So I am just surfing the net like normal. I check my Facebook and email all while being bombarded with so much spam claiming to be the key to weight loss and that perfect body you’ve always wanted. And honestly, I do not blame people for the wish or for claiming to be the one to be able to grant it. Being fit is an amazing thing for your health, confidence and even your wardrobe. Clothing is even designed to fit a nice figure. What I do blame people for is the second part of the wish. The first part is always something along the lines of “Loses weight” and the second part is the untrue fantasy. “…without Exercise or Dieting.” YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!
Listen up, America. I am about to burst a bubble that desperately must be popped. A toned, fit and trim body is a result of the conscious decision made by its owner. That’s right; a conscious decision. That girl with the slim waist was not born that way and neither was that guy with the toned muscles. Anything that maintains the fitness of your body is going to require you to devote time, attention and (especially) effort. Below are some of the truths that everyone should know about getting fit. Keep in mind that many people are trying to make money off your desire for these to be untrue. And by telling you the truth, I am doing you a favor. It’s even free. If you feel insulted by anything here, you just might need to take a good look at yourself.
There is no magic pill that dissolves fat from your stomach and thighs. Sorry. While some caffeine and thermogenic products claim to raise your metabolism, all they really do is heat you up and cause your heart to beat faster. If you keep your old habits, you will keep your old body no matter how many brightly-colored pills you pop. If you want to drop fat, you have to do cardio and have discipline in your diet. It’s just the truth.
EVERY workout that delivers any real results will be difficult. It doesn’t matter how easy it looks for the models doing it on the infomercial. In fact, if it is easy, then it does nothing for you. A good workout has to be strenuous and intense enough to push your limits so that you can raise your limits. As they say in the Army, “It’s SUPPOSED to hurt.” I get so tired of seeing people reading while on exercise bikes or walking at a treadmill’s lowest setting. These people see little (if any) results and then complain that the exercise is not working for them. Here’s a tip: Turn up the speed on the machine and do some actual training. Otherwise, you’re wasting your time.
Here’s another one: No one is born with a perfect body. While genetics can give a helping hand in either direction, your DNA does not directly dictate your appearance unless you allow it. People who are in extremely great shape are so only because they work very hard on it. The true trim and fit people are not (just) in the gym to show off. They realize that they must maintain. Some are even trying to improve. Not even the body of the fit celebrity is governed by the double-helix. They work out too. Vin Diesel and Megan Fox would look a lot different if they stopped exercising and started eating badly. But I doubt they will test that theory.
Some people think that fit people are simply not eating. Newsflash! Thin people are not starving themselves. They are just eating right. Some people may confuse having a decent diet for starving yourself because a bacon double cheeseburger with fries taste great and gives you that full/sleepy feeling many people THINK is the reason for eating. Guess what: that full/sleepy feeling is your body using energy to digest food rather than to keep you active. You could be working out with that energy. A Caesar Salad with bits of chicken or a baked fish fillet over rice and steamed vegetables never put anyone to sleep. And no one ever starved by eating either of them. Skipping meals altogether or replacing them with fad shakes is starving yourself. Basing your meals on a full selection of vegetables, lean cuts of meat and limiting your starch intake is called dieting. Look it up. Speaking of diets, these fad diets are also complete fallacy fueled by wishful thinking. Calorie Counting? No one really has time to turn their meal into math class. In my opinion this adds unwanted stress which can only compound the problem. I have no intention of taking my calculator to the kitchen at dinner time. Atkins? Honestly, how anyone can say you can live completely on meat and lose weight is beyond me. And how anyone actually went for it is even further beyond me.
Yes, I got off on a little rant here, but it’s time that someone told the truth instead of offering a fantasy in exchange for money. Diet and exercise are the only things that really create a great body. It’s no secret; just a fact that very few people are willing to admit to themselves. The needle on the scale will not go down unless you do things to make yourself lose weight. Six-pack abs are not a gift given at random via God’s genetic dice. A small waste on a woman is not a sign that she is just not enjoying any meals. Both of them are the product of a balanced diet and an intense workout. That’s it. There is no simple and easy magic trick to getting fit with no sweating while surviving on steak and potatoes. It just does not exist.
