Leg Magic

So I hopped on a cardio machine and on the LCD tv right in front of me is an infomercial for Leg Magic.  Leg Magic is the latest fitness gadget out there.  Don’t get me wrong, there are worse things than watching women with tight bodies bounce up and down on the thing for a half hour but I found myself watching the Giants/Cowboys game rebroadcast on NFL network on the screen next door more.

It cracks me up how people snatch up these machines thinking they are the key to finally getting in shape.  The Bow Flex and Nordic Track were two of the first I remember being advertised heavily on TV.  Over the years we have been treated to Suzanne Sommers thigh master, Jake and his various Body by Jake pieces of shit, that weirdo Tony Little and his Gazelle, the list goes on and on. 

This equipment has several common flaws.  First a lot of it is very flimsy and cheaply made, pumped out of some sweat factory in China where they pay their workers pennies an hour.  Second most of it has the user doing the same motion over and over again.  People get bored on the damn thing.  Plus doing the same thing over and over again has diminishing returns as far as it’s effectiveness in losing weight.  Your body adjusts to the activity so if you are doing 20 minutes of this same exercise everyday you are actually doing less benefit for your body over time.  A lot of people initially may have some decent results when they first start using the equipment because they are motivated and the initial adjustment period results in them losing a few pounds or inches.  In fact it probably is somewhat effective just long enough that you go past the 30 day money back guarantee stage, how convenient.  Then as time goes on people see less results, lose their motivation and the equipment either becomes a clothes hanger, lives under the bed for all eternity or gets thrown into the yard sale pile.  There must be huge money to be made feeding on the ignorance of the obese American public as these machines are advertised everywhere. 

Here is a secret, eat smaller amounts of food throughout the day. Take pause for a second before eating something.  If given a choice between carbs and protein, take the protein, be smart.  Never let your exercise program each week be the same as the week prior. Exercise like you have a reason to be there.  There ya go, the secret to weight loss and it won’t even cost you three easy payments of $49.95.