The fitness industry is more marketing and psychology than physical.
Fitness Membership. Photo from fitfreedom.wordpress.com
The fitness industry has a spur of growth these recent years, due to illnesses like diabetes and obesity. And of course, thanks to Hollywood we all want to be hot. And that’s the promise of the Fitness Industry, be it a club membership or DVD take-outs – you will be hot and sexy when you buy their products and services.
You decided to join a fitness club. On the façade you saw beachfront bodies, hot, sexy, and sizzling! Expectedly, models are the lean and muscular ones. It doesn’t mean that they got fit in that gym, but seeing them makes you believe. Admit it, most people are visual people. Seeing what you want to be is enough to persuade you.
You may or may not notice, but the trainers are marketing savvy. You signed the contract and gave them permission to bill your credit card. Often times, they still make you choose your personal trainer. And you’ll see, some are more expensive than the others. Paying them more doesn’t guarantee you better results. It’s still all you, you do the work for your own body, not the jam-packed trainers themselves.
The next step is to measure your current fitness or health status. How can you know if you are obese, overweight, fit, or underweight? They measure your BMI (body mass index). This scale, created by the US government is flawed! Its purely based on height and weight butwhat about fats proportion? What if you just have huge bone density that adds to your weight? And all other considerations are not accounted. According to this scale, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Michael Jordan are all overweight. However, it’s the most popular and easiest measure. But if your BMI surprised you, you may just have the body of Brad Pitt.
They offer the services of in-house nutritionist. They will give you a tease, and make the nutritionist assess your diet for the first time and recommend some changes. Diet and nutrition is common sense. Eat what the caveman eats, all natural and avoid processes and you’re good. Paying extra for nutritionists or books is expendable.
Gym Equipment Exercise. Photo from inletfitness.com
You got started. The leeway to steadfast weight trimming and strength building is the equipment and machinery. But you and your trainer will spend less time in it. Instead, your trainer will drive you to “stability balls, resistance tubing or bands, and balance tools”, more on exercises you can’t do alone. These trainers are told to veer away from constant use of equipment, because when the person learned how to use them (and it’s damn easy to learn), they won’t need trainers and will stop the service (DeFranco, 2012).
It’s a psychological game! They get you psyched up in the start, then when it’s been months and you do the same exercises over again, they intervene and re-psych you up to keep you paying the membership. It’s an industry, meaning a business. It doesn’t care if you get healthier or leaner. What it cares about your money.
Their programs may not work out for you, really. Our genetic makeup is part of the equation, but would they say it? No. They trick you to believe what the best looking body is, but each of us look at our best differently. And then they promise you that the best way to achieve it is through their gym.
If you noticed nothing’s changed, or at least on the timeline they promise you, it’s also planned out. They’ll say that despite the program, diets and supplements they served you, it all falls down to individual differences. It didn’t work out for you because it isn’t right for your body, and you keep on finding what works for you. Yeah, you’ve gotta pay them more.
Their gym is a breeding ground for germs, thanks to the sweaty bodies all around. From athlete’s foot to flu, they have it. And these clubs, not all of it, are not mandated by law to handle medical emergencies. Some trainers can’t even do CPR. Thing is, we are prone to injury when exercising, isn’t it? And heart attacks, due to improper exercise or overexercise, will need immediate help in matters of minutes.
Fitness industry doesn’t have a federal regulation to keep private data. Doctors, psychiatrists, lawyers, all these professionals are ruled by law to preserve nondisclosure of any private information you shared with them. But the fitness industry doesn’t have that, and unfortunately you have to share your medical history to them at the beginning of your program. Be prudent as these people are free to gossip about you.
It’s hell hard to terminate a membership. Even if you communicate that you want to quit, chances are you signed a contract in day one and they’ll keep earning from you credit card even after you stopped. You better read before you sign, because if you sue them, they just present your signature and they win.
I’ve been a member of a nationwide fitness club. I know many success stories. Sure, there are people who got their magazine cover body, and fitness clubs helped them. But victim here, not all trainers are qualified to be one. Their management will employ many to meet the sky high demand, and see for themselves if they’re good with being a trainer. If not, oh well, drop him and get another.
