I'm making this post after the first week of January to let the "New Year's Resolution" hype and fervor die down. Last week as I drove to work before 6am I passed a 24 hr fitness facility in my small hometown. Normally I would see 1-2 cars....or none, but on this day the lot is completely full! As I pass the glass front of the gym, I cannot see an empty treadmill or elliptical machine. The room is packed with people and I'm sure all with good intentions of making it happen this year unlike years past.
I write this entry with the deepest desire to see people succeed at becoming healthier and achieving their (healthy) weight loss goals. But please dear reader, be reasonable about your expectations! In 2007 one study estimated the money spent on weight loss at $55 billion! Now estimated at over $60 billion. How many of you have purchased a piece of exercise equipment that you used for approximately 2-6 weeks, then it slowly turned into a clothes rack until in shame you put it in a garage sale or gave it to Goodwill? How many of you have purchased P90X or some variation on the theme in a video or book format and only made it through the first 2 workouts? One of my pet peeves as a physician and consumer in regards to the fitness/weight loss market and the tons of info-mercials associated with them is the hard bodies you see represent 1 in a 1,000 of those who tried product X. A similar practice is seeing these folks in incredible shape with the implication that got in that shape using the Ab-matic 2000 or whatever machine is being advertised. The majority of these folks were already in great shape to begin with. That said, I do not want to take away from the testimonials that you may see, as I hope they are true to what they say. I also don't want to say that P90X or some similar plan won't work for you. Just be prepared for a radical change from your normal level of activity.
The majority of the weight loss/fitness market does a huge injustice to the population at large....it plays on our pain. We are sitting in front of the television feeling bad about how we look or what poor shape we are in, then BAM, right in front of us is that man or woman in perfect shape and smiling as they workout! Reality check: when I'm exercising that hard it's hard if not impossible to be smiling/cutting up, so I'm already set up for failure when I try to do what they are doing. All of the diet pills and supplements advertised somewhere in their ad or literature will insert a phrase something like this: "Use this in combination with a balanced diet and regular exercise to maximize your weight loss". Can you get in shape and/or lose weight using the stuff you see on the internet or TV? Absolutely! Are these things necessary to lose weight or get in shape? Absolutely not!!!
If you find yourself drawn to one or many of the products I've described, please stay with me. I'm no weight loss expert and I've struggled myself, but with over 20 years in the practice of medicine I've seen a lot of things come and go. I want to share with you the things I feel will benefit us all over the long haul. If you are looking for a quick or easy way to accomplish this, stop reading now and go to a different blog! It's my experience getting in shape or losing weight is like "getting rich"....slow, steady, with lots of discipline and hard work. In all of my research and experience, there is no successful substitute for the "eat right and exercise" approach. The key thing to remember is start with small consistent changes and build on that. I will go into more detail in posts to follow. But for now, if you are thinking about joining a gym, buying some equipment, videos or books....I challenge you to try this: For 2-4 weeks spend 10-15 minutes 3-5 days a week in the privacy of your own home and walk/run in place or do jumping jacks or dance. If you can't or won't do that the other things you are considering will not motivate you more! The one exception is that some people (women more than men) tend to be more consistent with exercise in a group setting. If you are that type of person, find 1 or a few people who are willing to take on this challenge with you (or this I would consider a reason to join a gym/YMCA...to take a fitness class you wouldn't do on your own)....just don't bite off too much at the beginning or you will burn out and quit.
More to follow!!!
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