Ok…I really couldn’t come up with a sensible title for this post!
I have been thinking a lot about this for about the last 128 days…or possibly even more but mainly for the duration of this project. I decided to post something on it today because of something I spotted in the magazine section at the supermarket this lunchtime, which made me remember how annoyed I am with the mainstream media in general when it comes to fitness and health.
This is a photo of the magazine rack in the supermarket, it was the “women’s home interest” section for a start which makes no sense but that is not the main point! This was the section set aside for “fitness and health” magazines.
Closer inspection shows that nearly every one (I didn’t check the yoga ones to be honest) of these magazines has a cover headline along the lines of “winter slimdown” “burn 300 calories in 3 moves” “get more energy and lose 5 lbs this week” “flat tummy in 1 week” not to mention the WW magazine implying that the best way to be happy is to be slim. Every one of these magazine offers a quick fix or an easy option, no mention of the weeks/ months/ years possibly of hard work and re-education it will take to make a permanent change. Every one of these magazines focuses on the weight loss and the outward looks before the inner health and overall fitness. It seems to me that this is the backwards way of looking at things!
The thing that brought all the craziness home was the “cosmetic surgery guide” just sitting there happily amongst the health and fitness magazines! The ultimate in quick fix vanity over health
(yes I know there are people who have plastic surgery for medical reasons…they are not the ones I am talking about)
My point is, it is very hard to find really good advice on how to be healthy and get fit, without being bombarded by ways to lose weight at all costs! Yes, I am losing weight, actually more pleasingly I am losing size, and I am very pleased about this but I want to do it in a healthy way and above all, my goal it to become fit. And by fit I mean properly fit, enough to dance all day in hot conditions. The weight loss comes hand in hand with this but the fitness comes first.
It is worrying to me that there are so many media outlets (magazines, tv adverts etc) that sell quick fixes and sometimes downright dangerous advice to allow you to be thin, but not necessarily healthy, as is this is the only thing that people are bothered by. This is not even getting started on the misleading advice handed out by some “weight loss” companies who want to keep you coming back and don’t educate you on how to make good choices.
All I wanted was some sensible advice on actual fitness. I did find it in the end, but I had to abandon the hopes of mainstream magazines helping me out. I found a lot of excellent advice on many different blogs and websites and a lot of my own knowledge. In addition to that, the same supermarket puts the Runners World magazine in the Computing section…is there any wonder people are confused.
Sorry if that was a little bit of a rant, I am not trying to tell anyone what to do, I just wanted to express my annoyance.
Project Warrior Goddess 
You and I are so on the same page [once again]. I wrote this back in June: http://myyearofsweat.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/get-ready-for-bikini-season-and-other-related-crap/. (And several other rants about crash dieting and quick fixes people seem bent on trying, instead of putting in the hard work, and adapting to a new lifestyle more conducive to healthy living and fitness.)
Anyway – well done on your rant. Couldn’t agree more.
LikeLike
I have thought it before, but today I saw the cosmetic surgery guide sitting there happily in the middle of the fitness mags and it seemed unbelievable!
I am glad (and not surprised really 🙂 ) that you agree with me on this, it is nice to know there are some people out there doing it properly!
LikeLike
The cosmetic surgery one just makes the whole thing worse. I do quite like Zest which I can see hiding near the back, which is quite all-roundy (which is definitely a real word 😉 ) healthwise. I think if you want a magazine with proper advice about fitness you have to venture into the men’s section. I’m not going to rant too much here because this is only meant to be a comment not a post in itself, but that really annoys me – it seems that the magazine industry thinks that only women want to lose weight and only men want to be fit. Not to mention the other stuff they put in the “women’s” and “men’s” sections – why do they need to be arranged by gender anyway? Why not just by subject and leave it there? Hmm, think that needs to be the end of my rant, before I get carried away!
LikeLike
1) all-roundy is definitely a word!
2) rant away you are completely right, the magazine world seem to think that women are only interested in being skinny at all costs especially if it is done with no effort and we can look like a celebrity in the process!
Now I am going stop before I rant again!
It I nice to have found like minded people in here! 😀
LikeLike
And yet the people who have had the most done usually look the worst (well, in my opinion anyway!) This is why I love the blogging world, there are people who encourage me to rant and agree with me 😀
LikeLike
😀 this is so true! People never seem to stop at 1 surgery, or possibly never deal with what makes them want surgery in the first place!
It is always good to find like minded people to rant to and with 😀
LikeLike
😀 this is so true! People never seem to stop at 1 surgery, or possibly never deal with what makes them want surgery in the first place!
It is always good to find like minded people to rant to and with 😀
LikeLike
Loved the post! It is so true you cannot get away from the “lose weight” articles. It is so discouraging especially to people who are trying to get started! And seriously, how can they put runners world in the computing section? How does that make sense?
LikeLike
There didn’t seem to be a sports / exercise section…
I am not sure what they were thinking with the Runners world placement…
I have given up with magazines more or less, apart from the occasional runners world, but it is a shame they are like this because there are a lot of people who use them for real information! as you say especially when starting out!
LikeLike
my friend looks through these magazines all the time and has fallen into the trap of trying out different weight loss packages. It just gives the wrong message. It should be about being healthy and being fit. Such a shame
LikeLike