Personal Trainer Encouragement. Photo from methodfitness.com
Even the professional and ethical can’t escape the demands of business, and what kept their growing bank account are some tricks here and deceit there to get you excited and believe all the miracles they claim.
I’m not implying that we quit our membership. Our body will always clamor exercise, and their services shot straight to that humane need. But you deserve to know all their secrets; and you can be fit at home, at work, at school, at Disneyland park, wherever.
How was your experience in fitness clubs?
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Fitness Industry Secrets; Fergus Niall Personal Training
Seeing Is Believing If You Want To Burn Fat – Or Is It?; FatBurning Furnace
10 Things Fitness Clubs Won’t Tell You; SmartMoney
5 Secrets the Fitness Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know; Ezine Articles
What the diet industry won’t tell you; Low-Carber 10 Things Your Personal Trainer Won’t Tell You; IDEA Health and Fitness Association
Moment Matters 
I think my stubborn nature, as well as shame and education, is what has kept me out of gyms and wary of nutritionists. I lost all my weight doing what I knew was right from what I have learnt through science – exercise regularly, eat healthy and balanced and viola, I lost 55kgs/121lbs! Now though, I have joined a gym, simply because what I was doing outdoors wasn’t getting me the results I was after – namely to build adequate strength to protect my joints, now and into the future of my new lifestyle. The easiest place was to join a gym for this, and I had introductory personal training sessions thrown at me, which were all very misguided and poorly formed (needless to say one of those trainers doesn’t work there anymore). We are definitely driven by vanity, by wanting, needing to look a certain way, and our self image is defined by media, not by ourselves. I wish that we didn’t have to measure ourselves against stupid things (like the BMI) and could be realistic, could be forgiving, be accepting of ourselves – then maybe we wouldn’t fall for all the marketing tricks that make us feel inferior (expand to include fashion, beauty products, surgeries, especially focused on women but more so men).
After everything I have been through, I thought getting to my current body size I would feel better because I was what was considered “acceptable”. I’m here, and suddenly the world is redefined, and I’m not thin enough, not strong enough, not toned enough, not tan enough. My clothes aren’t fashionable enough, my skin not clear enough, my teeth not white enough. I want to accept who I am exactly as I am, and I wish more of us could, then maybe we would see a change in the focus of marketing and the types of products available to us.
Thanks for sharing, a lot of people would learn from you.
AMEN to your statement! Whatever is working for us, keep doing it. Let’s not listen to what media/corporations/people say about who we should be or how we should look like. It will only intimidate us if we care what they think, and screw them! Haha
I forgot to add a link, in case you were interested, of a post I wrote on body image issues, something I struggle with still and I know many others do – because that’s where the money is!
I stick to my Zumba …. *smile
You’re a dancer too 😀 For me, it’s the most fun exercise. You must be a pro dancer
Not even close .. even if I can dance … too rusty now. *smile – it’s without any doubt the most fun exercise and I sweat a lot more from dancing then the gym.
Great, and relevant post for me!
From this sentence, You may or may not notice, to this sentence, I’m not implying that we quit our membership is my experience. I paid 1300.00 total in 2-consecutive Training Packages and lost 6-whole lbs. There were suggested powders and supplements, all of which I refused. It was too bad that I let myself go “in part” from that experience because I felt that if a trainer couldn’t get me smaller, who could?
Years later; as in now I am getting back into shape, albeit at a gym; on my own becasue I need the discipline. I have gone religiously in the past 33-days and given myself some intense daily workouts in zones 3 and 4. This is working for me as I finally ‘get it’ after researching what was best for ME to be doing.
Sweet, this could easily be about your experience 😀 I think you would agree, paying for a program doesn’t make you fit. They are accessory, supportive leg but all the work is to be done by you yourself. Discipline is crucial, as well as observation if it works or you needed something different.
True. in my training I had 50-minutes at the rate of $65 each. I did the 10-warmup on my own time and then on his clock we went over my food log (clock ticking down now to 40-minutes). Then he set weights for me and watched me do the work. At that time I could not do an overhead press for more that 20# 15-reps at a time if I was lucky. He set the weight to 50# and asked me to push myself.
I get tough love, but If I can’t do it, I can’t do it. Lower the frickin weight and lets move onto something else.
