Just stand there and shake off the fat! Yeah Right!

OK, this is a last minute post that I just had to write.  I’ve been doing trade shows in the fitness industry for the past 10 years and I’m used to hearing outrageous claims made by manufacturers and people selling various products.  But this past weekend I was beside a booth at the Outdoor Adventure Show that was worse for my stress levels than nails on a chalkboard.  The bad part was that the lady selling the product was so nice, but I just couldn’t handle the drivel she was spouting all weekend.  The worst part was that streams of people were eating up the marketing hype and falling “hook, line and sinker”!

As a newsletter subscriber or client of FRESH!, you’ve probably heard of these products before, but I wanted to make sure you aren’t falling for the “magic pill” marketing lies that the manufacturers are selling.  The products I’m talking about are vibration platforms.  While the products themselves aren’t inherently bad, it’s the way they’ve been marketed that drives me nuts.

If you haven’t heard of them, vibration platforms are exactly what they sound like.  Basically, you stand on a platform that vibrates at various frequencies and stay there for a few minutes at a time.  Pretty innocuous in itself as long as you don’t have to go to the bathroom!  There are some viable benefits from using these machines.  The most common benefit is improved balance and body awareness, but there are also some increases in circulation, lymphatic flow, bone density, and improved muscle contractions.  These are actually quite good benefits and even more can be accomplished if the machines are used correctly.

My frustration is that “Weight Loss” and Wellness Centres are popping up all over the place with outrageous claims that people will get in shape, lose body fat, increase their muscle mass, boost their metabolism, and everything short of winning the lottery.  All you have to do is stand on this platform for 10 minutes, 3 times per week.  While there is always some grain of truth in these claims (NASA has used vibration training for decades to help astronauts recover from the muscle atrophy caused during space flight), the people getting sucked in by this marketing hype are chasing the ever elusive magic pill and refuse to accept that it doesn’t exist.

Good for many things, but it shouldn't be your main tool to battle the bulge!

In reality, if you aren’t active, are overweight, and struggling to get the results you want, there are a million better things you could be doing to generate positive results for yourself instead of standing on a vibrating platform.  Perhaps doing some exercise, eating right for your metabolic type, getting to bed on time, and eliminating some of the negative stress in your life? Nah, that would make too much sense!

As I said earlier, there are definitely some benefits to using vibration platforms and I’ve even done some training on these machines in the past.  If you have a plan to maximize their use, they can be a great addition to your overall training plan, but remember this one important point…if you think standing in one spot and having your booty shaken for a few minutes each week is going to help you lose weight, get fit, and look great, then you will be perpetually frustrated.

Now that I’ve put in my $0.02 worth, hopefully you will avoid rushing out to buy a vibration platform as the solution to your weight loss and fitness woes!

If you want something that will actually get you fit, feeling great, and dropping that excess body fat, there is a Calgary Bootcamp style program that’s different than the other companies and will actually guarantee that you get results!

Oh yeah, one more thing…What other fitness, weight loss, or diet marketing drives you nuts.  Leave your comments below.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this post and some of the other crazy fitness fads out there!