Quick-fix fitness fads: solution or problem?

They’re everywhere: “magic” diets and exercises that say that you can transform your body in days by using “ground-breaking” products. Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way. Let’s muscle out the fitness fads.

The shake weight

You’ve probably seen this being made fun of on shows such as South Park. Yet, some people still believe it can work. It’s described as a spring-loaded dumbbell (dumb being the operative word) that will tone your arms and shoulders in just 12 minutes a day.

Let’s just think about this: holding a vibrating, questionably-shaped object in your hands cannot possibly successfully hit all the muscles in your arms and shoulders. We can say without a doubt that “Arnie” would not be where he is today if he trained with a shake weight! “I’ll be back! I’ve just got to train for 12 minutes with my Shake Weight.”

Sauna suits

Yes, you heard us right. Apparently now all you have to do is wear a refuse bag-looking suit and you’ll lose weight.

Basically, the suit is designed to retain heat, causing you to sweat away the calories. It’s true that heating your body will make you sweat, but it needs to be achieved through proper exercise to raise your heart rate.

Sweating is the way your body cools itself. So, wearing a suit that just keeps absorbing heat may cause you to sweat, but not for the right reasons! It can actually be very dangerous because it can cause heatstroke, muscle cramps and dehydration.

Exercise in a bottle

Just one pill a day and your fat will just melt away. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Supplement companies make billions by duping people to believe that this actually works – they might even quote a random study that supposedly proves it.

Next time you’re in your local pharmacy, take a look at the ingredients in these pills. You’ll find that many of them contain a dangerous stimulant called ephedrine, which has serious side-effects that can harm you – permanently.

Dumbbell utensils

No more excuses! Now you can exercise when you eat. The creator of these utensils felt that lifting a 1.5 pound (700gm) knife and fork would help you sculpt sleeve-busting biceps. If anyone can prove to us that this has helped you, let us know – we’re not convinced!

So, if you’ve been suckered into one of these bogus weight loss solutions – stop now! You’re wasting your money and you won’t see any benefits. The bottom line is: don’t take shortcuts – earn your body. You’ll appreciate it much more. And, you could be earning money while being active and enjoy discounts on your gym membership, depending on to which medical aid you belong.

Fact Box: If you are active, you can earn up to R5 400 a year from Momentum. Click here for more.

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