Worse were squats. for physical reasons these are difficult. I couldn’t do them ‘to spec’, told him I couldn’t and yet her persisted. He said we wouldn’t stop until I did at least 5-correctly. As expected, I tipped over — grabbed him for safety and as it turns out I had grabbed his crotch. No embarrassment there. Yet her persisted more and at the end of the $65 session, I had done a few squats. Despite the fact that I asked him to work with me on something other than squats.. wasting my time and especially $$$’s he said no, squats were important. Maybe… but people lose weight without doing squats. People lose weight exclusively on Weight Watcher’s without walking a step… weight CAN be lost!
HAHA that’s good story. All those time I was thinking of your time, as if every minute more than a dollar was picked. Your trainer has his own reasons for sticking to squats
Excellent post. I’m working to lose a few pounds right now. So far I’ve just been walking in the evening and biking when I can.
Thanks Jody, that’s excellent. Biking feels great, isn’t it? I do both exercise just to feel, sometimes to think too. That’s good thing you pointed out “when I can”. I mean, we can exercise whenever we can, even at work, you can take the stairs. There’s so many chances to exercise 🙂
I hear you on that! I try to park as far away as possible from my destination when I drive too. Tomorrow I’m walking to work (short walk only about 15 minutes). Cheers!
THIS is why I am here and why I am working as hard as I am on a program that will be available in July… A webinar that teaches laymen how to research fitness and nutrition online in order to separate the fact from the fiction and to become an informed consumer. Good stuff!
That’s excellent idea! There’s too many boo-hoo in fitness, you don’t know what to be believe. I’ll check that out, let us know 😀
Thank you so much and def will do! Been working my behind off to create something that is beneficial for anyone who wants to learn how to research but especially in the health/wellness, fitness, and nutrition fields… since they are unfortunately full of inaccurate and confusing information. Thanks again!
Gyms are very pushy because most people drop out after 4-6 months. My advice is to go to the gym with a workout buddy who knows the ropes if you don’t and keep to a routine that works for you. The secret is to just keep at it and don’t get caught up into the sales hypes of the gym.
Yeah, sometimes gym clubs are owned by supplements company too, so you can’t escape the advertisement around. Of course they’ll be aggressive in keeping their members, it’s better that way than to hurl a new member to sign-up
Good story; it’s telling is long overdue.
I appreciate that, Rick
Lots of truth in this post…….one other thing I really disliked about going to the gym/fitness centers in the Bahamas was when there was a shift in “real” work-out gear to everything becoming a fashion statement for the women……at that point, I’d had enough. I’ve been working out on my for over 25 years……walking, jogging, aerobic dance, cycling, TaeBo, interval training, strength training, jump rope, and weight training in my home gym, and I’ve been doing my own nutritional and diet research and adjustments and I must say, loving it all far better than going to any fitness centre and working with a trainer. As for results, I can still fit in my tiny high school uniform that I wore when I graduated at age 15, 31 years and 3 kids ago…….:)
Kim, you rock! It’s nice that you still wear your high school uniform from time to time haha 🙂 It’s not just in Bahamas, fitness centers are such a trend like fashion, people would love to have it, despite defeating the purpose of exercise. I think gym membership is a good place to start, and we’re not dumb; we can continue on our own.
Wonderfully delivered message. I totally agree with your message. I left the gym many years ago and workout in the driveway. Had my physical this AM. Doc says I might lose 5 but all is good; keep doing what you are doing.
I see that you had a relevant post. That’s a superb job to point out that physical fitness is just one thing, we still have to work on our intellectual, financial, relational & spiritual fitness; then we are fit all over. Keep it up too!
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I luckily have a gym in my apartment building, but I agree that we can do exercises at home to stay healthy. Nice post!
Yeah, that’s damn lucky!
Very good article regarding some things you probably haven’t thought about when you hit the gym.
Reblogged this on NLA Fitness by Bert</a.
Well written with much truth. Discipline coupled with gravity works.
Fitness in and of it self is not appearance, rather definition or meaning. How fit is enough. Professional athlete or married parent?
A bit of reasoning can lead you to a responsible workout program. I have a home gym of masonry blocks, jump rope, a walker (my dip bar), a few medicine balls and a pull up bar.