basics (exercise, activity, rest and nutrition) and start small. Build on your body type, your lifestyle and your his or her-story. Make reasonable but firm goals and see them through realizing that what you learn along the way is even more important than the immediate fitness benefits.

Build on the facts not the promises

Fat loss, athletics, exercise, therapeutic recovery etc is a multi billion dollar industry. Being out of shape is an epidemic and it is spreading everyday. Where there is weakness and lack of self esteem there is an easy buck to be made. Where there is fear and self loathing there is an opening to feign helpfulness. Do a little homework, ask questions and make logical connections. Always remember even at the grass roots level “this worked for me” might be useless for you. As the saying goes if it seems to good to be true…

Bottom line – don’t search for big miracles, work at little ones everyday.