It is imperative to understand corruption and how it operates if you are looking to get the most out of your workouts. The fitness industry has become a billion $ industry therefore drawing the interest of the greedy and the manipulative. Not understanding the behavior of corruption in the fitness industry can confuse you in your workouts causing you to lose motivation and quit! But worse than that, you can be fooled into thinking that you are getting great results while you’re actually doing serious harm to your body.
Your first lesson in corruption is this: “Corruption is created and fueled by the ones that it corrupts.” That’s correct. The people who demand and buy the corrupted products are the ones who keep corruption moving at a slithering but operational pace. When we allow commercials and magazine ads to “tell” us what’s best for us without first researching the products or person who is speaking for the ad, we are fueling corruption. When we want an easy, quick way to what appears to be a fit body we are fueling corruption. The fitness enthusiast is the fuel to the machine of corruption. Without us, corruption can’t survive.
Now here’s a lesson regarding how corruption is created. Whenever something whether it is a product or service is introduced to the public, it is usually at its best state. As people begin to use the product or service and like it, they begin to tell their friends about it. This causes it to sell more. Eventually the reputation of the product or service builds great enough to grab the attention of people who realize that they can make massive amounts of money, off of selling this product or service. This is where the corruption begins.
The first step taken in corruption is to figure a way to make a better profit off of selling the product/service that everyone is raving about. This is done by lessening the quality of it allowing more of it to be sold at less cost to the seller. A PRODUCT is corrupted in this manner by putting cheaper ingredients or adding fillers. A SERVICE is corrupted in this manner by bringing in inexperienced facilitators who will work cheaper than the true experts of the service will. At this moment it won’t matter if the quality is lessened because most of the general public isn’t really educated about the product or service yet. And the true experts who will know the differences are a small number that will be easily drowned out by loud advertising and the public’s desire for instant gratification.
The next step is to create flashy, shiny marketing that will grab the public’s attention and even confuse them regarding the product/service. Confusion marketing is the best in the world. Whenever someone acts as if they are smarter than the consumer that they are advertising to, the consumer will usually buy AND repeat what they saw or heard so they will appear smart to others. If you are having a little trouble agreeing with this I would like you to take a look at the ingredients on any supplement bottle that you own and see if you truly know what five (5) of the ingredients listed on it are. And when I say “know”, I am speaking of knowing exactly what the ingredient is, where it comes from, how it was created and harvested, who harvested it and what it was harvested with. Even I can’t answer those questions to myself about my supplements. Now allow me to be more exact regarding how corruption affects fitness.
Models and actors posing for products that they have never used.
Supplement products that don’t have the products in them that they claim to have.
Supplement companies that secretly put steroids in their products so you’ll get massive results.
Photo shopped testimonial pictures.
Fake testimonials regarding products and training services.
Easy on-line certifications for trainers and/or instructors who have no hands on experience in their field of claimed expertise.
Products that cause the consumer to lose or gain weight at an extremely fast rate while doing unannounced serious damage to their body
My purpose in educating you regarding how corruption operates is not to encourage you to grab the torches and pitch forks and start pointing the finger. There still are good, honest companies out there and some of them are big ones. Furthermore, remember that when you point a finger at someone, you have three fingers pointing back at you. That’s correct. My reason for exposing this corruption in the fitness industry and pissing a lot of people in the fitness business off at me is to allow you the choice of personal responsibility. It’s not the 100% fault or responsibility of the persons who are selling to us that we are so lazy, that we will buy anything that they say will give us the results that we childishly demand. They’re simply giving us what we’re asking for.
The desire for instant gratification is the fuel to the fire. It is never my intention to create a “super enemy” to us all. It is only to teach us to admit to when we are choosing the easy way out. Admitting to this will allow us the opportunity to straighten out our actions when we realize that we’ve sunk too far into the depths of instant gratification. I’m not your Dad telling you what to do. I’m your big brother advising you on what you could be getting yourself into. As adults we should willingly accept responsibility for our actions and not blame others. Here are some basic tips to identify corruption:
Always research the background of the product or service that you are choosing to use. Use the internet o Ask people who have used it before.
Research the direct competition of that product or service before using it.
See what is being said by those who are against the product or service.
Research the background and accomplishments of the person who is trying to sell you their service.
Try it out and see how it makes you feel before inducting yourself into full usage of it.
If you are seeking instant gratification from a product or service and choose to use it, don’t blame it later for the repercussions that may occur.
To beat corruption take your time when getting involved in something new. Don't be hypnotized by the shiny results. Look at the path that you will have to take and the path that was taken to get the service and/or product to you. Then that way, ...you wont be led off a cliff!